The Importance of the Family in the Eradication of Poverty and for Peace and Prosperity

On Friday, February 9, 2024 at 1:15 - 2:30 PM

Friday, February 9, 2024
1:15 – 2:30 PM
UN Headquarters, Conference Room 6

Click here for UN Webcast Link. 

EVENT PROGRAM

BACKGROUND
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1994 “The International Year of the Family” in its resolution 44/82. The year 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of that observance, which emphasized that governments, civil society, and international agencies should focus on “creating among Governments, policy-makers, and the public a greater awareness of the family as the natural and fundamental unit of society.”

The family is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as “the natural and fundamental group unit

of society” and “entitled to protection by society and the State.” All efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development must necessarily emphasize the role of the family because of its essential function as primary educator, economic driver, and social safety net.
In a world where the family is the most powerful predictor of upward economic mobility and the most important social safety net, and where social protection systems are at the breaking point, the international community and governments must ensure that the family is a central focus of economic and social protection policies.

EVENT OBJECTIVE
To provide a platform to hear the views of experts in the fields of demography, economics, security and family policy, as well as their conclusions on family-oriented policies in their respective areas of expertise, and to provide an opportunity for Member States and civil society organizations to exchange views and best practices.

AGENDA

OPENING REMARKS
Representative of Belarus
Representative of Egypt
Representative of Qatar

PANELISTS
Timothy Rarick, Ph.D., Professor, Brigham Young University – Idaho, “Family formation, stability, and poverty eradication”

Suzanne Nortier Hollman, Psy.D., Ph.D., Institute for the Psychological Sciences, “The psychological impact of poverty on family well/being”

Errol Naidoo, Founder and Executive Director, Family Policy Institute, South Africa, “The Significance of the Family to Poverty Eradication in Africa”

STATEMENTS BY MEMBER STATES AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Statements in support of the Family in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family

Moderator – Lisa Correnti, Executive Vice President, Center for Family and Human Rights

Event Organizers
Permanent Mission of Belarus to the United Nations
Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam)

Sponsoring Member States
Group of Friends of the Family, consisting of Bangladesh, Belarus, Comoros, Egypt, The Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Co-sponsoring Civil Society Organizations
Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam)
Campaign Life Coalition
Family Watch International