Historic Family Conference at UN

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UNITED NATIONS, September 26 (C-Fam) During a historic pro-family event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, governments warned that the family is “under siege” from gender ideology, individualism, loose sexual morality, war, and economic threats.

“Better Together: Global Solidarity Rooted in the Family” was convened by the government of Türkiye, along with roughly 30 other governments, including Qatar, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Hungary, Russia, and Belarus, as well as the governmental coalition known as the Group of Friends of the Family. Family Watch International and C-Fam, the publisher of Friday Fax, co-hosted the event.

Emine Erdoğan, the First Lady of Türkiye, called for “new global initiatives” to protect the family. “Today, unfortunately, the family finds itself under siege from all dimensions. It’s being challenged by global threats such as climate crisis, wars, the popular culture, industry, and efforts to blur gender distinctions all of which deeply shake the foundation of this vital institution,” Ms. Erdoğan explained.

Ms. Erdoğan lamented our world getting “older” and becoming “lonelier.” She said this is “more than a demographic challenge, it is an issue of civilization and sustainability” and called on the UN to “embrace the strengthening of the family as a policy in its own right.”
Türkiye’s Minister of Family and Social Services, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, denounced how “harmful ideological trends aimed at eradicating biological differences are eroding family values.”

“The lifestyle imposed by modern life makes starting a family seem like a burden. All those dynamics are resulting in more nuclear and single-parent families while also reducing the number of children,” Ms. Göktaş continued.

Speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Family, a UN coalition of over 27 countries committed to the protection of the family, Buthaina Bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, the Qatari Minister of Social Development and Family, asked for “collective efforts and effective partnerships” to invest in the family.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, lamented how difficult it is to even mention the family in global politics. “So, may I take this chance to clarify at the very beginning what we in Hungary mean by the expression family. We mean family, it is a mother, a father, and children. And to make sure in Europe, mother is a woman, father is a man,” he said.

Claudia Zobolova-Skayanova, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia, also clarified that in Russia, marriage is defined as “a union between a man and woman.” Ms. Skayanova warned that domestic-level efforts to protect the family “are not enough” but that the global challenges impacting the family “require urgent action and solidarity of the whole international community.” Stefano Gennarini, C-Fam Legal Expert, said that “The official Western narrative about the family makes it challenging to talk about the family here at the UN. There are profoundly different views. Some argue for so-called ‘rainbow families.’ Others argue that the family is not a subject of human rights and that there is no international definition of the family.”

Sharon Slater, President of Family Watch International, criticized some UN family planning programs for “planning the family out of existence.” Lamenting the absence of a UN fund that focused on the family, Ms. Slater proposed the creation of such a fund that would use a “family impact lens.”

C-Fam board member Douglas Sylva, who chaired one of the expert panels, said, “This event is indeed historic. It is the first-ever pro-family side event to be organized during the high-level segment of the General Assembly. When I first came to the United Nations over 20 years ago, such an event would have been almost unthinkable. Many countries were reluctant to speak on behalf of the family.”

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