Brussels, 26th September 2024

A joint statement was delivered on Wednesday 25th September at the United Nations in Geneva about the function of the family. Co-signed by FAFCE and supported by several member organisations, it was said during the 57th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Panel Discussion on States’ Obligations on the Role of the Family in Supporting Human Rights of its Members.

Read by Alice Scomazzon for the Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII, the speech emhpasised the need for “an international recognition of the function of the family”. The statement asserted that families ought to be seen as the resource they are, instead of a cost. “The family is the essential pillar of our societies, and without recognising this role, even geopolitical stability and peace are in peril”, continued the statement. Adding that, “networks of families could have a pivotal function for peaceful societies, as families are the natural place of reconciliation and forgiveness.”

At FAFCE we know that where the family goes, society follows. On this year’s 30th Anniversary of the Year of the Family, this reality is important as ever for states and institutions to reflect on. It is particularly evident in the context of the demographic winter. Regarding this, the statement reads: “we would like to emphasise the fundamental role of the family in contributing to sustainable development and intergenerational balance as well as the need to put on place effective policies and measures to provide the necessary comprehensive support for the families and its members.”

FAFCE co-signed this statement that aligns with our emphasis on the protagonisation of the family, as well as with the reiteration of the disastrous demographic winter. The statement called for “the proclamation of an International Decade of Action for the Family aimed at closing gaps in mainstreaming a family perspective across the UN system”.

We are also grateful to the following FAFCE members who co-signed the document:

France – Confédération Nationale des Associations Familiales Catholiques (CNAFC) 

Ireland – Family Solidarity 

Italy – Associazione Nonni 2.0 

Netherlands – opGROEIsymposium 

We also send our thanks to the following members who voiced their support of the statement:

Hungary – Seventy-two Disciples Movement (in Hungarian: Hetvenkét Tanítvány Mozgalom)

Netherlands – Gezinsplatform