UN Side Event cpd58: The central role of families in promoting public health and wellbeing

UN COMMISSION FOR POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT – 58 SESSION

Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages

https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/events/CPD58

PROGRAM

Side event ONLINE – YouTube live

Day: Tuesday 8 April. 2025

Time: 09:00 – 10:30 am  EST  / 03:00 – 4:30 pm CET / 09.00 – 10:30 pm CST

Duration: 90 minutes

09:00 EST / 15:00 CET Welcome and introduction. Raul Sanchez, secretary general of ELFAC 

09:05 EST / 15:05 CET: The family network as a support system: prof. Francesco Belletti, director of the “Centro internazionale studi famiglia – CISF” (Milano, Italy).

09:20 EST / 15:20 Testimonial : Irina Granzulea, president of the Romanian Large Families Association ASFANU, and the Mimler Family, European Large Family of the Year 2024.

09:30 EST / 15:30 Advocacy of families in international organizations: Judit Regős, Parent’s House NGO (Hungary) and Madeleine Wallin, Haro NGO (Sweden)

09:45 EST / 15:45 The Family Lens in Health and Demographic Policy: Gudrun Kugler, vice president of OSCE PA (Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), Special Representative on Demographic Change and Security.

10:00 EST / 16:00 Best practices in local policies: Regina Maroncelli, coordinator for the European Network of Family-Friendly Municipalities (familycities.eu).

10:15 EST / 16:15 The central role of families in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Renata Kaczmarska, Focal Point on Family, Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD), United Nations.

10:25 EST / 16:25 Closing

BACKGROUND NOTE

Current health programs and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), largely focus on individuals, overlooking the broader context in which individuals live – the family system. According to Bowen Family Systems Theory, family members are interconnected and interdependent, and “family should be viewed as a system”. (1) By addressing factors such as mental health, malnutrition, and economic hardship at a family-level, we can better address root causes of diseases and implement preventive strategies.

Health promotion and prevention must begin at the family level too. Families are where good health habits are cultivated and passed on, ensuring the wellbeing of all generations. A healthy, functional family system is essential to preventing illness, fostering emotional support, and improving overall quality of life.

The quality of family relationships plays a significant role in mental and physical health. Studies consistently show that strong family bonds contribute to better health outcomes. According to recent studies, maternity and paternity lead to a better personal health and improve the sense of meaning and life in general; also the sense of future is enhanced, and it increases in old age. (2)

Parents, grandparents, and siblings may serve as informal caregivers, essential yet invisible and undervalued (their work does not appear in the national GDP). Still, family caregivers “are recognised as the backbone of the health care system”, (3) providing unpaid, often unrecognized, care to children, elderly and chronically ill relatives.

States should adopt a “family impact lens” (4) in their public health and demographic policies to better address the challenges posed by global population changes. Supporting families and empowering them to fulfil their roles will lead to better health outcomes and will contribute significantly to achieving the SDGs.

Pollution, malnutrition, stress, poor working conditions, inadequate healthcare, lack of social security, and insufficient access to clean water and sanitation are all factors taken into consideration in the 2030 Agenda, but, without a “family impact lens”, very little attention is given to the impact they have on families. Incorporating and involving the families into health promotion strategies is essential to creating a sustainable future.

This should be done ensuring that family dynamics, diversity, and caregiving burdens are considered in all population health discussions and policy initiatives. Article 16.3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must be fully realized, ensuring that families are granted their rightful place in society

Families must be recognized as central to achieving health equity and population goals. By investing in families, supporting their functions, and recognizing their importance, states will foster a healthier, more sustainable future for people, communities, and the planet.

(1. Haijing Zan, Zhixing Meng, Jing Li, Xinjian Zhang & Tao Liu , 2024 Factors associated with quality of life among elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: the role of family caregivers, https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-17917-z  / 2. Institute for family and society studies, Poland, 2024. / 3. Exploring experiences of family caregivers for older adults with chronic illness: A scoping review, Barbara Member Jika BSc, MSc, Hafiz T.A. Khan PhD, FRSPH, CSTAT, Muili Lawal Phd, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197457221003293  / 4.Elisabetta Carra, 2020 https://publires.unicatt.it/it/publications/il-family-impact-lens-frameworkteorico-e-modello-operativo.)