UN should promote family system to uproot social ills: Maleeha

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called on the UN and its member states to integrate the pivotal role of family in national and international efforts and policies to achieve objectives of the Global Development Agenda that is aimed at banishing social ills by 2030.

Human experience over the ages has shown that the family is the most fundamental unit of society and the foundation of a cohesive and harmonious community, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said at a special high level event organized by the Group of Friends on Family Monday.

The group which was launched last year is composed of 25 countries from different regions of the world that support the traditional family and family values. It has three co chairs, Belarus, Egypt and Qatar.

As a proud member of the group and a firm follower of the UN Charter and the International Bill of Human Rights, Pakistan supports all efforts to strengthen the institution of family and to harness its potential to realize our shared objectives of prosperity peace and security and harmony in the world, the Pak envoy said.

Monday’s event marked the annual International Day of Families which is observed on May 15. The day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993, reflecting the importance of the international community attaches to families.

Challenges abound with families bearing the brunt of crises sweeping so many parts of the world, she said referring to the forced migrants and displacement. As the international community embarks on implementation of the world’s most ambitious and wide ranging development agenda families have a crucial role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, Ambassador Lodhi said. Underscoring the role of family, the Pakistani envoy said this indispensable institution was not specific to a particular culture or religion and that it was valued by systems and faiths. The institution of the family has proven its utility in nurturing and development of children and in providing a secure and enabling environment to women, Lodhi said.

It is also the best primary educator a vital economic driver as well as the most comprehensive and compassionate social safety net for the unemployed, the elderly and the disabled. These multi-faceted dimensions of the institution should be employed by member states and the relevant UN agencies in all programmes and policies at all levels to advance several SDG goals, she added.