Statement of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Yuri Ambrazevich on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Family (15 July 2024)

Statement on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Family
at the General Debate of the Ministerial segment
of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

15 July 2024, General Assembly Hall

Madame Chair,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to deliver this statement on behalf of 30 Member States of the Group of Friends of the Family which includes Bangladesh, Cameroon, Comoros, Djibouti, 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 and my own country Belarus.

We welcome this opportunity to reaffirm the important link between the family and development, emphasizing the role that the family plays as a contributor to sustainable development, given its core essence as the natural and fundamental group unit of society.

The Group is of the view that the full and effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not be possible unless the family is empowered to adequately fulfil its role in society.

Family-oriented policies have already proven both valuable and efficient in many areas of social development, providing sustainable, affordable and quality living conditions for the family and its members, and enabling the family to contribute to economic development, social cohesion and intergenerational solidarity.

The Group is convinced that integrating a family perspective into the development agenda will be a step forward towards achieving each and every Sustainable Development Goal before and after 2030.

We welcome the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family celebrated this year, and see it as an opportunity to redefine family-oriented policies as part of overall development efforts, supporting the goal of responding to the challenges facing the family institution today, leading national efforts that benefit the family worldwide, and introducing family impact assessment as an ongoing part of policymaking.

The Group of Friends recognizes the crucial role that the United Nations plays in strengthening global cooperation on family-related issues, especially in the areas of research and information, and calls on the UN to devote due attention to raising international awareness of the importance of the family for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, as well as of the necessity to give due consideration to the family-related matters in the elaboration of the post-2030 development agenda.

The first step in this direction must be made today, as we are actively preparing for the Summit of the Future, which seeks to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future. Member States of the Group share conviction that the outcome document of the Summit – Pact for the Future, as well as its annexes, will properly reflect the topic of family policy development in the most ambitious and action-oriented way.

In addition, we acknowledge the important role of partnerships among all relevant stakeholders, including UN entities, civil society, research institutions and academia, and encourage increased research efforts and awareness-raising activities related to achieving the sustainable development through policies and programs that prioritize the family well-being.

In this regard, Member States of the Group welcome the convening of the Doha conference in October 2024 to commemorate the anniversary of the International Year of the Family, and look forward to other international, regional and national initiatives.

While we welcome the continued expansion of the Group’s membership, we invite other interested Member States to take the opportunity of the anniversary year to join the Group to promote concerted action to strengthen family-oriented policies and programmes, as part of an integrated, comprehensive approach to sustainable development.

Finally, let me, on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Family, express our shared commitment to working with each other and other Member States, the United Nations and civil society to protect the family and family values everywhere and to pursue pro-family policies at all levels to ensure a safer and more prosperous future for the family and all its members, especially children.

I thank you for your attention.

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