Intervention by Ignacio Socias, IFFD, at the high-level panel with the Chairs of the regional reviews of the ICPD Programme of Action, during the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, Fifty-seventh session, 30th Anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo (New York, 30 April 2024).
At the International Federation for Family Development we have been involved with UN DESA in the preparations around the world for the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, also celebrated this year.
We have been part of 28 events and our recent IFFD World Congress has taken place in Cebu, Philippines, with over 1,300 delegates from 51 countries, as the final step of this preparations.
During this gathering, we realized once more the profound extent to which families seek guidance and innovative solutions for the challenges they have to face, especially in these 5 points:
1. The decline in fertility and changes in family structures and lifestyles have implications for care arrangements and support systems, and the disproportionate burden for women continues to be undervalued in many cases.
2. Controlled and managed migration can be a partial solution to reduce the dependency ratios in Europe, but only in the short and medium term.
3. Population ageing on a societal level is a main challenge: raising the retirement age, the financial viability of pensions and the health care system are being widely discussed, including an increasing demand for long-term care workers.
4. Promoting intergenerational solidarity must be a key principle in European care and family policies, including fostering cooperation and understanding, encouraging support networks, and recognizing the contributions of older adults to society.
5. The main goal of family policy in Europe should be to prevent unwanted loneliness, social exclusion and child poverty, and making sure that families can have the number of children they desire.
We want to stress that the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development should integrate the pivotal role of families in achieving real social justice.
