IFFD Briefing & Award Ceremony 2026

Advancing Social Development and Social Justice through Family-Centered Care and Work–Life Policies

Side-Event during the Commission on Social Development
Wednesday, February 4th, 2026. 1:15-2:30
Conference Room 12, United Nations Headquarters, New York

Co-sponsored by
the Division of Inclusive Social Development of UN-DESA (TBC)
the Childhood Education International

In collaboration with, 
Doha International Family Institute, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia Region and The Best Place for Working Parents

Event Highlights

Executive Summary

Recording

Pictures

IFFD at the Commission

Oral Statement at the Plenary

Panel Discussion on Care

Background Note

The 64th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD64) focuses on “Advancing Social Development and Social Justice through Coordinated, Equitable, and Inclusive Policies.” This priority underscores the need for integrated policy responses to today’s social challenges, including demographic change, care deficits, gender inequalities, and increasing pressures on families and caregivers.

Building on the IFFD side event at the Second World Summit for Social Development (Doha, 2025)—which examined care and support systems for reinforcing family-oriented policies—this IFFD Briefing as a CSocD64 side event seeks to advance the discussion by emphasizing coordination across sectors, particularly the role of the private sector as an active partner in family-friendly care systems.

The Doha discussion highlighted parents as primary caregivers, the importance of care infrastructure, and the need for family-friendly working environments. At CSocD64, the conversation evolves further: how governments, employers, and civil society can jointly support families, especially during the early stages of children’s development, which often coincide with parents’ own learning curve in caregiving and parenting.

Social development and social justice depend not only on employment and economic growth, but also on family stability, equitable access to care services, social protection, and decent work. Care responsibilities—still disproportionately carried by women—must be addressed through policies that recognize unpaid care work and enable caregivers to combine family responsibilities with participation in the labour market.

The mandate of the Commission for Social Development explicitly includes advising on social policies, social protection, social inclusion, and the coordination of social development efforts. Within this framework, care systems and family-oriented labour policies are essential to achieving equitable and inclusive development.

Objectives and Expected Outcomes

– Advance the integration of family-friendly and care-oriented policies into social development and social justice frameworks.
– Strengthen policy coherence and coordination among governments, UN agencies, the private sector, and civil society.
– Highlight early childhood and parental learning as critical stages requiring targeted, coordinated support.
– Promoteemployer engagement and private-sector participation as scalable contributors to family-friendly care and work–life policies.
– Increase recognition of early childhood investment as a cost-effective driver of long-term social and economic resilience.
– Generate actionable policy recommendations and partnerships to inform CSocD deliberations and follow-up.
– Support improved integration of caregivers within social protection systems, including childcare, flexible work, and family-friendly workplace incentives.

Key Themes and Challenges

– Care Systems and Social Justice Recognizing caregiving as a core social and economic function and addressing care gaps through inclusive social protection and service access.
– Family-Friendly Labour Policies Advancing parental leave, flexible and secure work arrangements, and employer incentives to support caregivers and decent work.
– Gender Equality and Unpaid Care Work Reducing and redistributing unpaid care work while enabling women’s full economic participation without penalizing caregiving.
– Early Childhood Development and Childcare Strengthening ECD and childcare as foundations for social mobility, with targeted investment for vulnerable communities.
– Public–Private–Civil Society Partnerships Promoting employer engagement and cross-sector collaboration to deliver scalable, evidence-based family-friendly solutions.

Agenda

Opening Remarks

Panel Discussion

Youth Perspectives – Erasmus +

IPC Paris
The private sector in assistance to older persons and persons with disabilities
Studies financed by the European Union in Italy and Spain

IFFD Awards Ceremony

Closing Remakrs