Families are where global change lands first. The Secretary-General’s 2026 report shows that family-oriented policies, from early childhood development and parenting support to work–family balance, help reduce poverty and advance education and gender equality. Yet the tool remains underused: only 40 of the 141 Member States reporting on poverty in 2020–2024 described family-oriented policies to end it.
The strongest programmes treat families as partners, not beneficiaries. With the Doha Political Declaration, Member States committed to recognizing the family as a central enabler of social development. This paper sets out the gap, what works, and ten recommendations to close it.
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