All governments of the world signed in September 2015 the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, as a global expression of what they all agreed every country should reach in their development process during the next years. Establishing the link between family policies and the 17 Goals is key for our vision.

For this reason, Families, Family Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals Report has been promoted by IFFD with the coordination of UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, and the participation of  experts from the five continents. Specific chapters were written by  academics experts from the five continents. 

The report shows that “family policies are a mainstay of national public policies and the most meaningful vehicle for governments to influence the standard of living of future generations. Family policies have an important part to play in meeting many of the targets that will contribute to achieving the global ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals.” 

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Evidence shows that social protection policies paid to families are effective in reducing poverty rates and extreme poverty across a range of countries.

Promoting parenting skills for healthier family functioning is a means to reduce risk behaviours, and risk factors, related to different conditions such as diabetes, CVD, depression, anger, drug use, alcohol consumption, and stress.

Family involvement in global goals for education is a given; many existing mechanisms are delivered via the family, and rely on families doing their part to function well.

Gender equality in the public sphere can never be achieved unless unpaid domestic work and care work is shared more equally in the private sphere.

While policies that are aimed at ensuring access to the labour market and creating decent jobs are essential, it is important to make relevant interventions to strengthen families, and avoid intergenerational transmission of weak labour market attachment.

Domestic violence prevention programmes have been evaluated as effective – such as family-focused community interventions. Family policies can contribute to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.