Supporting families for peace building

16.05.19

UNESCO - On the occasion of the International Day of Families, MMM joined forces with other NGOs in partnership with UNESCO to reaffirm the essential role of families for social cohesion, economic development.and ultimately peace.

Because of their role in education, protection, health and socialization, families are the basic cells of society. The family, as a recognized institution in all sectors, strives to provide support from birth to the end of life, educating and protecting the most vulnerable.

Stability and solidarity within family units are the keys to a balanced development of the human being. This role is particularly crucial during the first three years of children’s lives, to ensure their full cognitive, emotional, physical and social development.

Still, in a context of rapidly changing societies, families, especially single-parent families, are increasingly finding themselves in vulnerable situations. They, therefore, need the support of States to protect parents and the rights of children and adolescents.

In the context of economic, environmental and social development, family-centered policies have proven effective. The success of the Sustainable Development Goals is intrinsically linked to the role of families as active agents of personal, social and cultural change.

On this basis, MMM and other NGO signatories to the statement below call on UNESCO Member States to implement policies to improve families’ access to sustainable living conditions. to avoid situations of neglect or violence, and to recognize their role in social cohesion and economic development.

The statement, prepared by MMM and a coalition of NGO partners of UNESCO, also makes a number of recommendations. It was distributed to the Member States and sent to the Director-General of UNESCO on 15 June 2019 on the occasion of International Family Day.

Read the Statement

Gabrielle de Milleville, Representative of Make Mothers Matter to UNESCO, with Marie-Claude Machon, Permanent Representative of BWP International to UNESCO and President of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee

 

Most read articles

The New EU Gender Equality Roadmap : A Call for Inclusion of Mothers

04.03.25

The European Commission’s initiative on a new Gender Equality Roadmap post-2025, marks a significant step forward in addressing gender disparities across the European Union. Make Mothers Matter (MMM

Lire plus

Sharing is caring:
equal parenting, a path to social cohesion?

27.01.25

UN New York, UN Commission on Social Development – Register now to our virtual side-event for a discussion on how a more equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work

Lire plus

Child and Family Support in Europe : ensuring families receive the best possible care

05.12.24

We were delighted to coorganise, together with the European Parents Association (EPA), the “Quality Assurance in Child and Family Support in Europe: Policy Lessons for Evidence-Informed Decision

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

Latest News from MMM and its Network

Mothers: The Missing Link in Child Rights Discussions?

01.08.25

UN New York – Following the Human Rights Council's 2025 Annual day on the rights of the child – which focussed on Early Childhood Development – a resolution on that same topic will be tabled at the 80th U

Read more

Human-Centred Strategy: Care at the Core of Sustainability

29.07.25

UN New York – UN New York – On 16 July, we hosted a side-event at the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) titled Unpaid Care at the Core: A Catalyst for Achieving the SDGs. The event aimed to highlight the

Read more

Empowering Mothers, Advancing Rights: MMM at HRC59

14.07.25

UN Geneva - The UN Human Rights Council provides a crucial platform for advocacy and engagement on key human rights issues that affect mothers. This overview highlights MMM’s engagement at the 59th session of

Read more

Intergenerational Solidarity in work-life balance and childcare

13.07.25

MMM was invited to speak at AGE’s annual conference, which focused on contributing to the EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness. The event explored a range of key areas, including the labour market, healt

Read more

Joint Letter to EU Leaders: MMM and Partners Advocate for Strategic Investment in Children and Families

09.07.25

Make Mothers Matter, along with 24 member organisations of the Alliance for Investing in Children, has sent a joint letter to Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), Roberta Metsola (Presid

Read more

Unpaid Care at the Core: A Catalyst for Achieving the SDGs

06.07.25

UN New York / HLPF - Register now to join us online for our High Level Political Forum side-event.

Read more