New York, United States - The 53rd Session of the Commission on Social Development was held February 3-13, 2015 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York with the theme of "Rethinking and strengthening social development in the contemporary world." The commission was chaired by Simona Mirela Miculescu Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations. During the ten days, discussion addressed means to improve the current growth model for sustainable development around the world. Positive proposals were made regarding economic growth and open markets, the involvement of youth, the rights of persons people with disabilities and the aged. It could be noted that the family was rarely mentioned in these discussions.
During the session on February 13, Dr. Tageldin Hamad, Secretary General of UPF, read a statement encouraging the commission to consider the stable family as fundamental for addressing many of the social problems of today. He stated "If family stability and loving parental guidance are not experienced early in life, it is much harder and far more expensive for any government policy or social program to instill in any individual the fundamental principles of universal human dignity.... It is only when we take the family seriously as the resource of optimum human capacity and connection that we may start to address a root cause of social failure. It is critical that we recognize and strengthen the family as a key for thriving social development."
For the text of the statement, click here.