Welcome to the United Nations
The International Federation for Family Development (IFFD), in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Poland and the Philippines to the United Nations, hosted the IFFD Briefing and Awards 2025: Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development at CSocD63. Opening statements were delivered by Nora Urrea, Vice President of IFFD; H.E. Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of Poland to the UN; and H.E. Monina Josefina Romualdez, Undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The interactive discussion featured five distinguished speakers: Boniface Kakhobwe, Early Childhood Development Specialist at UNICEF; Marcos Neto, Assistant Secretary-General at UNDP; Sharifa Al-Emadi, Executive Director of the Doha International Family Institute; Dino Corell, Multilateral Relations Officer at the ILO; and Krishna Prasad Sapkota, PhD Candidate at Miami University. The session was moderated by Dr. Alex Vazquez from IFFD.
Event discussion and topics
A major theme from the discussion was the critical role of the family as both a social and economic tool for advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Boniface Kakhobwe emphasized this connection, stating, "What is good for the family is good for society, and good for the economy." Krishna Prasad Sapkota further underscored the significance of family, noting that it directly impacts at least seven SDGs, with additional indirect effects on others. Another key takeaway was the importance of supporting care workers — not only to benefit families but also to advance gender equality.
The panel addressed challenges currently facing family systems, including shifting age demographics, financial crises, and migration of younger generations in search of better opportunities. Suggested policies included government financial support, measures to improve work-life balance, and the possibility of implementing quantitative assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of national family systems.
Awards received
The 2025 IFFD Award Ceremony honored two organizations for their outstanding efforts in advancing family-centered policies worldwide.
The Province of Bataan, The Philippines, was recognized for its visionary leadership and outstanding dedication to fostering community welfare and family resilience through the implementation of the Bataan Educhild Parenting Program. In his acceptance remarks, Governor Jose Enrique S. Garcia stated, “The province of Bataan believes a strong nation begins with a strong family”.
SOS Children Villages International was recognized for its leadership in advocating for innovative family-strengthening programs that empower resilient families and stable environments for children. This award was presented by the 2024 winner, the Blue Tree Foundation. In their acceptance speech, the SOS Children Villages International representative reflected that “We need to make decisions for the future and for that we need strong citizens, and that relies on stable care".
Source: UN DESA