International Family Day 2018 – Message from the President
No Family Left Behind: Families and Local Authorities working together to transform cities and human settlements into inclusive, safe, resilient, sustainable with strong communities
Humankind has achieved unprecedented social and economic progress over the past several decades. However, the progress has been uneven. Everywhere, some individuals and groups confront barriers that prevent them from fully participating in economic, social and political life, leaving them behind. The focus of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the core aspiration of the World Family Organization in celebrating the 2018 International Family Day is to highlight the inclusion of the family in the process of development with No Family Left Behind.
By 2050, the world’s urban population is expected to nearly double, making urbanization one of the twenty-first century’s most transformative trends. Populations, economic activities, social and cultural interactions, as well as environmental and humanitarian impacts, are increasingly concentrated in cities, and these poses to governments and to families’ massive sustainability challenges in terms of housing, infrastructure, basic services, food security, health, education, decent jobs, safety and natural resources, among others.
Recalling that in Celebration of the World Family Organization 70thAnniversary, the focus of the World Family Summit 2017 was on the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, and SDG 12 “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns” we would like to emphasize on this 2018 International Family Day that its implementation at local level and in the family is an exceptional opportunity to achieve better integration between communities needs and family-friendly public policy development, leading to a renewed hope, harmony, social coherence and economic growth, while ensuring inclusion and sustainability.
By encouraging local governments, communities and families to work together in a participatory approach at local level, we can promote civic engagement to stimulate a sense of belonging and ownership among all people to introduce the concepts of the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals on the local level strategic and budgetary plans to implement the targeted actions as an effective response to family needs, transforming cities and human settlements into prosperous, inclusive, safe, resilient, sustainable and strong communities, LEAVING NO FAMILY BEHIND.
Happy 2018 International Family Day!
Dr. Deisi Kusztra
WFO President
