57th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Panel Discussion on States’ Obligations on the Role of the Family in Supporting Human Rights of its Members

Mr. President,

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the family “as the natural and fundamental group unit of society”[1] and affirms that it is “entitled to protection by society and the State”.[2] The Holy See has regularly emphasized that “The future of humanity passes by way of the family”[3], whose flourishing contributes to the prosperity of a nation. Within the family, human beings are born and learn to respect and foster personal dignity across generations. Guided by the principle of “free giving”, family members support one another “to grow wiser and harmonize personal rights with the other requirements of social life”.[4] The family thus serves as “a school of deeper humanity,”[5] playing a vital role in upholding the human rights of its members.

It is, therefore, necessary to develop family-oriented social, economic, and cultural policies at both domestic and international levels. Such policies should include, inter alia, measures to promote the institution of marriage and support the family, to protect life, to harmonize work and family life, and to assist parents in their role as primary educators of their children.[6] In the present era, a considerable number of couples choose to refrain from having children. This is having a significantly detrimental impact on the vitality and cohesion of societies, with the potential to affect even the stability of welfare systems and the economy itself.

Mr. President,

My Delegation is also concerned that the family is increasingly downplayed and denigrated in international fora. The retort that ‘individuals and not families are rights holders’ is often shamefully used as a justification to minimize or reject language or initiatives that seek to protect and promote the family as a fundamental common good. The family is the first society as well as the privileged place to receive education and formation to contribute well to societal life. It is, therefore, absolutely fundamental – not ancillary nor tangential, much less harmful – for the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of all. 

In this regard, it should also be emphasized that the family is often the strongest advocate for and supporter of the most vulnerable in society: the unborn, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

Mr. President,

It is my Delegation’s hope that this important panel discussion will encourage a deeper awareness of and a renewed commitment to the family in the work of the Human Rights Council. “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”[7]

Thank you, Mr. President.