NEW YORK

Türkiye’s first lady and chair of the UN Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste Emine Erdogan on Monday called for the establishment of a dedicated UN body to coordinate global efforts to strengthen the family institution.

“A special body should be created within the United Nations to coordinate studies on empowering the family, because the structure and quality of the family are indicators of the future awaiting humanity,” Erdogan said at an event, titled Better Together: Global Solidarity Rooted in the Family, organized by Türkiye’s Ministry of Family and Social Services during this week’s UN General Assembly in New York.

‘Family under siege from all sides’

Addressing participants, Erdogan described the family institution as “the most sacred cornerstone of humanity” and expressed hope that the gathering would inspire global action to protect and support families.

Emphasizing that the family home is where every individual is born into, Erdogan said it serves as a vital shelter that protects people against life’s turbulence, hardships, and crises.

Pointing to mounting threats, she noted: “Climate crisis, wars, popular culture industries and gender-neutral ideologies are deeply shaking the family institution. Values that enrich the human spirit are being replaced with materialist consumption culture. This drags us toward a post-family reality. Once, extended families lived under one roof. Today, the nuclear family has taken its place, and recently, the number of single-parent households has been increasing."

‘Family-centered policies no longer a choice but a necessity’

Erdogan underlined the disruptive impact of digitalization on family relationships, warning that children who spend over six hours a day in front of screens are increasingly vulnerable to ideological manipulation and exploitation.

She highlighted rising divorce rates, delayed marriages, and declining birth rates as key concerns, noting: “Modern working conditions fail to support women in motherhood and family roles.”

Citing studies, Erdogan said: “Global fertility dropped from five births per woman in 1950 to 2.3 in 2021, and is expected to decline further to 2.1 by 2050. Our world is aging and becoming lonelier. This is not only a demographic issue but also a question of civilization and sustainability.”

“These developments clearly show that strengthening family-oriented policies is no longer a choice, but a necessity. The fate of societies is directly linked to the strength — or weakness — of the family institution,” she added.

Erdogan also pointed to studies showing a 118% increase in violent crime in cities with higher rates of broken families. In contrast, she said, children raised in stable households grow into “peaceful individuals (who are) sensitive to people, nature, and society.”

“The family is a school that shapes one's personality and instills moral and ethical values. Within the family, as mothers, fathers, siblings, or children, individuals learn compassion, respect, love, and patience. While loneliness makes us fragile, a family environment woven with love and trust nourishes our inner world and enhances our resilience,” Erdogan emphasized.

She also stressed that, similarly, “national identity is developed within the family, and social consciousness is preserved through it,” adding that the sense of belonging to a society, a country, or an ideal is first cultivated in the family. She referred to the family as being the state’s key partner in responsibilities ranging from education to elder care.

The Turkish first lady underlined that the family is not only about living under one roof but about “sharing joy, sorrow, and resilience,” stressing its central role in achieving peace, justice, and prosperity.

‘Protecting families is key to a just, prosperous world’

Turning to global crises, Erdogan stressed that the greatest orphan crisis of modern history is unfolding in Gaza.

“Hundreds of families were wiped out before our eyes. Tens of thousands of children (have been) left without parents or a future. In Sudan, Yemen, Myanmar, Ukraine and elsewhere, countless children face war, poverty, and hunger. By the end of 2024, the number of displaced children approached 50 million,” she noted.

She also said these examples show that wars and crises hit families first. “Yet in such times, families are also the source of rebirth, hope, and resilience. The more we protect families, the more we can build a just, peaceful, and prosperous world,” Erdogan added.

The event, hosted at the UN headquarters by Türkiye's Ministry of Family and Social Services, was attended by Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, Qatar’s Minister of Social Development and Family Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs Isata Mahoi, Somalia’s Family Minister Khadija Al-Makhzoumi, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, Serbian Minister for Gender Equality Tatjana Macura, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Maria Zabolotskaya, and US Department of Health and Human Services Special Advisor Bethany Kozma.

The event concluded with a family photo of participants.