Commemoration of International Parents’ Day

New Humanity: Motherhood is a Gift, Not a Burden!

Palais des Nations, Geneva, June 1, 2026

As a member of the NGO Working Group on the Family, New Humanity participated in the side event dedicated to the commemoration of International Parents’ Day, focusing on the theme “Families and Parental Support as the Foundations of Peaceful and Resilient Societies.”

As formulated on the Concept Note, this side event “held on the occasion of the Global Day of Parents will celebrate and highlight the central role of the family, and particularly the transformative contribution of parents in fostering child well-being, protection, care and empowerment. In line with the International Bill of Human rights (UDHR,ICCPR,ICESCR) according to which the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society entitled to protection by society and States, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which affirms the family as the natural environment for the growth and well-being of the child (…).”

The objectives of this side event were the following :

• Increase awareness of the role of families and parents in promoting peaceful, resilient and cohesive societies;

• Exchange experiences, good practices and policy approaches that support family well-being, family unity and parenting support;

• Strengthen multi-stakeholder dialogue on policies and initative that support and strengthen families and empower parents;

• Identify entry points for interacting family-oriented approaches across the three pillars of the United Nations – human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security – to strengthen peaceful, resilient , and cohesive societies.

Speakers included H.E. Mr. Akram Sa’aud Harahshem, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; H.E. Mr. Salomon Eheth, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon; H.E. Mr. Alaa Hegazy, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Ms. Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, Ms. Jenet Jacob Erickson of the Institute for Well-Being and Family Fraternity, and Ms. Evelyn Santos, UN representative for Youth with a Mission.

The panellists expressed, from their respective perspectives, the importance of the family and its role in the current socio-cultural and economic context, advocating for the responsibility of States to ensure increased and effective commitment to, promotion of, and protection for the family and its fundamental role in nation-building and the development and well-being of all people across the globe.

This was followed by a session of interactive dialogue between the speakers and the participants. Several member States took the floor first namely: Pakistan, Mozambique, Thailand, and Palestine.

New Humanity was the only NGO able to speak and ask questions [1] addressed to Ms. Reem Alsalem, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls.

Based on the guidelines set forth in various instruments of international law, New Humanity has advocated for the role of motherhood as a noble social function deserving of protection and support from member States, so that motherhood is recognized as a fundamental value to be protected and respected, rather than as a burden borne by women.

In acknowledging the importance and relevance of the issue, the Special Rapporteur rightly noted that her next report, to be presented during the upcoming Human Rights Council session (June 15 to July 10), will address this fundamental issue.

New Humanity’s Representatives to the UN in Geneva

Esther Salamanca, Jorge Dias Ferreira, and Juan Garcia Gutierrez

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