Asian Family Summit Keynote Presentation “Sustainable Development & Family Well-Being: Agenda for Action in Asia” 20 August 2018, Hong Kong [SLIDE 1] Mrs. Lam, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, Today I want to tell you a story. This story is one about family of 17 members, and I want you all to think about family in a unique way today-to think, not simply about to support the family or why families are important for society, but instead I want to demonstrate how we can envision the concept of family in new ways and how this can create new opportunities in our work and in our conceptions of the roles of families to society. However, before the story, I’d like to say that it is my pleasure to be here among you all today. I join you from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which through the Division for Inclusive Social Development, of which I am the Director, leads the work of the UN on the social dimension of sustainable development with a focus on poverty, decent jobs and employment, social integration and inclusion, and social inequalities.
Transcript
Asian Family Summit Keynote Presentation
“Sustainable Development & Family Well-Being: Agenda for Action in Asia”
20 August 2018, Hong Kong
[SLIDE 1]
Mrs. Lam, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests,
Today I want to tell you a story. This story is one about family of 17 members,
and I want you all to think about family in a unique way today-to think, not
simply about to support the family or why families are important for society,
but instead I want to demonstrate how we can envision the concept of family
in new ways and how this can create new opportunities in our work and in
our conceptions of the roles of families to society.
However, before the story, I’d like to say that it is my pleasure to be here
among you all today. I join you from the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, which through the Division for Inclusive Social
Development, of which I am the Director, leads the work of the UN on the
social dimension of sustainable development with a focus on poverty, decent
jobs and employment, social integration and inclusion, and social inequalities.
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Part of our work is to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, often commonly referred to by the SDGs, or Sustainable
Development Goals.
What is this Agenda?
[SLIDE 2]
On September 25th, 2015, 193 countries, so many are the Members of the UN,
adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a set of 17 Global
Goals and 169 targets set out to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure
prosperity for all. It is a plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity to be
reached by the year 2030. It demonstrates our determination to take bold and
transformative actions for a more inclusive and sustainable world. It is the
new global blueprint for development.
To this end the work of the Division for Inclusive Social Development
necessarily involves issues for families and social groups like people with
disabilities, youth, older persons, indigenous people and other social
minorities. To stimulate transformative change for a more inclusive social
development, we must take into account how families steer society and how
considerations like inter-generational solidarity, all age groups in families,
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and the evolution of what “family” has come to mean now in 2018 dictate our
path forward.
So, we are speaking here about sustainable development, and families and
family policies are a key factor to development often left untapped.
[SLIDE 3]
Though a fundamental emphasis of the 2030 Agenda is the need to strengthen
the social aspects of development, the centrality of families in this pursuit is
too often missing. In the 2030 Agenda “family” is mentioned only in relation to
family planning, to highlight assistance to family farmers and to promote
shared responsibility within the household. Surely these are important action
items, however, given the impact of families on the course of our lives -- the
vast range of functions they serve within themselves and to the societies in
which we live -- significant potential to contribute positively to development
and to the targets of the SDGs remain untapped without a further
concentration on how families affect every one of us.
Sorry, I know I promised you all a story -- a story about a family. And you may
or may not recognize it yet, but you’ve actually already met all of this family’s
members.
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[SLIDE 4]
Because here they are [gesture to the SDGs on screen]. These are the 17
members to the family. So, what I will do today is speak not just about
individual SDGs or about families as a panacea for all of the world’s problems,
but of how each of those two -- the SDGs and families- interact with one
another, how the SDGS support one another like members of a family; and
how building up capacities in one positively influence the others, until we
have a network of linkages all serving to uplift the others.
So how can the family of this story -our SDG family story- and families more
broadly contribute to development?
[SLIDE 5]
Well they contribute to development in several important roles. They play an
indispensable role in the creation of peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive
societies. Families are the first and most fundamental building blocks of
society; they are the origin from which individuals are born and socialized to
when they grow, expand and support new generations. It is their habits,
structures, and patterns that families pass on between generations that
govern how future generations and their own communities act.
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Families provide not only basic economic support like food, shelter, and
clothing (and these touch family member called SDG 1), but identity and a
sense of belonging that extends into their communities. Families provide
connections and support networks that help insulate individuals against
vulnerabilities and provide opportunities for advancement by nurturing
resilient individuals and teaching sustainable patterns of behaviour
(responsible consumption and production is the focus of family member
called SDG 12).
The impact of these cannot be understated, because when the basic needs of
families are fulfilled and the processes that support them are sustainable, both
individuals and societies have more stability. That well-being and that
sustainability feeds back into the community and allows trust to grow such
that these communities are less prone to conflict. And in this context, they can
make further strides towards peaceful, green and inclusive societies. This type
of environment is one that enables progress towards all the Goals. But let’s
focus in on a few- a few of our 17 family members.
[SLIDE 6]
What do families need to be resilient? Many of their needs are similar globally.
Families need affordable quality housing (that’s the focus of SDG 11). They
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need decent jobs and education (that’s SDG 8 and 4). They need proper health
care and sanitation facilities, accessible services, leisure time and work-family
balance so that they can thrive professionally and privately (SDGs 3, 6, 10, 15,
16). These SDGs are applicable anywhere -the Global Goals were developed
with just that in mind! that they are universal -- though the challenges faced
by every country, and by every family, differ.
[SLIDE 7]
Asia as a region has a remarkable diversity of policies on families and
tremendous differences in available resources and capacities, cultures and
environments (economic, social, and ecological).
One of families’ most significant roles is in caring for its members and those in
their communities. Whether this be for children, youth or older persons,
persons with disabilities, those who are terminally ill, or any others who
require care, families are often the primary system of support who not only
directly provide care but make care decisions and coordinate its provision
when needed and available.
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[SLIDE 8]
This care function is acutely important in Asia, of particular note for the
demographic changes that face the region. The well-documented population
ageing poses significant challenges to governments and families alike.
However, opportunities also abound through these challenges. In the care
function, for example, the demand for quality and accessible childcare and
care for older persons need not be totally detached. Some promising
initiatives across Asia are doing the opposite with great success, and are
flipping the narrative of dependency to one that emphasizes the contributions
our older and younger cohorts can make to one another.
Take the example of Singapore, a country with one of the fastest ageing
populations in the region. In the Singaporean Ministry of Health’s Action Plan
for Successful Ageing (released 2016), among the suggestions to increase
social engagement and inclusion is the creation of more intergenerational
interaction opportunities.
[SLIDE 9]
Families, in themselves, are perhaps one of the only truly age-integrated social
institutions to which individuals belong, so why then should policies not
leverage the benefits both younger and older generations can offer one
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another? Intergenerational shared spaces provide a co-location of services for
those in need of care in different age groups.
[SLIDE 10]
Examples like parks and day care centres that foster both planned and
spontaneous interactions between generations can not only help Singapore to
fulfil the growing demand for care at both ends of the ageing spectrum, but
provide mutual benefits to those groups involved. Older persons benefit from
more diverse interactions, a sense of connection and purpose that can help to
reduce the loneliness and isolation that many can feel. Children and young
people benefit from older persons’ shared experiences and individual
attention, as well as having the additional support older persons can provide
beyond the care organization staff to learn practical and soft skills.
Societies can likewise benefit from the greater understanding between
generations facilitated by intergenerational interactions and the solidarity
they promote. Innovative ideas like intergenerational shared sites -those ideas
that help to address the stress put on families and social systems alike- are
needed to ensure that mounting challenges to families do not result in
increased vulnerability and that services reach all those who truly need them.
At the same time, such initiatives help address some of our family members:
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SDG 3 (on good health and well-being) and SDG 11 (sustainable cities and
communities) by promoting inclusion in society as opposed to isolating older
and younger persons, two groups among whom loneliness is a significant
problem.
Extending from the demographic challenge is also the issue of segmented
families, often occurring along the lines of urbanization and migration. As
working age adults and labour concentrate in urban centres, children and
older persons may be left behind in areas where support is primarily
dependent on family members.
[SLIDE 11]
Support from States must account for this phenomenon and enable families to
retain close and secure relationships. Restrictions to family unification
through limitations in service access by residency or registration contribute to
this.
In the context of split families, the responsibilities of care within the family
unit may fall on those who may themselves require care, both children and
older persons. This makes it even more important to keep in mind the
evolving composition of families and the ever-more complex arrangements in
which they live, and to ensure that caregivers receive sufficient support
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themselves. Programmes like that of Hong Kong’s own Pilot Schemes on
Living Allowance for Carers offer a promising vision for ways in which unpaid
care work can be compensated and the burden on carers can be at least
partially relieved.
Considering the complexity of how families live and the care arrangements
they make is similarly urgent in ensuring gender equality and empowering
women and girls- the focus of SDG 5. A gender perspective to the analysis of
the numerous challenges Asian countries face can help to explain not only
gender inequality, but the implications this has within family units and on
society more broadly.
[SLIDE 12]
Female labour force participation, education, fertility rates, marriage, care
arrangements and public policies are all interrelated. The increasing
responsibilities of work and caretaking affect women, who carry out the vast
majority of caretaking tasks and informal work in raising children and
maintaining families. Where insufficient access to services like child care or elder
care exist, women are more often those who fill in the gap in services and must
do so alongside an already unequal division of labour and domestic
responsibilities. Here SDG 11 (reduced inequalities) ties in as well, because when
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the opportunities available to half the population are dictated by what they can
fit in in their free time, then inequality continues to persist.
[SLIDE 13]
Linked to this is that women earn less, and are less likely to be employed in
the formal economy than men. In South Asia, ILO data suggests over 80 per
cent of women in non-agricultural jobs are in informal employment.
Additionally, more women than men work in vulnerable, low-paid, or
undervalued jobs. In East Asia the proportion of women to men in vulnerable
employment is 50.3 percent versus 42.3 per cent. These factors disadvantage
women and by extension the family by increasing their vulnerabilities to
poverty (the focus of SDG1), limiting opportunities for greater participation in
employment, education and civic life (SDGs 4,8 and 10), and depriving them of
the opportunity to reach their full potential in work and individual pursuits
alike.
[SLIDE 14]
This is an example of how the consideration of families as systems -and in
utilizing a systems approach in crafting policies that impact families- can help
to better enhance government responsiveness to their needs collectively, but
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also enable governments to reach the most vulnerable members of families.
And being able to reach the most vulnerable members of society is imperative
in achieving the SDGs. “Leave no one behind” is the motto.
We must also remember that one does not need to be among the wealthiest
countries in the world to meet the SDGs and positively impact families in the
process. Take the experience of Thailand and healthcare, for example.
[SLIDE 15]
Good health and well-being are the focus of SDG 3. When families cannot
access health care, it can not only mean drastic consequences for well-being
but for one’s ability to provide for the family. The person may have to miss
work, or choose between paying the cost of healthcare and other necessities
like food, clothing or shelter. So, without our third family member (SDG 3)
fulfilled, it becomes harder to make progress with our first (SDG 1- no poverty)
or our second (SDG 2- no hunger) or eight or tenth (SDG 8- decent work; SDG
10 – reduced inequalities). Since Thailand adopted its Universal Coverage
Scheme in 2001, 98 per cent of its population can now access free or
affordable health care, which has effectively reduced infant mortality,
decreased worker sick days, and helped to relieve the huge financial burden
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that healthcare costs can impose upon families in emergencies. That helps our
family to thrive.
These are policies that don’t necessarily have family in their names, but
nevertheless have huge implications for families. Work toward the 2030
Agenda and the SDGs likewise affect and are affected by the well-being of
families. This is where smart policy makes an impact. Families are resilient,
but in order to be resilient they must be able to respond to the challenges that
they face. This also means create work-family balance promoted in both
policies and practice, both in the public and private sectors alongside
individual choices.
Parental leave and family leave policies must likewise respond to the needs
and concerns of families, such that they are utilized.
[SLIDE 16]
Japan’s father-specific paid leave policies, for example, lead the world in their
generosity both in time and average payment rates, providing 58 per cent of
average gross earnings across an up to 52-week period, according to the OECD.
However, the proportion of fathers who take this leave only just surpassed 5
per cent in October 2017 (Japanese Labour Ministry, 2018). Underlying the
drive for more men to take father-specific leave is the greater sharing of care
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and domestic labour between men and women. Even good public policies
require coordination with and careful listening to the private sector, workers
and families alike so that they are used and can benefit families.
[SLIDE 17]
Another thing we can do to support families is to enable their members that
have disabilities with the opportunities to contribute with their skills and
talents. At the UN we estimate that approximately 15 per cent of the world’s
population experiences some form of disability. Now if we estimate that about
4.5 billion people live in the Asia-Pacific region (about 60 per cent of the
world population!), this means that over 690 million people living in the
region experience disability in some form. It is a big number.
Persons with disabilities are far over-represented among those living in
poverty, those that are unemployed and those that do not complete basic
education. And once again we can recall that this has enormous implications
both for persons with disabilities and their families. Without proper support
mechanisms that enable persons with disabilities to contribute, whether that
be adequate training, education and employment opportunities (as identified
in the Incheon Strategy), accessible mobility systems, support in school and
where needed in the home, persons with disabilities cannot contribute their
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talents, their passions, and their full potential to the family and to their
communities.
My colleagues at UNESCAP estimate that if persons with disabilities were paid
the same as their peers without disabilities, the GDP of the 10 ASEAN
countries studied could increase by 1% to 7%. Taking even the most
conservative estimate, that would be an increase in GDP-PPP of approximately
$80 billion for ASEAN. Not only does this enhance the social inclusion of
persons with disabilities, but it reverberates back into the “family members”-
called SDG 1 on poverty, 3 on health and well-being, 8 on decent work and
economic growth, 10 on reduced inequalities, and numerous more like
education and employment opportunities, greater participation in society,
more robust accessibility—all of this--allows persons with disabilities to
participate and engage in society and build resilient families of their own!
That is a substantial impact.
[SLIDE 18]
Let me focus on another social group: Indigenous peoples are another group
we should pay attention to in the context of family policies, not least because
Asia is home to 2/3 of the world’s 370 million indigenous peoples. They are an
under-utilized resource for informing broader policy objectives, including as it
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relates to family. There are over 2000 indigenous communities and languages
in Asia.
When indigenous peoples are not included in development plans, when their
practices and systems are not accounted for in development plans, it
threatens the family. And to this end, we can also leverage the expansive bank
of knowledge and experiences of indigenous peoples in development plans to
support the family. In health and education (SDGs 3 and 4), for example,
careful consideration of indigenous peoples’ cultural preferences and
practices are key to ensuring utilization of public services and graduation of
students.
[SLIDE 19]
For a number of our other SDG family members from 11 (sustainable
communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production), 13, 14, and 15
(on climate action, life below water and on land), the methods that indigenous
peoples have for teaching sustainability in their own families and
communities can teach us all on how to better manage our environment, so
that future generations will be able to sustain themselves and thrive.
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We can take the Moken people, for example, who are a sea-faring hunter-
gatherer group inhabiting the far south coast along Myanmar and Thailand.
[SLIDE 20]
Many spend their daily lives on small hand-crafted wooden boats (called
kabang); unfortunately their traditional way of life is threatened by industrial
coastal development and pollution, over-fishing, and difficulties in securing
property rights. Many of you may recall the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean
that devastated nearby communities and the Moken, through a keen
understanding of their environment, helped to preserve countless lives
unharmed, and they were actually able to help rescue more.
Wisdom passed down over generations on the coastal weather systems and
prudent knowledge of how to respond helped the Moken survive, and today
they continue to preserve sustainable hunting practices and are advocating
for greater sustainability in the tourism their story stimulated.
[SLIDE 21]
There are countless stories that haven’t received the same attention as the
Moken but have the potential to enhance our progress towards the SDGs. How
families pass on habits, rituals, traditions and knowledge is relevant to guiding
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policy in any society, but acknowledging and leveraging that experience of
indigenous peoples to inform our agenda for action is especially relevant as
climate impacts all of us.
So, I’ve come to the closing of my remarks, but there is still so much more that
we could address. We can do much more to help support families.
[SLIDE 22]
Some may seem more direct, like how addressing the extreme demands on
time for young families with flexible working arrangements like
telecommuting, adaptable schedules, and allotted time for family care both aid
the family and help to fight worker absenteeism, while also promoting well-
being and productivity. Seemingly disconnected goals like affordable housing
and subsidies for childcare and education, healthcare, care for older persons,
gender parity, and decent, flexible labour likewise help to support the family-
both real families and conceptual ones like our story of the SDG family.
I am confident that among the audience here today there are a wealth of ideas
on how to support families, on how to draft innovative and evidence-backed
policies that enable families not only to provide for themselves but prosper. If
we can leverage our collective experience and listen to the voices of the many
groups that constitute families, then together we can build societies that more
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adequately address the needs of diverse families, that are inclusive,
productive and promote resilient families.
With families as the most basic units of our societies, we can do more to
centre progress toward the SDGs in the context of families.
[SLIDE 23]
I hope you can think toward our family of 17 SDGs and see how progress
towards one SDG supports progress to the others exactly like members of a
family. We cannot forget that smart family policies are among the most
meaningful vehicles for governments to influence the living standards of
upcoming generations. And when we think about how to lift the most
vulnerable among us, or to support new generations building their families,
we can do so with the understanding that each of our societies is in a way its
own family. We are a system, or a group of systems, that need one another,
support one another, must care for one another, and together can accomplish
