INTERNATIONAL FAMILY DAY
- A family is a group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together and are considered members of one family.
- Urbanization is the concentration of human populations into discrete areas leading to the transformation of land for residential, commercial, transportation and industrial purposes.
Unlike how you envision a family day, and you may confuse it with Thanksgiving Day where different family members come together to celebrate and stay in unison, Family day is majorly about the settlement and comfort of different families of a state.
This year’s International Day of Families, which is observed every May 15 since 1994 reminded us of the importance of coming together, focusing on sustainable urbanization so that every family can afford decent housing and enjoy a public space where all generations can interact. A family perspective helps in designing cities for residents of all ages by providing for their needs of adequate housing, clean drinking water, sanitation, pollution-free living environment, public transportation, education, health, and green and public spaces.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is working towards a better urban future with its mission being the promotion of socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate and affordable shelter for everyone. The United Nations System-Wide Strategy on Sustainable Urban Development seeks to assist the Member States in investing in sustainable urban development in order to realize the 2030 Agenda through the collaborative implementation of the New Urban Agenda, an action-oriented document that mobilizes the Member States and other stakeholders to drive sustainable urban development at the local level. Further, it envisions cities and human settlements that partake, promotes civic engagement, and prioritize green and quality public spaces that are friendly to families and foster social cohesion.
Children and youth need secure urban environments for them to go to school safely, and access safe playgrounds and recreational opportunities that include sporting facilities. Persons with Disabilities, older persons and young people and families with young children desire and need accessible means of transportation and mobility. For this reason, new intergenerational approaches to urban planning have gained popularity, with city planners in collaboration with local communities, designing intergenerational sites, including schools and retirement homes built in close proximity of each other, so that all generations can interact and feel as part of a larger community.
Therefore, an inclusive, sustainable, and green recovery is the way forward from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Developing strategies aimed at achieving a conducive environment for all families bearing in the mind the need that each family needs will lead to an inclusive environment, which will have contributed to achieving the 2030 Agenda.
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