Geneva (Switzerland), 16 September 2025 | At the United Nations Office at Geneva, the side event “Family as a Primary Cornerstone: Upholding Parental Roles in Ensuring the Right to Education” brought together more than 80 participants for an engaging and thoughtful discussion. The event was co-organized by the Permanent Observer Mission of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations, OIDEL, and FAFCE.
The discussion was guided by Ambassador Michel Veuthey (Sovereign Order of Malta) and enriched by the perspectives of Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Permanent Observer of the Holy See; Ambassador Zsófia Havasi, Permanent Representative of Hungary; Vincenzo Bassi, President of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe; Ignasi Grau, Director General of OIDEL; and Ana Vega, Director of the Chair in Democratic Citizenship and Cultural Freedom at the University of La Rioja.
Speakers underlined that parents hold both the right and the responsibility to nurture their children, while governments should create supportive conditions, empowering families rather than replacing them. OIDEL emphasized that this also entails safeguarding the human right to educational freedom and ensuring educational pluralism. Parental choice in education must be protected, and sound public policy should enable families to flourish.
The conversation also addressed broader societal challenges, such as loneliness in modern life, the rapid pace of social change, and the need to build inclusive systems that respect cultural and philosophical diversity. A recurring message was that strong families are essential not only for children’s well-being but also for the stability and cohesion of society.
