May 2026: A Focus on Family and Values-Based Education

As May 2026 begins, the Universal Peace Federation enters the third and final full month of its 100 Days of Serving Community campaign, which runs from February 20 to June 1, 2026. March emphasized partnerships to strengthen local impact. April highlighted the importance of volunteer service that communities could recognize and welcome. May brings this public work to its center: family and values-based education. This leads directly to the Global Day of Parents and raises a practical question: If communities are to become more peaceful, stable, and humane, what must be strengthened first?

The Role of Family in Peacebuilding

The answer begins in the daily environment where children form their conscience, where burdens are shared, and where values are transmitted. It is within the family unit that dignity is either protected or neglected. May presents an opportunity to place family life at the forefront of serious reflection on peace, education, and social development.

The International Day of Families will be observed on May 15, 2026, at United Nations Headquarters in New York, under the theme “Families, Inequalities and Child Wellbeing.” This observance highlights family-friendly policies, such as child benefits, parental leave, affordable early childhood education, and community-based family support. Such measures help ensure stable families where children can receive a fair start in life.

Family Policies and Their Impact

This observance builds on the role of the family in implementing commitments from the World Summit for Social Development and its Doha Declaration. It aligns family-oriented policies with efforts to reduce inequalities and promote child wellbeing. Across the globe and over the years, UPF has promoted family-centered peacebuilding through a multitude of programs.

To give just a few examples:

• At the United Nations in New York, UPF serves as an executive member of the NGO Committee on the Family. On January 22, 2026, UPF co-organized a virtual program titled, "Empowering the Family through National Policies: Insights from Burundi and Italy."

• In London on May 31, 2025, UPF-UK held a colorful family event featuring reflections on intercultural marriage, an interfaith peace blessing, music, poetry, and Exemplary Family Awards.

  
  

• In Vienna on May 17, 2025, UPF-Austria convened a conference on family-oriented policies for sustainable development, linking family dignity, character education, cultural diversity, and the public good.

  
  

• In Bangkok on May 27, 2025, more than 500 participants joined a webinar with family specialists, medical professionals, and government-related representatives.

  
  

• In Auckland, New Zealand on May 24, 2025, UPF highlighted youth empowerment and family-oriented policies, linking family stability with the perspectives of young people.

  
  

• In Burkina Faso, UPF organized a public conference on Family and Social Cohesion in the capital city of Ouagadougou on February 14, 2026, integrating peace strategies with traditional family culture.

  
  

• In Argentina, UPF-Argentina and the Pacis Nuntii Movement co-sponsored a program on the theme, “We Are Siblings, We Are Family” on October 9, 2025, in Paraná City, stressing the link between family ties and community.

  
  

Practical Assistance for Vulnerable Families

UPF has also offered practical assistance to vulnerable families:

• In Conakry, Guinea, UPF supported families with premature infants by distributing sanitary and nutritional kits to hospitals and clinics in January 2026.

  
  

• In Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka on December 28, 2024, UPF and partner networks distributed food aid to flood-affected families.

  
  

• In Madrid, UPF-Spain organized a charity event from February 28 to March 1, 2026, to raise funds for impoverished families in Cameroon, supporting their children’s education.

  
  

Celebrating the Month of Family

Going forward, UPF encourages its local chapters, partners, and Ambassadors for Peace to celebrate May with meaningful Month of Family events. These may include a parenting workshop, an intergenerational service day, a school partnership on values-based education, a family health awareness event, a youth mentoring initiative, or a public forum on family resilience under pressures such as inequality, child wellbeing, addiction, migration, or loneliness. Each program can be educational, celebratory, preventive, or compassionate, always keeping the dignity of family life at the center.

For UPF, the family is the first school of love, responsibility, and civic virtue. Dr. Hak Ja Han and the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon consistently taught that lasting peace cannot be separated from strong families and a culture of living for the sake of others. Our slogan “One Family under God” complements the United Nations vision of “a human family.” This ethical perspective encourages cooperation that honors both spiritual convictions and universal human rights.

Conclusion: Building a Foundation for Peace

As we move toward June 1, the Global Day of Parents, let us remember that the foundation for peace is built long before diplomacy, legislation, or institutional reform. It is built where children first learn love, discipline, truthfulness, and respect – in the family.

Tageldin Hamad, President, UPF-International

May 1, 2026