African Panelists Affirm the Family as Cornerstone of Peace

UPF-Africa – To mark both the International Day of Families and the International Day of Living Together in Peace, UPF-Africa convened an international webinar on the theme “Strong Families, Peaceful Nations: Transformative Leadership and Values-Based Governance for a Global Culture of Peace” on May 16, 2026.

The two-hour session was hosted via Zoom and simulcast across Facebook, X and Instagram, in English and French. Participants included high-level government officials, faith leaders, academics, traditional authorities and civil society from at least seven African and diaspora nations.

Dr. Paterne Zinsou, secretary general of UPF-Africa, served as moderator. Dr. Tageldin Hamad, president of UPF-International, delivered a keynote address from New York. The program featured a recorded message from Hon. Paul Biyoghé Mba, former prime minister of Gabon, and a distinguished panel of leaders from across the continent. Amb. Adama Doumbia, president of UPF-Africa, gave the concluding remarks.

Speakers consistently upheld the family as the foundational unit of peace in society, framing it as the first school of character-building and the primary space in which ethical attitudes are formed. Dr. Hamad underscored that sustainable peace cannot be achieved through political or economic mechanisms alone, but requires moral and spiritual transformation anchored in the family. This was echoed by Hon. Biyoghé Mba, who described the family as the constitutional bedrock of society and likened core values to a “highway code” guiding behavior and preventing societal harm.

Panel contributions further expanded this theme, with Rev. Sibongile Mpofu and Hon. Christelle Vuanga Mukongo highlighting women as central agents of peacebuilding, resilience, and social stability, while Prof. Jean Bio Chabi Orou framed the family as a structural “binding force” analogous to natural law, essential for societal cohesion.

Dr. Damas Dominic Suta introduced a more diagnostic perspective, drawing attention to hidden emotional distress and mental health challenges within families that are often normalized or overlooked, while Ms. Judith Annie Mwila emphasized the consequences of absent parenting and the need for consistent moral and spiritual grounding within households.

Among the speakers there was strong convergence on the principle that peacebuilding is a shared responsibility requiring coordinated engagement between families, faith communities, governments and educational institutions.

The closing segment translated the thematic consensus into a concrete organizational directive, with Amb. Doumbia requesting all 54 national UPF chapters to observe May as a “Month of Family” by implementing at least one structured activity per country, culminating in alignment with the Global Day of Parents on June 1.

By Paterne Zinsou, Secretary General, UPF-Africa May 16, 2026