SGG 15: Support for Family and Community Structures
A core pillar of the Agenda for Social Equity 2074, establishing a universal reference standard for strengthening family and community structures as foundations of care, stability, and social continuity.
Goal Statement and Definition
Goal Statement
Ensure that family and community structures are supported, protected, and strengthened to provide care, stability, and belonging for individuals across the life course, while respecting diversity in family forms and community organisation.
Definition
For the purposes of Agenda 2074, support for family and community structures refers to the creation of social, legal, economic, and institutional conditions that enable families and communities—of diverse forms and compositions—to fulfil caregiving, developmental, and social functions. This includes recognition of unpaid care, intergenerational solidarity, community‑based mutual support, and the protection of relational networks that sustain well‑being and social equity.
Strategic Rationale
Families and communities constitute the primary environments in which individuals receive care, socialisation, and protection. Where these structures are weakened by economic pressure, inadequate services, social fragmentation, or policy neglect, vulnerabilities intensify and social systems face increased strain. The erosion of family and community support disproportionately affects children, older persons, caregivers, and those experiencing poverty, displacement, or instability.
Agenda for Social Equity 2074 therefore treats family and community structures as core social infrastructure, not private or residual domains. Effective support for these structures reduces inequality, strengthens resilience, and enhances the effectiveness of formal social systems. Recognising diverse family forms and community arrangements is essential to ensuring inclusivity, dignity, and adaptability in rapidly changing social contexts.
Targets
In order to realise this goal, institutions across the public, private, cooperative, and civil‑society spheres should, as a minimum:
- Recognise and support diverse family forms and community structures without discrimination or exclusion.
- Enable access to affordable care services that complement and sustain family and community caregiving roles.
- Support caregivers through family‑friendly policies, social protection, and recognition of unpaid care work.
- Strengthen community‑based support networks that promote mutual aid, inclusion, and social stability.
- Ensure safe, accessible, and non‑stigmatizing mechanisms for families and communities to seek support, mediation, and redress.
Targets are relational and institutional in nature, and may be implemented through varied social models, provided that dignity, inclusivity, and sustainability are preserved.
Indicative Indicators
Progress under SGG 15 may be illustrated through proportionate, non‑financial indicators, including but not limited to:
- Availability and accessibility of family‑support and caregiving services.
- Existence of family‑friendly workplace and social protection policies.
- Community participation in mutual‑support initiatives and care networks.
- Recognition and valuation of unpaid care and community work within social systems.
- Access to mediation, counselling, and community‑based dispute‑resolution services.
Indicators emphasise care capacity, stability, inclusion, and relational strength rather than household structure metrics alone.
Alignment with Global and Regional Frameworks
Social Global Goal 15 complements and extends the social support dimensions of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well‑Being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), by positioning family and community support as structural equity mechanisms.
The goal aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, notably Aspiration 1 (A Prosperous Africa Based on Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development) and Aspiration 6 (An Africa Whose Development Is People‑Driven), by emphasizing social solidarity, intergenerational cohesion, and community resilience as foundations of inclusive development.
In European contexts, SGG 15 complements the European Green Deal by addressing the social sustainability of transition. It reinforces the importance of care systems, work–life balance, and community cohesion in ensuring that long‑term economic and environmental reforms are socially sustainable and widely supported.
Position within Agenda 2074
