On May 15, the International Day of Families, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon highlighted the need for work-family balance.

“Current trends underscore the growing importance of work-family policies. As families become smaller and generations live apart, extended kin are less available to offer care, and employed parents face rising challenges,” his statement on UN website says.

“Millions of people around the world lack decent working conditions and the social support to care for their families.

Affordable quality childcare is rarely available in developing countries, where many parents are forced to leave their preschool children home alone. Many young children are also left in the care of older siblings who, in turn, are pulled from school.

A number of countries offer generous leave provisions for mothers and fathers. Many more, however, extend few comprehensive benefits in line with international standards. Paternity leave provisions are still rare in the majority of developing countries.

Flexible working arrangements, including staggered working hours, compressed work schedules or telecommuting, are becoming more widely available – but there is much room for improvement everywhere. I am committed to this in our own organization, where we are currently looking at our own arrangements, and seeing what we can do better.

Work-family balance policies demonstrate both a government’s commitment to the well-being of families and the private sector’s commitment to social responsibility,” UN Secretary-General said.