Happy family – a strong state: opinions of participants of the international forum in Polotsk

On October 12-13, the oldest city of Belarus hosted the traditional forum “Talk about the Important: Happy Family – Strong State”, which was held for the first time in an international format. The event is held under the patronage of the Council of the Republic and the Belarusian Orthodox Church. In 2026, parliamentarians and experts not only from Belarus, but also from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participate in the event.

Popularization and strengthening of traditional family values are our common response to globalization challenges. This opinion was shared by a parliamentarian from Tajikistan – Dilshod Rahmon, head of the Majlisi Milli Majlisi Oli Office. Participation in the forum left the Tajik side with the most positive impressions and confirmed that serious attention to family problems also unites our countries.

The guest of the forum noted that the purpose of the event is to study and adopt international experience in preserving traditional family values and educating the younger generation, as well as to see what measures are taken for this in Belarus.

- We want to understand how other countries are confronting the negative aspects of globalization, such as the uncontrolled access of children to the Internet and the increasing use of artificial intelligence. As well as the fact that within the framework of international law and treaties, norms are being introduced that may affect the usual family legislation. The one in which the family is primarily the union of a man and a woman, shared Dilshod Rahmon.

- Belarus is famous for its history, and you have preserved it with dignity. The main theme of the forum is the preservation of traditional values, support for large families. This topic is very relevant nowadays. A happy family means a happy country, its future. Therefore, the emphasis on upbringing, mutual respect and trust in families should be the basis of public policy.

Zhyldyz Kurmanalieva shared her personal experience: she is a mother of three children, her husband supports her, and it is such relationships in the family that are the foundation of well-being. During the conversation, the representative of the delegation from Kyrgyzstan drew attention to the great work of the Belarusian Council of the Republic in terms of family support:

- Belarus focuses on a happy family and creating conditions for its well-being. I was personally interested in the topic of support for student families, which was voiced at the forum. It would be interesting to adopt such practices, including financial and moral assistance, in Kyrgyzstan.

Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Science, Education and Culture Elena Pisareva came to Belarus from Moscow, but represents Veliky Novgorod:

- In Veliky Novgorod, by the way, also has its own Sophia Cathedral. During the conversation during the forum, I was particularly interested in the topic of protecting family values and having many children. The traditional family is the basis of the future of each country: the stronger the family today, the more love children receive in it, the more stable the society tomorrow. The exchange of experience at the international forum in Polotsk provides specific guidelines that can be taken into account and applied in Russia, including in the framework of support for large families.

- In any institution, we have children's rooms so that the mother can come to work and temporarily leave the child there. Perhaps this experience will be interesting for Belarus, said Elena Pisareva, adding that she is ready to broadcast Russian experience in the field of family policy. Including in terms of holding vibrant, family-friendly forums. For example, the regional women’s forum “Large family – pride of Russia” held with the active participation of Elena Pisareva showed itself well. Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavsky, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Benjamin in his speech during the forum “Conversation about the Important: A Happy Family is a Strong State” stressed that the protection of the institution of family, motherhood and childhood has become a national affair requiring a close and durable union of state power and the Church.

Metropolitan Veniamin noted the key results of joint work, recalling that in the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the family and traditional values received the highest legal protection, and the National Security Concept introduced responsibility for the propaganda of destructive attitudes. His Eminence dwelled in detail on the large-scale initiatives of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, including the republican forums “Family today, tomorrow, forever”, which this year for the first time reached a wide regional level and were included in the state program.

The Patriarchal Exarch paid special attention to specific proposals to support motherhood and strengthen family unions. In particular, he stressed:

- The Belarusian Orthodox Church petitions the Ministry of Health to create, with the assistance of the Church, a unified republican system of psychological assistance rooms “For Life” and to encourage medical professionals who help a woman to make an informed decision about the birth of a child.

In addition, Vladyka took initiatives on the development of family education programs and education of young people in educational institutions, the expansion of cooperation between the registry offices and the clergy for voluntary interviews with married couples, as well as consultations for couples who have applied for divorce in order to save families. A special emphasis was placed on preserving the purity of the word and the all-republican action “I and the family without profanity” launched at the initiative of the Morality Council. According to a member of the Standing Commission of the Council of the Republic on Education, Science, Culture and Social Development and Chairman of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee Tamara Krasovskaya, the forum “Talk about the Important: A Happy Family is a Strong State” has become an international platform gaining momentum every year. She noted that more and more people want to participate in the event:

- We represent five wonderful families from Minsk region, as well as a delegation of family policy specialists. Our families were able not only to share their impressions and experiences, but also to make specific proposals that will be considered.

One of the interesting ideas came from a family from the Smolevichi district: the creation of a Council of Families at the level of the Council of the Republic with the participation of parents with many children. Such a council could discuss issues of concern to families, share experience in raising children and forming harmonious and strong family ties. The international format of the forum opens up great horizons for cooperation, Tamara Krasovskaya added.

- The exchange of experience in the field of state family policy between countries is especially important and promising. Belarus has savings and innovations, we have rich experience that can and should be shared. The borders of the forum are expanding, and next year, perhaps, we will see representatives from even more countries at the forum in Polotsk. And we will be happy about it! she said. Chairman of the Standing Commission of the Council of the Republic on International Affairs and National Security Sergey Aleynik, taking part in the event, noted that Belarus actively supports and promotes family values at the national level. Over the years, Belarus has also promoted the traditional family, values and the international arena

- We were the initiators of the creation of the Friends of the Family Group at the United Nations, which has existed since 2015 and unites many countries that share our approaches to traditional values, the need to support a strong family as the basis for the formation and evolution of a strong state.

This year, the forum in Polotsk for the first time acquired international status. Belarus invited colleagues from the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly to exchange experience in implementing family policy and promoting traditional family values. He also said that an initiative was put forward to hold a more serious forum through the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly. Discussions about this were held last week in Tanzania at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and many countries supported the idea of joining forces at inter-parliamentary venues.

- Many countries, our colleagues and parliamentarians share approaches and the need to promote traditional family values. We agreed to unite our efforts at inter-parliamentary platforms, promoting these important topics for society, the speaker said. Protection of motherhood and childhood is a priority for the Belarusian state, Sergey Vasiliev, director of the National Scientific and Practical Center “Mother and Child”, said at the forum. In particular, the IVF program, which now includes a second free attempt, has become one of the tools of this policy, the speaker said:

- In Belarus, much attention is paid to the maternal and child protection service. And, in fact, IVF is one of the methods of overcoming infertility. This is a great opportunity to get a chance at motherhood, to find the happiness of parenthood.

The decree on the introduction of a second free IVF attempt came out this spring, but it is already obvious that people began to actively apply for a second cycle of the procedure. However, it is too early to summarize statistics, Sergei Vasiliev summed up:

- The first practical results will be possible to talk ... in nine months, when the first fruits of IVF will appear - pregnancy and babies born thanks to this program. At the same time, the demand for a second free attempt at IVF, an expensive service in itself, in which people really need the support of the state, and they receive it, is obvious already now. All this is aimed at improving our country’s demographic security. Family policy becomes social brand of Belarus – Kochanov