(Bandar Seri Begawan, 14th) May 15th of each year is International Day of Families, a global initiative recognized by the United Nations, aimed at highlighting the important role of the family system in a nation’s social, economic, and cultural development.
Brunei also celebrates National Family Day on the first Sunday of May every year, demonstrating the government’s continuous commitment to strengthening the family system and regarding the family as an important cornerstone of people’s well-being and national stability. This is also in line with Brunei's ASEAN commitment made through the “2021 Bandar Seri Begawan Declaration on the Importance of the Family for Community Development and Nation Building.”
In conjunction with International Day of Families, Brunei's Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, Nazmi Mohamad (Dato Nazmi), issued a statement noting that this year’s International Day of Families theme is “Families, Inequalities and Children’s Well-being,” focusing on the growing global challenges of social inequality and economic pressures, including economic insecurity, rising cost of living, and unequal access to education, health services, and development opportunities.
He said these issues undermine families’ ability to provide children with stable, positive, and nurturing environments, affecting the balanced development of children in physical, mental, and social aspects.
Therefore, he emphasized that strengthening the family system should be viewed as a long-term investment in the country’s human capital development. In recent years, Brunei has implemented various measures to gradually establish a more comprehensive and strategic family intervention mechanism, focusing on enhancing family resilience and recovery capacity.
According to data from the Department of Family Affairs at the Ministry of Community Development for referrals from 2000 to 2025, the number of family cases in 2025 decreased by 58% compared to the previous year, falling from 62 cases to 26 cases.
He said this reflects the effectiveness of early intervention, family counseling, mediation, and targeted welfare assistance in helping families resolve conflicts in a more constructive manner.
However, he pointed out that some cases still involve issues such as child custody, alimony, finances, and housing, indicating that socio-economic challenges continue to affect family stability, and therefore require more integrated social, economic, and legal responses.
In terms of children's well-being, cases involving children also declined from 188 in 2024 to 172 in 2025.
Although the relevant figures remain a concern, these improvements show the effectiveness of public awareness campaigns, active parenting programs, early interventions for high-risk families, and inter-agency cooperation to strengthen child protection mechanisms.
He said that in handling cases, authorities uphold the best interests of the child as the primary principle, ensuring family environments remain stable, safe, and conducive to children’s all-round development through comprehensive social assessments, integrated interventions, and cross-agency coordinated support.
Since National Family Day began in 2012, it has become an important platform for Brunei to strengthen family values and family bonds. This year’s event took place on May 3, 2026, under the theme “My Family, My Hope,” with a focus on promoting the core family values of “Love, Responsibility, Respect, and Care (SaTu HaraPan).”
To mark the 2026 National Family Day, authorities have also planned a range of activities and initiatives to encourage the public to organize family-oriented events at the level of families, government agencies, private enterprises, NGOs, as well as township and village consultative councils to further strengthen the family system.
In addition, Brunei will also launch the “2025-2029 Family Institution Action Plan” this year, continuing to focus on family resilience, capacity-building, and strengthening the social and economic support system, with outcomes will be monitored through the Family Resilience Index and other performance indicators.
The index will be developed based on the ASEAN Family Well-being Index currently being developed at the regional level.
The Minister called on all stakeholders, including government agencies, private enterprises, community organizations, grassroots leaders, and the general public to continue working together to ensure every family receives the support it needs.
He also expressed his hope that Brunei will continue to prosper in a peaceful, harmonious, and stable environment, allowing all families in the country to continue to enjoy happiness, health, and harmony, and to jointly build a truly peaceful, safe, and loving nation.
In conjunction with International Day of Families, Brunei's Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, Nazmi Mohamad (Dato Nazmi), issued a statement noting that this year’s International Day of Families theme is “Families, Inequalities and Children’s Well-being,” focusing on the growing global challenges of social inequality and economic pressures, including economic insecurity, rising cost of living, and unequal access to education, health services, and development opportunities.
He said these issues undermine families’ ability to provide children with stable, positive, and nurturing environments, affecting the balanced development of children in physical, mental, and social aspects.
Therefore, he emphasized that strengthening the family system should be viewed as a long-term investment in the country’s human capital development. In recent years, Brunei has implemented various measures to gradually establish a more comprehensive and strategic family intervention mechanism, focusing on enhancing family resilience and recovery capacity.
According to data from the Department of Family Affairs at the Ministry of Community Development for referrals from 2000 to 2025, the number of family cases in 2025 decreased by 58% compared to the previous year, falling from 62 cases to 26 cases.
He said this reflects the effectiveness of early intervention, family counseling, mediation, and targeted welfare assistance in helping families resolve conflicts in a more constructive manner.
However, he pointed out that some cases still involve issues such as child custody, alimony, finances, and housing, indicating that socio-economic challenges continue to affect family stability, and therefore require more integrated social, economic, and legal responses.
In terms of children's well-being, cases involving children also declined from 188 in 2024 to 172 in 2025.
Although the relevant figures remain a concern, these improvements show the effectiveness of public awareness campaigns, active parenting programs, early interventions for high-risk families, and inter-agency cooperation to strengthen child protection mechanisms.
He said that in handling cases, authorities uphold the best interests of the child as the primary principle, ensuring family environments remain stable, safe, and conducive to children’s all-round development through comprehensive social assessments, integrated interventions, and cross-agency coordinated support.
Since National Family Day began in 2012, it has become an important platform for Brunei to strengthen family values and family bonds. This year’s event took place on May 3, 2026, under the theme “My Family, My Hope,” with a focus on promoting the core family values of “Love, Responsibility, Respect, and Care (SaTu HaraPan).”
To mark the 2026 National Family Day, authorities have also planned a range of activities and initiatives to encourage the public to organize family-oriented events at the level of families, government agencies, private enterprises, NGOs, as well as township and village consultative councils to further strengthen the family system.
In addition, Brunei will also launch the “2025-2029 Family Institution Action Plan” this year, continuing to focus on family resilience, capacity-building, and strengthening the social and economic support system, with outcomes will be monitored through the Family Resilience Index and other performance indicators.
The index will be developed based on the ASEAN Family Well-being Index currently being developed at the regional level.
The Minister called on all stakeholders, including government agencies, private enterprises, community organizations, grassroots leaders, and the general public to continue working together to ensure every family receives the support it needs.
He also expressed his hope that Brunei will continue to prosper in a peaceful, harmonious, and stable environment, allowing all families in the country to continue to enjoy happiness, health, and harmony, and to jointly build a truly peaceful, safe, and loving nation.