International Family Forum will kick off in Istanbul on May 22 with the participation of family ministers from 26 countries. Hosted by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the event will tackle the family's threats, the impact of digitalization on family, cultural transformation and demographic trends, among other subjects.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also expects to attend the two-day forum. It is a major event for Türkiye, which declared 2025 as the Year of the Family and seeks to boost international collaboration to strengthen the concept of family.
In a statement ahead of the forum, the ministry said the event would be a component of “family diplomacy” they pursued and held under the motto “Our Family, Our Future.”
Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş will be the host of the event, which will also be attended by first lady Emine Erdoğan.
The ministerial session of the forum will be entitled “Mainstreaming Family-Oriented Policies: National and International Efforts.” Ministers will discuss global challenges facing the family.
The forum will also host panels entitled “Too Profitable: Cost of Global Threats to Individuals, Families and Society,” “Between Fact and Fiction: Family in Culture, Arts and Media,” “Being Family in Age of Screens,” and “Overpopulation Myth: How Global Agenda Contributed to Decline In Population.” Panels will concentrate on the representation of family in culture and media, parenting in the digital age and changes in the world population. On the sidelines of the forum, several exhibitions will be held, while national and international organizations will showcase good practices for the preservation of families.
Ankara has launched initiatives to emphasize the family as the foundation of social structure, strengthening intergenerational bonds and promoting the Year of the Family.
As part of this effort, Türkiye is expanding its interest-free marriage loan program nationwide, offering TL150,000 ($4,226) with a two-year grace period and 48-month repayment term to support newlyweds. Birth assistance payments are also being increased significantly – families will now receive TL 5,000 for the first child, TL 1,500 monthly for the second and TL 5,000 monthly for the third and subsequent children, deposited directly into mothers’ accounts.
The government will also provide housing aid, counseling services and flexible working opportunities for families, while promoting simpler, less costly wedding practices to ease financial burdens and lower early divorce rates. Additionally, a new Family Institute will guide long-term policies to counter declining fertility, with Türkiye’s current rate at 1.51 – well below the replacement level of 2.1.
