Expert Meeting on Protection of Arab family Against Poverty Opens

Doha, June 02 (QNA) - A two-day expert team meeting on the protection of Arab family against poverty, hosted by the Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development (DIIFSD), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), opened here today. DIIFSD Chairman Abdullah bin Nasser Al Khalifa said in an opening speech that support of family and provision of social protection to it as well as the promotion of social integration by enhancing solidarity between generations are the important objective of social and developmental policies. He said the family, in its capacity as the basic and essential building block of society, plays a pivotal role in social development and also shoulders the primary responsibility in the education of children and the provision of material support and care for its members starting from children and ending with the elderly or those suffering from the disease. Al Khalifa pointed out that the family today faces more difficulties to carry out these multiple roles in light of all of these economic and social changes, noting that the challenges facing the family require a comprehensive approach to address many of these social and developmental issues at both the national and international level. The meeting comes within the context of preparations for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2014, Al Khalifa said pointing out that celebrations marking the International Year of the Family in 1994 and the 10th anniversary in 2004, has contributed to highlighting the role of the family as the basic unit of society as well as highlighting the need to paying adequate attention to the correlation between the family well-being and the sustainable development. He explained that Doha International Institute for Family is a member of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), which is working to support the State of Qatar in its march towards transformation of the carbon economy to a knowledge-based economy through unleashing human capacity for the benefit of the State of Qatar and the entire world. Al Khalifa added that the institute was founded in 2006 by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation to emphasize the importance of the family as the basic unit of society and to strengthen its pivotal role in development through the support of research on the family, participation in the development of family policies and efforts to raise communal awareness of the family issues , pointing out that the Institute seeks to provide a platform for the exchange of constructive views on family issues not only to discuss the challenges facing the family, but also to identify and promote good practices and programmes that address family issues in all parts of the world.(QNA)