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Minister Meriton attends Doha conference on empowering families |17 April 2014

A delegation led by the Minister for Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports, Vincent Meriton, is attending a two-day conference on ‘Empowering Families: A Pathway to Development’ being held in Doha, Qatar, as part of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, 2014.

The conference was opened yesterday and is being hosted by the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), a member of the Qatar Foundation.
Minister Meriton has been invited to make a presentation on the topic ‘Family Matters’. Article 16 (3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Investing in family policies and mainstreaming a family perspective in policymaking creates the conditions for families to perform their functions which support society and a nation’s economic competitiveness. Yet despite their contribution to society and overall development, families are rarely considered when policies are made. The session on ‘Family Matters’ will discuss why the family should be a priority for policymakers and the social and economic implications, when for whatever reasons, families fail.

During two days, the conference will touch upon the significance and the vitality of the families for healthy societies. In this context, gains and losses of the family institution in the process of modernisation across different regions will be examined using multiple lenses, the identification of further actions, including the incorporation of effective family policies into national development strategies and the use of research related to family issues.

The conference itself is taking place in response to several resolutions made by the United Nations’ General Assembly and Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) on the follow-up to the International Year of the Family (IYF), 1994.

The member states of the United Nations proclaimed 1994 as the International Year of the Family, recognising the role and the contributions made by families in the overall development. The objectives of the year and its follow-up process and observances seek to stimulate efforts at levels to benefit families. In this regard the forthcoming 20th anniversary offers another opportunity to refocus on the role of families in development and take stock of the challenges faced by them and recommend the way forward.

The resolution of the United Nations’ General Assembly as well as the more recent Ecosoc’s resolution on ‘the preparations and observance of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family’ encouraged member States, regional organisations, non-governmental organisations and academic institutions to support as appropriate the preparations of regional meeting in observance of the 20th anniversary of the IYF.

Furthermore, the United Nations General Assembly and Ecosoc through the Commission on Social Development encouraged governments to make every possible effort to integrate a family perspective into national policy making.

The 2014 Doha conference is a non-governmental gathering and constitutes a global platform for discussion and debate where policymakers, NGOs, experts, academics and other relevant stakeholders from all around the world share their views and experiences regarding the centrality of the family and its role in the society. It will stress on the need to strengthen and empower the family as the institution to cope with the challenges in this time of economic crisis and political turmoil. It will also provide an opportunity to highlight the important role of the family as an active agent in overall development.

 

 

 

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