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A.A.S. Al-Thani: Statement on the International Day of Families
Written by H.E. Miss Alya Ahmed S. Al-Thani, Permanent Mission of Qatar to the UN
Monday, May 17, 2010
Opening Remarks at the Universal Peace Federation panel discussion on Challenges to the Security of the Human Family
UN International Day of Families, May 17, 2010, UN Headquarters, New York
The family is and has always been the essential social unit in all societies. Since 1994, many Governments and other actors have supported the well being of the family through a range of policies, programs and strategies. For this reason, the celebration of the International Day of the Family drew worldwide attention to the family topic as a fundamental policy issue.
The State of Qatar has been an active actor in strengthening the family as it is the basic unit of society; this is evident in the holding of the Doha International Conference on the Family in 2004, and its adoption of the Doha Declaration on the Family. Beyond 2004, the state of Qatar has promoted the importance of national capacity development in the area of family policy making. For that purpose, Qatar hosts the Doha International Institute on Family Studies and Development that was established in 2005 as one of the outcomes of the Doha International Conference on the Family.
The centre is significant in four respects:
- It was born from a vision to serve the objectives of the International Year of the Family.
- It is global in intent and content, addressing international concerns and solutions.
- It is supportive of United Nations initiatives pertaining to the family.
- It aims to focus on family policies and programs with an emphasis on developing pragmatic measures and approaches that are beneficial to countries around the globe, regardless of ideology.
The institute last year hosted the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Family Policy, Social Protection and Intergenerational Solidarity that was held in April 2009 in Doha, that was organized with the Programme on the Family of the Division for Social Policy and Development and the Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development. In January 2010, and in collaboration with Supreme Council for family affairs in the State of Qatar, the national machinery concerned with family affairs, the Doha International Institute organized the Doha Conference on the Empowerment of the Family in the Modern World: Challenges and Future Prospects. This conference commemorated the fifth anniversary of the Doha International Conference for family that was held in 2004.
Another important development is the adoption of General Assembly Resolution on the follow up to the International Year of the Family and beyond during the 64th session of the General Assembly, that was submitted initially by the State of Qatar with the full support of the Group of 77 and China. This resolution has placed the forthcoming celebration of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family on the agenda of the General Assembly, and requests the Secretary-General to submit the proposals about this important celebration.
Finally, Qatar will continue its advocacy for the promotion and protection of the family as the basic unit of society, and to promote a culture of partnership based on consensus and common grounds.