Minister of Social Development and Family H E Mariam Bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad has inaugurated a high-level session that was held during the 30th Anniversary Conference of the International Year of the Family.

The session discussed the inevitability of paying attention to family support policies and the need to focus on the “nucleus of society” when adopting economic and social plans and strategies. 

The discussion in the session also touched on the current challenges facing developing countries and how to restore the passion of youth, empower them economically, and keep them away from the cycle of violence.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Social Development and Family H E Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad stressed that Qatar places family values ​​in mind when setting its policies.

She said that family policies are among the topmost important pillars of the Third National Development Strategy in addition to many existing laws such as the Compulsory Education Law, the Family Law, and many available social and family services.

The Minister said that the Family Charter was launched in August, which contains many family values ​​and reflects the family values ​​adopted by Qatar, such as honesty, trustworthiness, cooperation, solidarity, dialogue, and mutual respect.

She noted the awareness of previous successful civilizations that lasted for centuries, of the value and importance of the family, and its reliance on a set of values ​​and laws, the first of which are family values.

The Minister said that the work focuses on ensuring the existence of a cohesive and effective family in society because if it is so, it will be the basis for the success of society in general.

She stressed strengthening the sense of responsibility in the individual, because the absence of a sense of responsibility and the tendency towards individualism may cause the absence of a tendency towards the public interest of society and a tendency towards the individual interest.

In this context, the Minister said, "Therefore, we must take honest and serious steps to identify the causes of these phenomena."

She noted the importance of spreading awareness about the functions of social units in Qatari society, such as tribe, family, religion, and identity, because awareness of these different social “units” ensures that the Qatari individual possesses sound awareness of how to deal with these units.

The Minister said that this is in addition to the continuous review of the objectivity of legislation related to social affairs to study their economic, educational, psychological, and social impacts and consequences for the best legislation that ensures keeping pace with emerging challenges.