The State of Qatar chaired the 10th meeting of GCC Ministers of Social Affairs and Development Committee, which was held on Wednesday at Sheraton Doha Hotel.

The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Social Development and Family, President of the current session of the meeting, H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad.

The meeting was held with the participation of Their Excellencies and Highnesses the Ministers of GCC countries, and GCC Secretary-General H E Jassim Mohammed Al Budaiwi.

Addressing the meeting, Minister of Social Development and Family H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, said: “This meeting is of great importance, as it carries the aspirations and hopes of our peoples for social development according to a comprehensive vision for a Gulf society united behind its identity and sustainable moral and value-based legacy.”

She added that the adoption of the Social Development Strategy for GCC countries 2021-2025 represents a major step and a great leap within the joint efforts of GCC to achieve comprehensive social development for people and in the implementation of innovative initiatives in this regard.

The Minister stressed the importance of adopting policies that support the cohesion and stability of the Gulf society and enhance the spirit of citizenship and Arab and Islamic identity, as well as cooperation among GCC people to deepen collaboration and joint action.

She added: “The family was and still is the true wealth of nations, and we clearly express our identity and the uniqueness of our Gulf, Arab and Islamic history, which is rich in the ethics of human advancement, tolerance and human integration, as we unite today as Gulf countries and societies amid the challenges of national identities, including the identity of the family.”

The Minister noted Qatar has attached great importance to supporting pioneering community projects within social protection policies, including empowering productive families, enhancing community awareness of the concepts of family cohesion, and building families based on the Islamic religion, justice, and benevolence.

She also stressed Qatar will continue to support these social development projects at the national, regional and international levels, and welcomes the recommendations related to building development partnerships between the various sectors in which social and technical innovation is incorporated to advance the societies of the GCC countries.

Minister of Social Development and Family H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad said that Qatar supports its brothers and stands together with them to achieve more cooperation, in addition to implementing the committee’s decision taken at the previous meeting on the joint Gulf action strategy for women’s affairs in GCC countries 2024-2030 and following up on what has been achieved in this regard.

She said that this is to enhance the role of motherhood in society and achieve harmony between the roles of men and women, and to enhance the concept of partnership and integration of roles between men and women within the institution of family and marriage, to strengthen the bonds and ties within the system of Gulf families.

In this context, the Minister said that Qatar affirms its determination to continue its efforts to complete the implementation of social development strategies and plans in the GCC, noting the hosting of the International Family Conference to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, from October 29 to 31 of this year.

She said Qatar will host 7th Gulf Theatre Festival for People with Disabilities from November 27 to December 3 of this year, where the Ministry of Social Development and Family will host the festival participants and provide all the requirements to ensure the proper organisation of the festival and the success of its activities.

The Minister appreciated the valuable efforts made Sultanate of Oman during its effective presidency of the ministerial meetings last year, which was an example to be followed in enhancing cooperation and integration between the GCC countries, as Qatar looks forward to continuing to work in the same spirit to achieve the goals.

In turn, GCC Secretary-General H E Jassim Mohammed Al Budaiwi, expressed his deepest thanks and gratitude to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Chairman of the current session of GCC Supreme Council, as well as to Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of GCC countries, for the generous support and patronage that the joint Gulf action process enjoys to advance this blessed process in all areas and fields of development, including the social field.

He said that the good and fruitful efforts of Their Excellencies the Ministers of Social Affairs and Development in the GCC countries, and under the directives of Their Majesties and Highnesses the leaders of the GCC countries, have contributed significantly to enhancing the achievements of the joint Gulf action in the field of social development.

Al Budaiwi highlighted the achievements made in the affairs of Gulf women through empowering them and enhancing their important pivotal role in economic development programmes, and their active participation in joint Gulf work in the GCC countries.

He also pointed out that the rate of women's economic participation in the GCC countries has risen to 43.2 percent, and the women occupying senior positions in the government sector (leadership positions) has reached 49 percent, while the senior administrative positions (legislators and managers) in the private sector has reached 30.9 percent.

Al Budaiwi added that women working in the government sector are 43.4 percent, while their ratio in the private sector is 38.2 percent, stressing that these statistics embody the great support that the leaders of GCC countries give to Gulf women in enhancing their position regionally and globally.

He stressed the keenness of Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC countries, to support the path of joint charitable work and to improve the level of services provided in this field, as the GCC countries provide $210bn annually for charitable works in all parts of the world, which is a source of pride for all of us as Gulf citizens.

During the meeting, Their Excellencies, the Ministers of Social Affairs and Development of the GCC countries discussed a number of topics of common interest, most notably the Social Development Strategy of the GCC countries, the initiatives included in the strategy, and the Strategy for Joint Charitable and Humanitarian Work in the GCC countries (2025-2030).

The meeting also discussed the joint Gulf action strategy for women’s affairs in GCC countries (2025-2030), and 7th Gulf Theatre Festival for People with Disabilities, which will be hosted by Doha in December 2024.

They also discussed the third report on the prospects for implementing and monitoring the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the GCC countries, and the efforts made by GCC General Secretariat in coordination with the Executive Office of the Council of Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs in the GCC countries to strengthen relations with regional and international organisations related to social affairs.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Ministry of Social Development and Family signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of social affairs with the Ministry of Social Affairs of Kuwait to strengthen and consolidate the fraternal ties between them, and embody the common goals between the two parties in the field of social affairs.

The Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities also signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of charitable and humanitarian work with the Ministry of Social Affairs of Kuwait, for enhancing means of cooperation in developing, supporting, encouraging, organising and supervising charitable and humanitarian works in both countries.

The Ministry of Social Development and Family signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fields of social development with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of Saudi Arabia, for enhancing constructive cooperation in the fields of social development, especially family affairs and social services, developing and strengthening fruitful cooperation between them.

On Wednesday, a ceremony was held to honour a distinguished elite of administrative competencies, personalities, institutions, and leading companies in the fields of work, social development, and social work in GCC countries. This was held on the sidelines of the ministerial meetings of civil service, labour, and social development affairs in GCC countries.