The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council held its weekly ordinary session Monday at Tamim bin Hamad Hall at the headquarters of the Shura Council under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.

The session was attended by HE Minister of Social Development and Family (MoSDF) Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad to proffer MoSDF's efforts in implementing national strategies, plans and polices related to caring for family and its members, along with the nature of challenges facing their implementation, as well as discussing all services MoSDF provides through its various efforts at social development level.

HE Speaker of the Shura Council lauded MoSDF's efforts to safeguard the family entity and raise the community's awareness of its significance, in addition to preparing and carrying out ample programmes to achieve that objective.

His Excellency recalled the content mentioned in the article 20 of the state's constitution which stipulated that family is the bedrock of community, which is founded on religion, morality, and patriotism, as the law regulates the essential means to protect family, undergird its entity, strengthen its bonds, and preserve motherhood, childhood, and geriatric accordingly.

His Excellency stressed that family is the nucleus that constitutes the community's strength, elucidating that cohesive community represents the primary building block for a robust community capable of countering challenges families are grappling with today considering cyberspace and the unlimited global openness which pose a threat to the community's principles and values.

HE Minister of MoSDF discussed the ministry's efforts, its strategies and plans in caring for families and achieving a real social development in accordance with the directives of the wise leadership pertinent to population and social security, as well as overseeing the regulation of philanthropic sector.

During the presentation, Her Excellency affirmed that MoSDF is committed to deepening the family's position and achieving its welfare based on the directives of the wise leadership, stressing that MoSDF dedicates its efforts to strengthening the building of a cohesive family system filled with compassion and solidarity among family members to ensure the integrity of families.

HE Minister of MoSDF pointed to the programmes that encourage marriage and reduce divorce rates, such as the national programme for those who are about to marry "First Year of Marriage" which primarily aims to rehabilitate individuals who are considering marriage, raise the community's awareness on the rights and duties of couples within the framework of the Islamic Sharia and reduce the divorce rates in the state.

The First Year of Marriage programme which is implemented in partnership with Wifaq Family Consulting Center and the Social and Sport Contribution Fund (Daam) seeks to support emerging families, strengthen their stability, provide essential family services to have a successful marriage, in addition to reducing divorce rates to achieve the MoSDF's objectives represented in the motto of "Qatar is strong with the cohesion of its families", Her Excellency outlined.

She noted the efforts made by MoSDF in collaboration with relevant entities in conducting field and survey studies and research to figure out the reasons of divorce in the Qatari community, comprehend the roots of the problems that lead to separation, chart the policies that aim to reduce this phenomenon and make change in the community accordingly.

In this framework, Her Excellency pointed out that MoSDF has launched "Watad" service which aims to offer family and educational consultations to help couples and families address challenges that adversely impact the family's entity through providing professional consultations that observe family privacy and preserve confidentiality.

She elucidated that MoSDF hires the existing expertise in social centers to provide this service, such as Family Consulting Center (Wifaq), Behavioral Health Care Center, Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities, and other MoSDF affiliated centers.

In a related context, HE Minister of MoSDF underscored the paramount interest the ministry is prioritizing for persons with disabilities (PWDs) through rehabilitating and training them, in addition to empowering them to ensure their independence and include them in the community as effective elements.

Her Excellency pointed out that MoSDF strives to provide essential facilitations for PWDs to help them achieve success and invest in their capacities that best suit their abilities and potential to be active contributors in the community, indicating that MoSDF has recently signed a cooperation document with Qatar Manpower Solutions Company (Jusour) to employ PWDs.

HE Minister of MoSDF Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad touched upon the ministry's efforts devoted to supporting the social and cultural heritage of the Qatari community through adopting an array of initiatives such as Qatari Family Charter initiative, alongside the awareness campaigns that aim to bolster communitys values and cohesion, in addition to focusing on giving and production among the community members.

MoSDF focuses on supporting national productive projects within "Home Grown" initiative that seeks to consolidate the culture of sustainability, encourage individuals to pivot from consumption to production, develop the productive family system, as well as hold training sessions and support craft entrepreneurs, she pointed out.

Her Excellency underscored MoSDF's keenness to organize events that highlight the Qatari social legacy, such as helping others and benevolence, citing "instill value" campaign in this regard.

She also affirmed MoSDF's keenness to promote moral and social values through the ministry's participation in several artistic exhibitions, festivals and shows to foster the community's awareness and understanding, operationalize the role of those values in building cultural identity and safeguarding the Qatari social legacy. 

For their part, members of the Shura Council hailed MoSDF role, affirming their keenness to support MoSDF 's efforts in consolidating family’s position in the community, safeguarding the national identity and cultural privacy, as well as promoting moral values and good behaviors of family members considering the educational and moral challenges facing the family and community.

The members of the council underscored the significance of raising the awareness of the community’s members on the contemporary family and social challenges and issues, their impacts and prevention methods, in addition to prioritizing the programmes of developing and upgrading children’s cultural, educational, and recreational innovations.

They noted the importance of cooperation with various governmental and non-governmental entities, including media circles which shoulder major responsibility in raising the awareness of the community pertaining to diverse issues adopted by MoSDF, along with the programmes it carries out.

Members of the Shura Council noted the importance of the unwavering efforts to encourage and facilitate marriage, reducing its exorbitant costs through renouncing excessive overhead costs associated with marriage and address the phenomenon of upsurge in divorce rates.

They recalled the social security services, especially those afforded to widows and divorcees, lauding the state’s policy MoSDF is executing in providing services for social security beneficiaries, in addition to rehabilitating them through carrying out diverse programmes.

Members of the council called for conducting a periodical review of the social security polices and the targeted categories to ensure provision of support and protection for beneficiaries, in addition to empowering them and meeting their increasing needs considering the changes that affect their income level.

In a related context, members of the Shura Council called for proceeding with the efforts that strengthen education and employment opportunities, as well as vocational development and entrepreneurship for PWDs and supply them with the essential social skills for adaptation and inclusion in the community in order for them to live independently.

They also called for carrying out essential programmes and services to care for and rehabilitate the elderly and educated the community with respect to their rights and discuss their issues.

Members of the council underscored the role undertaken by professional societies and institutions in providing social, educational, cultural, and economic services for the community, adding that this role is a significant supporter for MoSDF in executing its strategies.

They called for supporting those societies and institutions, in addition to encouraging them to provide qualitative initiatives that nurture social action in the state and streamline the procedures of registering and publicizing those institutions and societies.

In her response to comments and inquiries of Their Excellencies members of the council, HE Minister of MoSDF Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad outlined all steps MoSDF is taking to overcome the problems raised, underscoring MoSDF's interest in all comments, feedback and perspectives showed by members of the council, adding that MoSDF will consider them further.

She noted that MoSDF gives priority to social centers and PWDs and steadfastly operates to include them in the community, in addition to providing dignified life for those entitled to social security, preserving family structure and achieving stability.

In conclusion, HE Speaker of the Shura Council pointed out that the wise leadership is interested in everything related to family and community affairs, including PWDs, affirming that the wise leadership is committed to supporting those entitled to social security to achieve dignified and stable life for them.

He emphasized that the country has witnessed a remarkable progress in this respect thanks to the directives of the wise leadership. His Excellency affirmed the council's keenness to support MoSDF and exert the essential efforts to achieve its objectives in preserving the family's entity, of PWDs inclusion and providing dignified life for those entitled to social security to help safeguard a safe and stable community and achieve its development and prosperity.