Cairo, November 04 (QNA) - The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, in partnership with the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), today held a high-level event in Cairo under the title "Twenty Years of Strategic Partnership for Arab Population and Family Affairs."
The two-day event marks the 20th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the League of Arab States and DIFI. It aims to review the achievements and joint initiatives undertaken over the past two decades and assess their contribution to advancing population and family-related legislation and policies across the Arab world.
The event also seeks to launch a series of joint reports, policy papers and practical guidelines designed to support policymakers through updated research and knowledge resources. These publications focus on strengthening Arab families and enhancing their resilience in the face of crises and conflicts. The event will also produce practical recommendations to be submitted to ministerial councils and relevant authorities.
Grand Mufti of Egypt and Secretary-General of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities and Institutions Worldwide, Dr. Nazir Ayyad praised the partnership between DIFI and the League of Arab States. He noted that one of the key expected outcomes of the event was the development of a clear implementation roadmap for the guidebook on preparing young people for marriage, including mechanisms to support the establishment of mandatory or voluntary national programmes.
He also highlighted Dar Al-Ifta Al-Misriyyah's readiness to contribute to implementing the guidebook through meaningful cooperation and the exchange of expertise. He pointed to the institution's accumulated knowledge and experience in preparing young people for marriage through its Sakan platform and Marriage Counselling Centre, both of which could help advance the guidebook's objectives.
In his address at the opening session, HE Ambassador of Qatar to Egypt and its Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States, Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Thani commended the efforts of DIFI and the Arab League, highlighting their longstanding partnership and its contribution over the past two decades to advancing population, family and development issues across the Arab region.
He noted that the collaboration had also helped strengthen dialogue and facilitate the exchange of expertise and knowledge on the challenges facing Arab families.
HE Sheikh Jassim described the 20th anniversary as an important opportunity to review the partnership's achievements, assess the progress of joint cooperation and explore new avenues for collaboration in the coming years, particularly amid the rapid demographic, social, economic and technological changes taking place across Arab societies.
He reaffirmed Qatar's commitment to placing family and population issues at the forefront of its development policies and programmes, stressing the importance of strengthening family stability and cohesion while empowering families to navigate emerging changes and challenges. He emphasised that Qatar's approach is rooted in the recognition of the family as the fundamental building block of society and investment in people as the most sustainable investment in the future of nations.
In this context, he highlighted DIFI's important role as a specialised research and knowledge institution that promotes evidence-based policymaking, advances scientific research and facilitates dialogue on family-related issues. Through its research, expertise and recommendations, the institute supports policymakers, researchers and relevant institutions in Qatar and across the Arab region, helping ensure that family issues remain central to development agendas and decision-making.
He also underscored the particular importance of cooperation with the League of Arab States, given its role as a framework for joint Arab action and a platform for coordinating efforts and exchanging experiences. Such cooperation, he said, contributes to developing more integrated Arab policies that respond effectively to the evolving needs of populations and families.
Addressing the challenges facing Arab families, HE Ambassador Sheikh Jassim noted that these issues were increasingly multidimensional, encompassing demographic shifts, changing marriage and fertility patterns, economic pressures and difficulties in balancing family and professional responsibilities. He also highlighted the impact of technological and digital transformations on children, young people and relationships within the family.
He stressed the need for greater attention to protecting families against emerging risks, strengthening their role in healthy upbringing, and promoting values and social cohesion while keeping pace with contemporary developments.
He further emphasised that addressing these challenges required an integrated Arab vision that places the family at the heart of the development process, bringing together population, social and economic policies while drawing on scientific research and data and taking into account the cultural and social specificities of Arab societies.
Achieving this vision, he added, would require stronger cooperation among governments, academic and research institutions, and civil society organisations, alongside the exchange of successful experiences and best practices. He also called for developing practical programmes and initiatives that respond to families' needs, particularly those of young families, with special attention to women's empowerment, child protection, youth support and work-life balance.
Reflecting on the partnership's achievements, Sheikh Jassim said the past 20 years had demonstrated the potential of institutional partnerships in the Arab world when national expertise is combined with joint regional action. He expressed hope that the anniversary would mark the beginning of a broader, more effective and impactful phase of cooperation, moving beyond knowledge-sharing towards the development of joint initiatives and programmes with tangible results.
He reaffirmed Qatar's readiness to continue supporting Arab efforts to strengthen the position of the family, advance population and social policies, promote scientific research and facilitate the exchange of expertise. Such efforts, he noted, would contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and building more cohesive Arab societies capable of addressing future challenges.
Concluding his remarks, Sheikh Jassim expressed hope that the event would generate further ideas and initiatives to strengthen joint Arab action in this vital field.
He highlighted the significance of the topics on the agenda, which include reviewing two decades of partnership and exploring the future of Arab family policies; family prevention and preparation programmes as foundations for social stability; economic security and social protection for families; demographic dynamics and family transformations following complex health crises; and family resilience in the face of conflicts and forced displacement.
He stressed that these interconnected issues required concerted efforts and intensified cooperation to strengthen the ability of Arab families to overcome challenges and contribute to building a more stable and prosperous future for Arab societies. 
HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Development and Family, Khalifa bin Issa bin Abdullah Al Kuwari said the 20th anniversary of the partnership between the League of Arab States and the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) represented more than an opportunity to review past achievements. He described it as a successful Arab model that had helped establish family issues as an integral part of scientific research and policymaking.
He highlighted the partnership's contribution to knowledge production, research publications and initiatives, as well as its role in promoting Arab dialogue on issues related to family stability, well-being and the ability of families to adapt to rapid social and economic changes.
HE Al Kuwari explained that Qatar's family policies are guided by a clear vision that recognises the family as the cornerstone of society, the primary environment for nurturing values and identity, and a fundamental pillar of social stability.
He noted that this vision is reflected in the complementary roles played by national institutions in developing policies and programmes that address families' needs at different stages of their lives, strengthen family cohesion, protect family members and support families in fulfilling their educational and social responsibilities.
He added that the Ministry of Social Development and Family translates this institutional approach into practice by integrating family considerations into relevant policies and programmes, strengthening coordination among concerned authorities and assessing the impact of social policies on family well-being and stability.
Al Kuwari also stressed the importance of connecting scientific research with policymaking to develop flexible and integrated policies capable of responding to rapid changes while respecting family specificities and the values of society. He noted that Qatar's experience had demonstrated the importance of institutional coordination in addressing family-related challenges.
He further expressed the ministry's appreciation for its partnership with DIFI, describing the institute as a specialised research institution that plays an important role in advancing family issues and strengthening their presence on both regional and international agendas.
For her part, Executive Director of DIFI, Dr. Sharifa Al Emadi described the anniversary as an opportunity to bring together the region's heritage, present-day responsibilities and aspirations for the future while celebrating two decades of strategic cooperation between the institute and the League of Arab States.
She highlighted the sustained efforts undertaken throughout the partnership to strengthen the stability and well-being of Arab families, protect their interests and enhance their resilience. She noted that the collaboration had been guided by a shared vision combining institutional commitment, scientific research and public policy, demonstrating how joint knowledge production can inform legislation and national development plans.
Al Emadi explained that the partnership dates back to the institute's establishment in 2006 and has focused on translating shared objectives into policies, decisions and practical guidelines that serve families throughout the Arab world.
She emphasised that the partnership should not be viewed merely as an anniversary milestone, but rather as a renewed commitment and an ongoing effort to protect the family as the foundation of Arab societies while promoting its well-being and cohesion.
She also highlighted the development of the Guideline for the Marriage Preparation Programme as one of the partnership's key achievements. The publication represents the outcome of joint regional efforts spanning the Arab Mashreq, Maghreb and Gulf regions.
According to Al Emadi, the guidebook supports the design of evidence-based marriage preparation programmes aimed at preventing family breakdown, equipping young people with the necessary knowledge and skills, and helping establish strong families capable of overcoming challenges.
Meanwhile, Minister Plenipotentiary Dr. Enas Al Farjani, Supervisor of the Social Affairs Sector at the League of Arab States, highlighted the partnership's extensive record of organising events and producing studies and reports addressing national and regional policies related to Arab families.
She noted that the collaboration had resulted in several important publications and initiatives, including the Arab Family Document within the Framework of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2016, the book The State of Marriage in the Arab World in 2019, and the study Assessment of Marital Relationships During the First Five Years of Marriage, documented in 2021.
Al Farjani emphasised that the family represents the fundamental unit of society and the social infrastructure upon which strong and cohesive communities are built.
The event's agenda features a series of sessions addressing several key themes. These include Two Decades of Partnership and the Future of Arab Family Policies, which will provide an analytical review of achievements and methodological developments in addressing family issues within national and regional agendas.
Another session will focus on Family Prevention and Preparation as an Approach to Social Stability, examining the guidebook for preparing young people for marriage and the mechanisms for implementing it across different Arab regions.
The programme will also address Family Resilience in the Face of Conflicts and Forced Displacement, with discussions focusing on developing preliminary frameworks for a guide to government interventions and examining the impact of wars and displacement, as well as ways to integrate family considerations into humanitarian relief and recovery programmes.
Additional discussions will explore Demographic Dynamics and Family Transformations Following Complex Health Crises, highlighting the findings of the COVID-19 report and its implications for demographic structures and social well-being.
A separate session on the sidelines of the event will examine Economic Security and Social Protection for Families, focusing on the assessment and development of alimony funds and mechanisms to safeguard the rights of mothers and children during transitional circumstances and family breakdown. (QNA)