Doha Conference for the Family

Doha, November 28 (IslamOnline.net) - Perhaps the most important conference in support of the family this year is the Doha International Conference for the Family, to be held November 29 – 30, 2004 in Doha, Qatar. The conference is, in fact, the culmination of a series of regional conferences, cross-cultural dialogues, and local meetings that have been taking place this year in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the first International Year of the Family.

The Doha Conference is held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Misnad, Consort of His Highness the Emir of Qatar and President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs State of Qatar. The government of Qatar appointed the World Family Policy Center, based in Utah, USA, to organize the series of meetings and dialogues leading to the final Doha Conference.

Three regional meetings have met so far: the World Congress of Families III in Mexico City, Mexico, in March; International Family Day in Stockholm, Sweden, in May; the European Family Dialogue in Geneva, Switzerland, in August. The last regional meeting will be the Pacific and Asian Family Dialogue in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 11 – 13. The Intercultural Dialogues will be held in Manila, the Philippines, October 6 – 8; and Strasbourg, France, October 28 – 30. The aim is to (1) collect the best scholarship on the current state of marriage and family life and (2) make recommendations for family policy and academic research.

Throughout history, successful civilizations have been built on stable, caring families in which children are nurtured and protected by a mother and father united in marriage, and instilled with moral values. Economic prosperity and social strength are built on a foundation of healthy, resilient families. But in so many countries today the family is disintegrating. The price on society is high: increased illiteracy, poverty, disease, drug use, crime, and social injustice.

What are the causes of family breakup? And more importantly, what are the solutions? The Doha Conference and the preceding regional and local meetings bring together governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organizations, and members of civil society to highlight and collect their family-related efforts.

These are only some of the topics that will be discussed:

• The Family in the Third Millennium
  The Family and Development
  The Family and Globalization
  Toward an International Policy to Protect the Family

• Religious and Juristic Bases of the Third Millennium Family
  The Complementary of Motherhood and Fatherhood
  The Extended Family and the Transmission of Values 

• The Family and Education
  Educating the Elderly between Literacy and the Digital Revolution
  The Basic International Law and the Issue of Educating Children
  Educating Special Needs Persons 

• The Family and the Culture of Dialogue
  The Role of the Media and Its Reflections on the Family
  Government Policy and Responsibilities toward the Family

The Conference will conclude by adopting the Doha Declaration which will emphasize the importance of restating the family and will call upon governments to be committed to promote the role of family and to protect it as a fundamental unit of which society is made.

The Supreme Council for Family Affairs, in cooperation with pro-family NGOs, will compile and publish the most prominent events and academic findings of the Conference.

This conference should send a strong message to the nations of the world that family values are important for the health and even survival of societies. The information disseminated via these discussions and conference papers will aid delegates and NGOs who will participate in Beijing +10 early next year.

For registration information, see the official Web site.