Delegates at the 55th Session of the Commission for Social Development, at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) held a panel discussion in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations (UN), to emphasise the importance of promoting family policies for poverty eradication worldwide.
DIFI delivered a statement in support of eradicating poverty at the forum, which took place at the 55th Session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD55), at the UN Headquarters in New York on February 7.
“We are very grateful to the Doha International Family Institute for organising this timely and important event, and for their valued work in the field of research, which contributes to the knowledge base on the family and to developing indicators to evaluate the impact of programs on family stability. By supporting and empowering the family, we can empower future generations and prevent them from falling into the cycle of poverty and dependence,” said H E Sheikha Alya Al Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations.
“DIFI is delighted to play a central role in these important international discussions. They allow our organisation to engage in substantive dialogue on policy options to further implement Goal 1 in the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, which strives to end poverty in all its forms everywhere,” said Dr Anis Ben Brik, Director, Family Policy Division, DIFI.
“Evidence indicates that poverty eradication hinges upon the strength of families to care for their members and build intergenerational solidarity; hence, the need to recognise the important role of the family as the natural and fundamental unit of society,” Dr Brik concluded.
The UN panel discussion was also attended by Prof Lawrence M Mead, Department of Politics, New York University; and Prof Jill Duerr Berrick, the Zellerbach Family Foundation Professor at the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, the event was moderated by Renata Kaczmarkska, UN Focal Point on the Family, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
DIFI representatives also attended the Civil Society Forum 2017, held at the UN Headquarters on January 30 and 31. Through its projects and initiatives, DIFI, a member of Qatar Foundatio for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), aims to highlight the importance of family issues in the Arab world and make them a priority for policy-makers on local, regional and international levels.
