Volume 7, Number 21

May 14, 2004

Qatar Seeks Worldwide Scholarship on Family Life

By Douglas A. Sylva, Ph.D.

     (NEW YORK - C-FAM)  The government of Qatar seeks to compile the finest scholarship in the world to inform an important international conference on family life to be held in November, 2004, called the Doha International Conference for the Family. By gathering this scholarship, Qatar hopes to develop the most accurate and comprehensive view of the current worldwide status of marriage and family life, so that participants at the conference, including high-ranking government and civil society leaders, can develop useful strategies for international, regional and national actions on behalf of the family.

     The Doha conference will explore the current status of the assertion in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that "The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state." It is anticipated that the outcome document of the Doha Conference, which will be called the "Doha Declaration," could set the global agenda for international family policy for the next decade.

     Since the goal of Qatar's call for papers is an extensive review of worldwide family policy, the process will be open to all scholars, regardless of particular political or philosophical points-of-view. Every paper received will be transmitted to Doha for use by conference participants. According to the conference organizers, "an honest and dispassionate examination of current research will reveal that, in order to promote social stability and sound social development, societies around the world should encourage and strengthen high quality marriage, respect for life, and parental involvement with children. How to achieve these objectives, however, is less clear. Moreover, the overriding goal is the collection of sound and complete scholarship - not ideological argument. The organizing committee, therefore, welcomes and encourages participation by all able academicians and analysts."

     Broad topics for investigation will include the social role of marriage, the development needs of children, the impact of media on family life, governmental policy and the family, the family and human dignity, and historical and global perspectives on the family as "the natural and fundamental group unit of society."

     The conference will be preceded by two preparatory conferences, called Regional Dialogues, one in the Philippines and one in Europe. The Doha Conference itself will take place on November 29 and 30, and is being sponsored by Her Highness Sheikha Mouza Bint Nasser Al-Misnad, Consort of His Holiness the Emir of Qatar and President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, State of Qatar. Qatar's commitment to host the conference was welcomed by a UN General Assembly resolution passed last December. The UN resolution also accepted the conference as an official event of the UN's 2004 International Year of the Family.

     The conference will conclude with the adoption of the Doha Declaration, which will call on all nations and international organizations to act decisively on behalf of the family.

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