Qatar to Host 2024 Global Conference Commemorating the 30TH Anniversary of International Year of the FAMILY

An international conference marking the 30th anniversary of a milestone in placing families at the heart of global society is to be held in Qatar in 2024, hosted by the State of Qatar and organized by Qatar Foundation’s Doha International Family Institute.

The conference – announced at the United Nations (UN) today – will see policymakers, NGOs, family experts and practitioners and academics gather in Doha to share their experiences of the central role that the family holds within nations and communities, three decades on from the United Nations General Assembly proclaiming 1994 as the International Year of the Family (IYF).

To mark the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, the State of Qatar will host and the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) will organize an international conference in Doha from 29 to 31 October, 2024. It will address four major megatrends identified by the UN Secretariat, including the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, that are having a significant impact on families: new technologies; climate change; urbanization and international migration; and demographic change.

The conference will also advocate for worldwide support and empowerment of the family system by promoting policies and programs that strengthen families, showcasing best practices and evidence-based research, and providing a forum for policymakers, academics, practitioners, and stakeholders to engage in in-depth discussions on family-oriented policies to effectively tackle these megatrends.

Speaking at the briefing during the 78th UN Session on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Issues, Her Excellency Ambassador Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, said: “As we eagerly anticipate the Doha Conference commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family – IYF+30 – scheduled to take place in Doha on October 2024, I am delighted to witness the collaboration between the State of Qatar, DIFI, and the UN in this crucial briefing.

“It underscores the vital significance of the Doha conference and serves as a testament to our unwavering dedication to prioritizing family-centric wellbeing and policy development. This briefing reaffirms our joint commitment as we work tirelessly to organize a groundbreaking conference that will not only celebrate 30 years of the commemoration of the Year of the Family but also strengthen families and address the global megatrends affecting them”.

Ms. Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, UN DESA, stated that: “DESA looks forward to the IYF+30 conference in Doha in 2024.”

She added that: “Technology trends, especially those that make us more productive, have the potential to improve work-family balance, while policies in support of sustainable urbanization, healthy ageing and family-based care can contribute to intergenerational solidarity. I am confident that the outcomes of the Conference will contribute to advancing the well-being of families throughout the world.”

Dr. Sharifa Noaman Al Emadi, Executive Director of DIFI, said: “The Doha International Family Institute is pleased to organize an international conference celebrating the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family (IYF) in Doha.

“Since its establishment by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, during the 10th anniversary of the IYF in 2004, DIFI has worked to advance knowledge on Arab families, by providing research and studies and advocating for family issues, by promoting and supporting evidence-based family policies at national, regional, and international level. We have strived to promote a familyist ideology [an ideology based on nurturing families, recognizing the significance of the family unit within society, and advocating for family-friendly policies] in relation to all policies and programs, specifically highlighting the importance of taking the entire family unit into consideration when moving towards cohesive, stable societies.

“We look forward to welcoming leaders, thinkers, academics, NGO representatives, youth, and many more to our conference, and to celebrating the family while taking into consideration the four megatrends.”

His Excellency Mubarak Ajlan Al-Kuwari, Executive Director of the Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “This collaboration with DIFI represents a significant step toward a brighter future, aligning with the social development goals outlined in Qatar National Vision 2030.

“Drawing upon our wealth of expertise in organizing large-scale events, we are well prepared to further the success of the upcoming 30th anniversary commemoration of the International Year of the Family in Doha. This prestigious event, graced by the participation of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs along with other esteemed international, regional, and national partners, reaffirms Qatar’s position as a global hub for hosting influential conferences.”

In 2014, the DIFI-organized International Conference on ‘Empowering Families: Pathway to Development’ concluded with the Doha Call to Action. It called for governments throughout the world to empower and enable families to contribute to sustainable, social, economic and cultural development, including through family-focused policies and programs, especially in the areas of poverty eradication, full employment and decent work, work family balance, and social integration and intergenerational solidarity.

Next year’s conference will explore the impact on families of technological developments, from assistive reproduction technology to telecommuting; changing demographic trends including age of marriage and fertility rates; and humanitarian crises resulting from climate change. It will also study the effect of migration on families, and how urbanization influences family roles, responsibilities, and structures.