Arab ministers of social affairs were in Doha this week for a meeting designed to promote regional collaboration.
People are placed at the centre of Qatar’s development movement, a top official declared at a regional meeting of Arab ministers of social affairs in Doha on Wednesday.
The Gulf state views individuals and communities as sources of wealth and the builders of civilisations, Minister of Social Development and Family Mariam bint Ali Al Misned said during a speech at the session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs.
The official doubled down on the state’s belief that social work is the pillar of every advanced society that aims to achieve prosperity for its people. She noted Qatar looks to extends its collaborative hand with neighbouring countries to ensure such success is runs region wide in an effort to increase stability across the Middle East.
On Thursday, ministers planted an ‘Arab family tree’ at Dadu children’s museum in the Qatari capital to launch the regional ‘Instill Values’ campaign.
The meeting in Doha this week brought together social affairs ministers from across the Arab world to achieve solidarity and cooperation in order to activate joint Arab action. Officials at the event worked towards common goals under the theme ‘The rights of persons with disabilities and multidimensional poverty: further implementation of the 2030 agenda for the sustainable development plan and beyond’.
In June, Al Misned chaired the ‘Second Workshop on Arab Classification for Disability’, in which officials adopted a historic first-ever document of the ‘Arab Classification for Persons with Disabilities’.
Adopted by all of the participating Arab delegations in the workshop, the historic document was the first of its kind in the region.
The paper is a uniform classification of disabilities with integrated criteria, including medical standards, designed to enable the success of empowerment and inclusion programmes and policies for this category in Arab countries.
As a result, more legal services, facilities, and funding will be made available to help people with disabilities live better lives and interact with their communities.
The minister stated that the Arab world now leads international efforts in areas of disability care, with it being the first region to embrace the classification.
She also highlighted her delight in Qatar’s unceasing efforts to use all available resources to provide local and global support for people with disabilities.
