The Doha International Family Institute (Difi), member of Qatar Foundation (QF), is working towards preserving and strengthening Arab families in the region by implementing best practices and hosting events that aim to raise awareness of the challenges facing families.
Difi’s upcoming International Conference, to be held from October 23-24 at the Qatar National Convention Centre, is one such event. Designed to bring together key stakeholders, including policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and academics from civil society organisations, the event aims to examine the most pressing challenges that threaten the family unit and how, collectively, these circumstances can be mitigated.
‘Parenting, Child Wellbeing and Development’ will be the theme of this year’s international gathering, where the crucial role of parents in ensuring the optimal well-being of children will be underscored. Delegates will touch on a number of topics, including parenting matters; supporting working parents; parenting in humanitarian contexts; parent conflict and absence; parenting in the digital era: opportunities and challenges; investing in parenting education programmes; parenting children living with disabilities; parenting children with behavioural problems; and parenting across the Arab region.
In conjunction with platforms that bring together civil society experts, research on the Arab family unit is key to formulating effective approaches to addressing the various challenges they face. The OSRA Research Grant, a collaboration with the Qatar National Research Fund, aims to encourage basic and applied research aimed at developing a knowledge base on Arab families, including comparative and policy-oriented research.
Through the grant, Difi supports high-quality empirical work that advances research on Arab families; provides policymakers with evidence-based research and analysis that encourages the formation or modification of family-related policies; and facilitates research in areas that support the Qatar National Research Strategy.
