On Wednesday, 18 October 2023, the Permanent Population Committee (PPC) organized, the annual Qatar Population Day at the St. Regis Marsa Arabia Hotel – The Pearl. The event included a panel discussion entitled "Divorce in Qatari Society – Reality and Proposed Solutions".
The ceremony was inaugurated with a speech by H.E. Dr. Saleh bin Muhammad Al-Nabit, President of the Planning and Statistics Authority and Chairman of the Permanent Population Committee, delivered on his behalf by H.E. Mr. Sultan Al Kawari, PPC Vice-Chairman, in which he welcomed the guests participating in the Qatari Population Day, which PPC celebrates every year to keep up with the developments in population reality in Qatar. He pointed out that divorce problem is not connected with a specific time or a community, but rather it is an inherent old and modern social problem in communities since their creation, including the Qatari community. Moreover, he outlined that the rapid social, economic, and cultural evolutions have increased the divorce rates, and this requires thinking about the possible prevention solutions, adding that this is what the Qatari Population Day strives to accomplish.
Then, on behalf of Her Excellency Mrs. Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Minister of Social Development and Family (guest of honor of the event), Mr. Ghanim Mubarak Al-Kuwari, Assistant Undersecretary for Social Development Affairs, delivered a speech in which he referred to the causes leading to the phenomenon of divorce, as well as the adverse impacts arising from them. He underscored that the Ministry of Social Development and Family is working to launch numerous projects and initiatives that primarily aim to prevent divorce and reinforce the pillars of the Qatari family, chief among which are “First Year Marriage Program” and “Watad” service.
Speaking on behalf of the Regional Director of UNFPA Arab States Regional Office in Cairo, Dr. Hala Youssef, Regional Advisor for UNFPA, delivered a speech in which she stressed the significance of the existing cooperation between PPC and UNFPA. She thanked the State of Qatar for its regional excellence in the population and development file and for its constructive participation in the Sixth Review of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which was completed in September 2023 at the regional conference held in Beirut. In a related context, Dr. Hala pointed to the negative consequences of divorce on the family and society and the renewal of generations resulting from low fertility rates.
Afterwards, the event witnessed paying homage to partners and former members of PPC in recognition of their tremendous and unwavering efforts and effective role in following up on the implementation of the Population Policy Programme of Action.
This was followed by the launch of the seminar on divorce in Qatari society, which was held on the sidelines of Qatar Population Day 2023. The first session of the seminar was devoted to presenting a statistical and analytical picture of the current situation of divorce in Qatar, while the second session addressed the causes of divorce, its diverse impacts and possible solutions to reduce it, with the third session highlighting the government’s efforts to preserve the social fabric, reduce divorce cases and raise community awareness on this matter.
After the sessions, Director of the Technical Office of PPC, Abdulhadi Alshawi reviewed the recommendations emanating from the presentations of the participating entities in these sessions and the discussions that took place around them, the most important of which are:
• Forming a national team of authorities concerned with the problem of divorce in the Qatari society to conduct a field study on the inherent reasons behind divorce,
• Building an integrated statistical system between PPC and the Supreme Judiciary Council, and updating the contents included in the curricula of family education targeting adolescents and youth in schools and universities to familiarize them with their family roles in the institution of marriage,
• Strengthening marriage counselling institutions in the community, developing rehabilitation program for those about to marry and making such programs mandatory before marriage, along with the procedures of attesting marriage contracts,
• Bolstering the societal role of the media, religious platforms and social media concerning the components of a happy and sustainable marriage, as well as discussing challenges and ways to overcome them.
Qatar Population Day 2023 concluded with honoring the chairs of the sessions and giver of presentations related to divorce in the Qatari society.
