15th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue opens

Doha:Under the patronage ofPrime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the 15th Doha Confe...

Doha: Under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the 15th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue opened yesterday.

The conference focused on the Family Structure in Light of Changing World as its main topic, with the theme being “Integration of families, faith, values, and education.”

Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater emphasised in her opening speech the alignment of this conference’s theme with Qatar’s strong conviction in the centrality of the family in building societies, and the pivotal role of religion and ethics in this endeavour, as stipulated by Article 21 of the Qatari Constitution. She highlighted Qatar’s international efforts to support families and its continuous pursuit to enhance international advocacy for family issues, utilising platforms for dialogue that engage decision-makers, politicians, academics, international organisations, and charities.

She emphasised the significance of having the 15th edition of the conference focus on family issues within the broader context of contemporary global challenges, noting that these challenges affect not only those directly facing them but also undermine the peace and stability of the modern world.

H E Lolwah pointed out that family issues are a common factor that can unite all components of societies and significantly influence social, economic, and political spheres. She stressed the collective responsibility to focus on and give significant attention to families, urging countries, individuals, religious scholars, and experts to prioritise families as the fundamental building block of any society.