‘The Family and Covid-19 Policy Response in the Arab Gulf’ was the focus of this year’s edition of the Doha Briefing, organized by the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the UN, and the GCC Executive Bureau of Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs.

The event, which was broadcast live on YouTube, was held on February 9 as part of the UN 60^th session of the Commission for Social Development in New York.

H.E. Ambassador Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the UN, and H.E. Ambassador Ms. María del Carmen Squeff, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the UN and Chair of the session, participated in the event that brought together a number of senior officials. Those include H.E. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, Qatar’s Minister of Social Development, and Ministers from Oman, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia along with Dr. Sharifa Nouman Al-Emadi, DIFI’s Executive Director.

The session discussed the challenges that families faced during the pandemic across the Gulf, and pertaining government policies. Ministers and experts reviewed best practices throughout the pandemic to draw key lessons for the future.

The event featured the launch of a joint research project to assess post-pandemic flexible work arrangements in cooperation with the GCC Executive Bureau of Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs.

The project aims to provide scientific evidence that informs decision-makers on the importance of maintaining post-Covid flexible work arrangements, not only to improve family cohesion, but also given their positive impact on the productivity of various institutions and employers.