Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Social Development, on Wednesday hosted the Gulf Family Forum 2023, which took the theme of “Contemporary Gulf Family: The Challenges and the Aspirations. The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of Dr Abdullah Nasser al Harrasi, Minister of Information.
The forum coincides with celebrations marking the Gulf Family Day, which falls on September 14 every year.
The forum addresses the role of families in protecting GCC values among children, in the backdrop of global developments. It underscores families’ role in grooming generations that are more capable of optimizing future opportunities. The forum lays emphasis on the role of modern media in instilling such morals.
Dr Abdulllah stressed that the family is the basic building block in shaping the individual and society. "The forum offers an opportunity to study the role of family in addressing the challenges facing the Gulf family," he added.
The minister pointed out that the forum assumes special significance at a time new living conditions continue to emerge and impose unprecedented situations and conditions that impact life in many ways.
In a statement to the press, the minister said that modern technologies bring about new concepts and phenomena that influence family life, with the positive effects enhancing family solidarity and the negative impacts challenging the intactness of families and disrupting their ability to shape the individual and the society.
The minister reiterated the fact that His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik always underlines the need to protect the family and consolidate its ability to deal with the challenges of contemporary life.
Dr Abdullah added that His Majesty the Sultan cautions against negative and non-constructive use of modern technologies and calls for protecting families against trends that undermine family structure or influence families' educational role, identity or values in an adverse manner.
This, the minister said, can be achieved by consolidating the authentic principles derived from the teachings of the Islamic religion and by urging families to support their children by helping appreciate and espouse sound values.
The opening of the forum was attended by Dr Laila Ahmed al Najjar, Minister of Social Development, Omani and GCC officials, experts in Gulf organizations and specialists in social affairs from universities and research centres concerned.
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