The Family Affairs Council is preparing to launch a number of programs and events to coincide with the International Day of Older Persons, which falls on October 1 of each year through various programs offered by government and private entities in various regions of the Kingdom starting next week under the slogan “Older Persons. It comes to emphasize the importance of promoting the active participation of the elderly in comprehensive development. By activating this event with an international dimension, the Council aims to emphasize that our Islamic values and constants call for reverence and respect for the elderly, highlight their role in the development and service of society and their ability to give, benefit from the professional and scientific expertise and energies of the elderly, and introduce local and international efforts related to this category, in addition to raising awareness of their rights and attention to their issues. The preparations started early, as the Council’s Senior Citizens Committee prepared and coordinated several meetings with representatives of ministries, government agencies and relevant third sector institutions to develop an integrated program that takes into account the factors of comprehensiveness and diversity according to the competence of each entity, so that the events include awareness and educational programs and seminars on the rights of the elderly aimed at community members and a number of recreational and sports activities and cultural competitions, which aim to educate young people about the rights of the elderly.

In the same context, the Council, in cooperation with the Waqar Association, issued a directory of services provided to the elderly, which the Council will launch in conjunction with the International Day of Older Persons in monitoring all programs and services provided by government sectors, the private sector and the non-profit sector for the elderly, with the aim of introducing them and creating an information base on services of all kinds to benefit from them when working on the preparation of future plans, initiatives and projects targeting the elderly. The Secretary General of the Family Affairs Council, Dr. Hala Al-Tuwaijri, explained that the Council is keen to activate international days through outputs that benefit the community, noting that this year, on the International Day of Older Persons, we were keen to provide older people with a comprehensive guide to all the services provided by various sectors for them in all cities and governorates of the Kingdom, and this guide comes as a result of joint work between the Council and Waqar Association through which we were keen to frame the participatory work with all sectors.

In addition, and to complement the principle of partnership, the Council launched several joint initiatives that are concerned with spreading awareness and emphasizing that the elderly are a renewable segment of society, and therefore the slogan of our campaign for this year was “Elderly people … Continuous Giving”. In turn, the head of the Senior Citizens Committee at the Family Affairs Council, Huda Al-Naim, said that celebrating this occasion is one of the most important community initiatives that the Council is working on in partnership with a large number of sectors to achieve a number of objectives, foremost of which is promoting religious values and highlighting the efforts made by our wise government in the field of caring for the elderly, and highlighting the successful inspirations that enriched our lives with their contributions that had a great impact in pushing the wheel of development and development in our dear country, in addition to introducing the services and facilities provided for the elderly and presenting local and international experiences through awareness and education in order to improve their well-being and well-being.

For his part, Ibrahim Al-Nuwaisar, Supervisor of the Council’s Senior Citizens Committee, said that the Family Affairs Council, represented by the Senior Citizens Committee, works according to a prepared plan that focuses on studying and proposing programs and activities that serve the elderly, and putting forward a number of projects, regulations and initiatives that serve this group,He pointed out that celebrating this occasion is a reminder and encouragement to all segments of society to honor their parents and respect and appreciate the elderly in society, He hoped that the programs, activities and events that will be implemented in all regions and governorates of the Kingdom will increase cultural and social awareness among all segments of society to serve this precious group that has provided great services to the country, society and the family.