The activities of the Saudi Family Forum 2020, organized by the Family Affairs Council under the title “The Family in the Face of Crises”, concluded yesterday in Riyadh, under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Chairman of the Family Affairs Council, Engineer Ahmed Al-Rajhi. Over two days, the forum discussed 4 main themes that came exceptionally to address the circumstances that the world is going through due to the Corona pandemic and its social, economic and educational effects, and its repercussions on the individual, family and society.
The forum witnessed the participation of local and international researchers and specialists, who contributed to discussing the impact of crises on the individual, family and society, the importance of preparedness and planning to face emergencies, spreading the culture of risk and crisis management and indicators to measure adaptation, in addition to highlighting the necessary skills for family members to deal with crises.
Participants in the forum addressed several topics, most notably the culture of risk and crisis management, researching factors and indicators to measure the family’s adaptation to crises (health, social, educational, educational, …), life skills for crisis management, the importance of the family’s economic structure and its role in overcoming crises, and the importance of integration between institutions to support the family during crises. At the conclusion of the forum’s sessions, speakers addressed the challenges and opportunities in crises, by discussing how women can achieve a balance between family and work in light of the circumstances the world has gone through due to the pandemic, in addition to discussing the impact of the crisis on children’s health, education, social and psychological well-being, and the most prominent challenges faced by the elderly and youth during the pandemic.
The speakers focused on the importance of expanding the use of technology to adapt to crises and manage risks, by reviewing the live experiences that imposed itself during the pandemic, especially in distance education, the need to keep pace with the digital transformation in providing government services, and the experience of the third sector’s response to the pandemic, locally and internationally, in addition to the contribution of technology in awareness and digital media during and after the pandemic.
For her part, the Secretary General of the Family Affairs Council, Dr. Hala Al-Tuwaijri, confirmed at the conclusion of the forum’s activities that it was generously sponsored by His Excellency the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Chairman of the Family Affairs Council, Engineer Ahmed Al-Rajhi, and followed up by all segments of society and those interested in family and social affairs. She explained that the forum’s sessions addressed many important topics by local and international experts, noting that work is currently underway to formulate many of the outcomes and recommendations that the Council monitored to be the basic building block for proactive plans, in cooperation with many relevant authorities, to enable the family to deal with crises, whether in terms of planning, adaptation, exploiting opportunities and overcoming challenges, a culture that we seek to promote with our partners from all sectors.
Dr. Al-Tuwaijri thanked the Family Affairs Council team for its outstanding efforts, as well as all the experts and specialists who presented rich papers in all themes of the forum, as well as interested media professionals and writers who added media momentum to the topic of the forum and its importance.
