Abu Dhabi conference advocates family stability and policies for changing needs

Abu Dhabi: The first annual conference of the TRENDS Observatory has called for stronger family stability and for policies that help people start families and meet their changing needs.

The conference, held on Thursday in Abu Dhabi under the theme “The Family in the Era of Social Transformation”, was inaugurated by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence.

Flexible workplaces and mental health support

Participants also urged a better balance between work and family life, and workplaces flexible enough to accommodate family responsibilities.

They called for more mental health, prevention and early intervention programmes, along with psychological and social support for families.

More than 25 academics, researchers, experts and officials from bodies working with family affairs and community development took part in the sessions.

Digital age and national identity

The participants stressed the importance of strengthening national identity and encouraging dialogue between generations as society goes digital.

They also highlighted the need for closer partnerships between families and schools and universities to support the upbringing of future generations.

They called for wider use of research and data to shape evidence-based family policies and to measure how well they work. Strengthening family stability, they said, requires joint efforts in research, institutions and the community, and investing in it is an investment in the future of society.

New research agreement

On the sidelines of the accompanying exhibition, TRENDS Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the Fatima Bint Mubarak Center for Motherhood and Childhood Research at United Arab Emirates University.

The agreement aims to strengthen research cooperation, especially applied research on motherhood and childhood.

The partners will combine TRENDS’ policy research with the centre’s expertise to study issues such as maternal and child health, family upbringing and psychological well-being, and to provide recommendations for policymakers.

Senior officials, policymakers, researchers, academics, experts and community representatives took part in three panel discussions: Work, Care and Family Balance; Mental Health and Family Cohesion; and Family and Education: Adapting to Social Transformation.