Tunisia meeting discusses regional preparation for Doha summit

Tunis: Minister of Social Development and Family H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi participated in the high-level Arab regional meeting in Tunisia to prepare for the Second World Summit for Social Development, which Doha will host from November 4 to 6.

She said that the convening of the summit comes at a critical juncture in which the world faces serious and fateful challenges, including conflicts, crises, rising inequalities, poverty, and unemployment.

These challenges place additional burdens on the ability of countries, including those in the Arab region, to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

She noted that the success of the summit requires comprehensive, inclusive, and effective preparations, emphasising that the effective support and active participation of Arab countries in the various stages of the preparatory process and related negotiations will have a significant impact in ensuring that the final document is consistent with the regional context and reflects the priorities and core issues of concern to the Arab region.

The Minster also held a number of bilateral meetings with Their Excellencies the Ministers on the sidelines of the meeting, where they discussed prospects for enhancing areas of joint cooperation and coordinating efforts to develop social development policies and programmes that contribute to supporting social stability and achieving sustainable development in the region.
Several national initiatives and experiences in the areas of social protection and empowering the most vulnerable groups were also reviewed during these meetings.

In addition, ways to strengthen regional and international partnerships to address current challenges and support efforts aimed at achieving comprehensive development were also discussed.

At the conclusion of the meetings, the Minister affirmed Qatar’s commitment to continuing cooperation and coordination with various parties to ensure the success of the Second World Summit for Social Development and to unify joint efforts to contribute to establishing the foundations for fair and sustainable social development that fulfils the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of the region.