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| HESheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani with Prince Hassan and otherdignitaries at the Arab Women and Future Outlook Conference in Ammanyesterday |
Tuesday, 6 November, 2007
HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani with Prince Hassan and other dignitaries at the Arab Women and Future Outlook Conference in Amman yesterdayAMMAN: Qatar believes that political peace and security would not be achieved without durable reform to build democracy on the basis of responsible popular participation, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani said here yesterday. Speaking at the opening session of a conference on Arab women and their future, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim stressed that women's issues needed to be addressed seriously, not just for the sake of claims of moderation.
Such issues constituted one of the foundation stones of comprehensive development in any society, he said. The Arab human development report for 2005 which would be discussed at the conference testified to that, he said, adding that the Qatari experiment would be in focus.
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said Qatar had given great attention to formulating a national strategy to cater for women and their development that guaranteed equal participation with men in political, social and economic fields.
He also noted that the state's Constitution guaranteed equality of all citizens in rights and duties without discrimination because of gender, origin, language or religion.
The prime minister and foreign minister stressed that according to the Constitution, Qatari women enjoyed the right to vote and stand for election.
Qatari women now held ministerial and international posts, in addition to many leading positions in various fields, he emphasised.
One of the aspects of promotion of women's rights was providing equal opportunities for them in all stages of education, including offering them scholarships, he said.
Women in Qatar had also joined the public and private sectors and become involved in civic groupings, he said, stressing that this development had changed women's position in the family.
"But we understand that practising such an important role at a time when there were no services that could help women playing it would have negative repercussions on the family and this made it incumbent on us to give special concern to social development so that balanced social development could be achieved," he said.
The prime minister and foreign minister said the family law issued in 2006 included rights that gave women and their role in the family the consideration they deserved in line with Shariah.
The Arab Women and Future Outlook Conference is organised by the Arab Thought Forum, which is chaired by the Jordan's Prince Hassan.
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani returned to Doha last night.
He was seen off earlier at Amman airport by Qatar's Ambassador to Jordan Mana Abdul Hadi al-Hajiri and embassy staff. - QNA
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