The Minister of Social Development heads the ministry’s delegation participating in the eighth meeting of the Committee of Ministers of Social Affairs in the Arab Gulf States

26-09-2022

His Excellency Mr. Osama bin Ahmed Khalaf Al-Asfour, Minister of Social Development, headed the ministry's delegation participating in the work of the eighth meeting of the Committee of Ministers of Social Affairs of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which was held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on September 26th. During the meeting, the committee reviewed the final statement and the Riyadh Declaration of the 42nd session of the Supreme Council, which deals with the importance of the special strategic partnership between the Cooperation Council, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the keenness to implement the joint action plan. available. Their Excellencies the ministers reviewed a number of items on the adoption of September 14 of each year as the Gulf Family Day, and the proposal of the General Secretariat on activating joint Gulf action for Gulf women, which will highlight the efforts and achievements made by these GCC countries in the field of women's empowerment at the economic and social levels. During the opening ceremony of the meeting, Dr. Sheikha Salem Al-Areedh was honored in the category of pioneering personalities in the field of social work, and the Al-Mabarrah Al-Khaleejia Foundation (Rayat Program) for voluntary private sector projects, as well as honoring Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo Company (Mubarak Kanoo Comprehensive Social Center) in the category of private commercial sector institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain, due to the importance of institutions and their contributions to community partnership that benefit citizens. At the conclusion of the meeting, a number of decisions were issued, most notably the approval of the final statement and the Riyadh Declaration, which stipulated the importance of joint cooperation between the Gulf states and both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The Committee of Ministers of Social Affairs also directed the activation of joint Gulf action in the field of Gulf women, and the formation of a permanent committee at the level of the GCC countries concerned with this issue working under the umbrella of the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council, in addition to approving the allocation of September 14 of each year to celebrate a day for the Gulf family, and the adoption of the general framework and action plan for celebrating this day in all GCC countries, in addition to approving a mechanism Nominating representatives of member states in international organizations and agreements concerned with social affairs, ensuring their integration and identifying their members. It is noteworthy that the Committee of Ministers of Social Affairs and Development of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf was formed under the umbrella of the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council pursuant to the decision issued by the Ministerial Council at its 127th session (Jeddah, June 2013), in light of the implementation of the principles of the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, may God protect him and protect him, regarding strengthening joint Gulf action and activating the role of ministerial committees at the level of the GCC countries. The committee is responsible for following up the implementation of the decisions of the Supreme Council in the field of social development and achieving well-being for the citizens of the GCC countries, in addition to working to issue legislation and legal tools in the social field.