The Doha International Family
Institute (DIFI)
Research to advance
Family Polices in the Arab World
World Family Summit, 2015
Purpose
Share DIFI’s views on the importance of research for
creating knowledge that could inform the development of
family policies
Update on DIFI’s key initiatives designed to specifically
promote research that could eventually, advance family
policies in the Arab world.
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DIFI Story
HH Sheikha Moza bint
Nasser
Chairperson of Qatar
Foundation
The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI)
was established in 2006 by HH Sheikha Moza
bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation
for Education, Science and Community
Development as an “institute for the study of
the family”, mandated to promote the aims of
the Doha Declaration of the Family, the
outcome of the International Conference
hosted by Qatar in 2004 to commemorate the
tenth anniversary of the International Year of
the Family.
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DIIFSD
• From 2006 to 2012, DIFI was known as the Doha International
Institute for Family Studies and Development (DIIFSD)
• its work, up to that point in time, was centered on supporting
research on the Global Family by providing grants to conduct
research and organize research conferences around the globe and
establishing and supporting research networks on family issues in
different parts of the world
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Promoting Family Policy
DIFI also promoted family policies at all levels by collaborating with
different UN programs in holding several expert group meetings and
seminars designed to inform the work of the UN Economic and
Social Council on family and social issues, including,
All these events have been noted in reports of the UN Secretary
General on the family and other topics.
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Main findings
There are many players in the arena of family research and policy at the
global level, but very few in the Arab region, focused on research on Arab
families
and
consistently
providing
credible,
evidence
based
information on family issues,
The voice of an organization from the Arab world itself supplying
information on the Arab families was notably missing in international
discussions!
The family has not been an essential component in designing development
policies and that the individual, not the family as a unit, remains the focus
of development strategies.
Not enough attention to family policies in the Arab world!
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From DIIFSD to DIFI
These findings convinced DIFI to adopt a new strategic direction in 2013,
focusing its activities on fostering knowledge on the Arab family through
research aiming to advance family polices. DIFI promotes, supports and
conducts research on the Arab families in order to be the voice of Arab
families at the International level.
While our research agenda is motivated by trends in the regional and
international landscapes, the type of research that will be funded or
conducted by DIFI will aim at informing new family policies, by assessing
the state of the family, and evaluating existing family policies and their
impact on the family
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1. State of the Art book
on Arab families
Despite the central importance of the family in Arab societies, research
on the family is surprisingly, underdeveloped in this region.
A special grant for 261.000 USD in 2013 to Dr. Suad Joseph, a
distinguished professor of Anthropology, Women and Gender Studies at
the University of California and the founder of the Arab Families
Working Group to carry out a systematic review of the literature on
the Arab family and produce an edited book on the subject. 26
scholars are cooperating on this three – year project that is expected to
be published next year.
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2. OSRA Research Grant
OSRA means Family in Arabic
OSRA, which means family in Arabic, is a jointly funded research grant
between DIFI and Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) launched last
March.
OSRA is a unique grant because it focuses solely on research on Arab
families and family policy related issues.
OSRA aims to support innovative and high quality research initiatives that
advance knowledge on Arab families and provide policy makers with
evidence based research and analysis that supports the design and
implementation of new or more effective family policies and programs.
OSRA constitutes a grant of up to one-year and up to US$ 50,000 with
the possibility of up to a six month, no-cost extension, if justified.
It is open to researchers from all Arab countries.
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Research Topics
1. Marriage in the Arab world
Grant objectives: generating knowledge on the health and stability of
marriage in the Arab world by analyzing societal, cultural and other factors
that shape contemporary marriages. It also aims at identifying strategies,
policies and programs that could increase marital quality and well - being.
1. Parenting in the Arab World
Grant objectives: supporting research that provides insight into parenting
styles in Arab families and endeavors to understand the dynamics of the
parent/child relationship, highlighting the development of evidence-based
parenting policies and programs that support the raising of children in
contemporary Arab societies.
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Research Topics
3. Family - work balance in the Arab world
Grant objectives: investigating the status of family- work balance in the
Arab world by assessing the effectiveness and extent of existing national
policies for supporting working parents and individuals to care for their
children and /or elderly family members; the impact of these policies, or the
lack of polices, on the advancement of women and gender equality in Arab
families and societies.
Ultimately, this research should seek to present evidence and
recommendations for the development of national family policies for
the reconciliation of family life and work.
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Research Topics
4. Family laws and practices in the Arab world
Grant objectives: reviewing the impact of existing family laws and
practices and assessing if they meet the needs of contemporary societies
including, strengthening family stability and promoting gender equality.
Research should also evaluate the constraints and practices of family courts
in Arab countries.
Ultimately, the research should provide evidence for the reform of
family laws and practices.
Winners of the first cycle awards will be announced in March 2016.
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Annual Conference
This initiative has been designed to respond to the lack of regional or
international conference that is held on an annual basis that focuses on
fostering knowledge about Arab families through research.
International Conference on Family Research and Policy will be held
annually.
The annual conference seeks to achieve a number of objectives, including:
Increasing the knowledge base on the Arab family,
Influencing the regional research agenda,
Highlighting new trends and innovations in international family research
to inform research in the region, and
Building family research networks.
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Second Annual Conference
Date and venue: October 17-18, 2016 in Doha, Qatar.
The theme of this conference is (Wars, Conflicts and their Impact on
Arab Families ).
Call for Abstracts for second conference is open until January 15th.
To reach out to researchers in all Arab countries, especially young
researchers, DIFI will sponsor the participation of the authors of the
accepted abstracts.
DIFI is committed to making this conference the platform of choice for all
professionals in the social and human sciences, policy makers and
practitioners who are interested in understanding and promoting the well
being of Arab families, everywhere.
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Thank you
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