DOHA: Achieving gender equality and women empowerment are the main challenges facing Qatar that are to be discussed at the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Forum that will begin at the Four Seasons hotel tomorrow.
The forum is organised jointly by the Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) and the Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the patronage of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
Dr Hassan Al Mohannadi, director of the Diplomatic Institute said that, although Qatar has achieved most of the MDGs ahead of the 2015 schedule, empowerment of women is one area that needs further attention.
“The country could eliminate poverty and starvation and make primary education accessible to all children. We could also combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases and ensure environmental sustainability. There are some objectives that have not yet attained the way we want to be, such as the one related to gender equality and women empowerment. The country could get rid of gender discrepancy in education and job opportunities. However, women’s contribution to the social life is still a challenge since it is still low compared to men,” said Al Mohannadi, in a statement issued yesterday.
The Statistics Authority and Diplomatic Institute jointly issued a report on the Millennium Development Goals of Qatar last year. Qatar has also achieved most of its goals related to the provision of potable water, suitable sanitation and housing except those related to CO2 emissions and the other greenhouse gases due to the fast pace of urbanisation and the construction boom.
“The country is exerting considerable efforts to confront these challenges; it has established environment related projects and programmes in the National Development Strategy 2011-2016,” he added.
Dr Jamal Abdullah Al Yafi’i, the Family Policies Expert at the Supreme Council of Family Affairs, said: “ Regarding the third MDG related to promotion of gender equality and empowerment, and its third objective related to the removal of differences between males and females at primary education, high school and other educational levels, we see that there is an increase in the number of female students to the point that the gap between the number of males and females at primary and high school has sharply dwindled. With regard to university education, the percentage of females increased significantly over males during the recent years to reach a girl per 111 boys”.
As for the contribution of women in the Qatari workforce, and their share of the agricultural sector employment as well as the number of seats occupied by them in the national assemblies, this percentage increased in comparison with the previous years. For the goal of reducing child mortality rate, data showed that this goal would be achieved ahead of schedule based on the previous achievements in this field.
Dr Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) said that Qatar has achieved most of the related goals in the health sector.
Child mortality rate in Qatar has become close to that of the developed countries. Infant mortality in Qatar in 1990 was 17 children per 1,000 newborns which fell to nine children per 1,000 newborns in 2010, whereas baby mortality rate decreased from 8.2 per 1,000 newborn in 2005 to 7.4 per 1,000 children in 2011. Immunisation of children against measles has reached 100 percent in Qatar, according to the latest indicators, said Mohammed Al Thani.
Maternal mortality rate in Qatar is considered one of the lowest in the world. Over the past five years, it has not exceeded 16 cases per 100 newborns. There was not a single case in some years. Although the Qatari society does not seek to reduce birth rates, fertility among the Qatari women declined over the nine years from1990 to 2009.
HIV/AIDS cases are rare in Qatar due to the conservative nature of the Qatari society and the strict procedures for comprehensive health check ups for expatriates.
Treatment for AIDS is available for anyone needing it, while incidence of malaria and tuberculosis remain meagre and does not constitute any of the first 20 reasons for death in Qatar.
“Making available the principal services to ensure an appropriate reproductive health has become one of the Millennium Development Goals. That way Qatar, through several health services, seeks to make available a care system for women before and after child birth and to provide the material conditions that help family planning,” said Mohammed Al Thani. On the use of birth control techniques for family planning he said: “They are still modest in the Qatari society, as was shown in the family health survey conducted in 1998. We have to point out that countries like Qatar where the nationals constitute a minority, encourages reproduction. So, family planning seeks to maintain the health of women and infants. The future phases require further efforts to facilitate the different means for family planning and to raise awareness of that planning and its importance by 2015.”
Abdullah Al Sadah, Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Member of the Secretariat of Qatar Commission for the Alliance of Civilizations said a paper of the Commission of the Alliance of Civilizations, which will be presented at the forum, will tackle the relation between the Millennium Development Goals and the Alliance of Civilizations initiative.
The Alliance of Civilizations initiative covers the aspects of education, migration, media and youth, and the paper will explain the way to achieve the joint goals between the two sides.
The Peninsula
