Family Affairs Council

The Family Affairs Council is a governmental entity that caters to the family in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by strengthening its position, activating its role in society, and supervising the implementation of family-related laws by public and private entities. Moreover, the Family Affairs Council is the official entity that represents women, families, children, and the elderly within international bodies and organizations. It was established by a resolution of the Council of Ministers on July 25, 2016. It is organizationally linked to the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and enjoys financial and administrative independence in accordance with the resolution issued by the Council of Ministers on March 15, 2022.

The Family Affairs Council seeks to achieve several tasks, most notably: reinforcing and advancing the family's standing in society, fostering a cohesive family unit that takes care of its children and upholds religious and moral values and ideals. Additionally, the council is responsible for formulating a family strategy in collaboration with relevant entities, submitting it to complete regulatory procedures, and following up on its implementation and evaluation on a periodic basis. The council also unifies all private and government sector efforts related to family issues, establishes a database addressing Saudi family issues, cooperates with regional and international bodies and organizations in the field of family affairs, and participates in conferences and seminars on family issues through the relevant committees. Furthermore, the council monitors recommendations and agreements ratified by the Kingdom in international organizations, and offers insights and recommendations regarding them. Moreover, the council identifies the problems and risks to which the family is exposed, and devises suitable solutions. It proposes regulations and awareness programs, and develops and improves the level of services that contribute to the social and economic stability of the family according to established procedures.

The Family Affairs Council is active at both the local and global scenes. First, at the global level, the council represents the Kingdom in all regional and international organizations concerned with the affairs of the family, women, children, and the elderly. It is also concerned with legislation, regulation, and governance. Second, the council is active at the local level through a set of goals that enhance the role of the family in society and preserve its rights. It develops the services provided to its members and strengthens its role in the sustainable development process within three strategic tracks:

- The awareness track, which identifies family-related issues, explores ways to address them, clarifies the services provided and their fields, and promotes the internal and societal values of family.

- The information and research track, which develops a database acting as the main source of family information, and provides research and studies related to family affairs for all entities.

- The empowerment track, which requires all authorities to carry out their duty towards families in the Kingdom, and supports specialized individuals operating in the areas of family affairs.

The National Family Strategy lies in recognizing the family as the core of the social ecosystem within the Kingdom. The Kingdom is dedicated to enhancing familial bonds, safeguarding its values, and providing conducive conditions for developing its capabilities and efficiency.

The strategy was developed to cater to all family members through measurable goals and operational initiatives, along with strategies targeting women, children, and the elderly.

The situation of families in the Kingdom was examined in light of the development it is witnessing, and the impact that trends and changes have on their role, composition, and safety. The study was based on a number of procedures that included analyzing Saudi Vision 2030 programs and strategies, as well as seventeen sustainable development goals and their commitments. It engaged more than twenty entities concerned with family affairs, reviewed laws and regulations, and conducted benchmark comparisons for countries and international organizations.

Five goals were identified for the National Family Strategic features. They involve protecting the family at home, in its surroundings, and in the cyber world; promoting family members' care in an environment that respects the role of each and meets their needs; achieving family stability and prosperity by enabling families to plan, make decisions, and leverage progress and success; instilling family responsibility in society to contribute effectively to development; and promoting national identity, as well as family values and ties in society.

The Family Affairs Council consists of four committees:

- Childhood Committee: The Childhood Committee has been established to cater to children of both genders from birth to age eighteen, regardless of their health, or social or financial status. It seeks to achieve several tasks, such as: raising the level of community awareness on children’s rights; protecting children from all forms of violence, abuse, and harm; ensuring the safety of children in their surroundings and on the Internet; activating the role of civil society institutions in child development; supporting research and studies related to children; leveraging global experiences to find suitable services for children; monitoring the needs of children in society according to social variables; preparing reports on the Kingdom’s children-related efforts; studying the laws and legislation associated to children; and ensuring that government and private entities are fulfilling their roles towards children.

- The Seniors Committee: The Senior Committee seeks to meet the needs of seniors and targets individuals above sixty years of age from both genders. It consists of specialists and those concerned with the elderly. The Seniors Committee aims to provide a decent and safe life, and meet the needs and requirements of the seniors. It undertakes several tasks, including: following up on the implementation of laws and legislation related to the elderly; activating participation in international events related to the seniors; highlighting the Kingdom’s efforts locally and internationally in catering for the elderly; activating and encouraging volunteer work; and monitoring the needs of the elderly according to social variables.

- The Women Committee: The committee was established to enhance the status of women and empower them socially, economically, and cognitively to ensure the sustainability of family stability. The committee targets women aged eighteen to fifty-nine and seeks to achieve several tasks, most notably: supporting balance and equal opportunities between both genders; spreading awareness on women's rights; activating women's development role; adopting initiatives and projects that support women’s empowerment; representing Saudi women in international and regional forums; building a think tank specialized in women’s affairs; monitoring and following up on the situation of Saudi women to prepare periodic reports; studying the laws and legislation related to women; and ensuring that private and government entities are fulfilling their roles towards women.

- The Regions Affairs Committee: Established in 2018, it is concerned with determining the challenges facing families in the regions and strengthening the developmental role of the family. The Regions Affairs Committee refers to the Secretariat of the Family Affairs Council to align plans and strategies concerned with family affairs. It provides appropriate proposals and solutions, and presents them to regional councils for discussion with the relevant entities, as they share common tasks. The Regions Affairs Committee's various tasks include: identifying the problems and obstacles facing families in all regions of the Kingdom; determining development needs; providing studies and proposals at the regional level; implementing community awareness programs at the regional level to highlight the importance of family issues and ways to address them; preparing a periodic report presenting the results; and activating community partnership with the private sector and charities to serve family affairs in the Kingdom.

The Family Affairs Council's work is based on participatory performance. Its organization has two characteristics: independence and integration. It is a separate entity from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. It is linked to the Ministry through the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development who chairs the council. Integration is an added value that the council seeks to achieve while working with government entities, the private sector, and the tertiary sector. Moreover, the council is characterized by high-level ministerial representation. The council's organization stipulates that representatives of government agencies must be of no less than the (fifteenth) rank or its equivalent to allow the council to implement initiatives, legislation, and recommendations among various government entities. The council is also associated with research centers, such as the Social Research Center, the National Labor Observatory, and the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue, which contributes to research and monitoring of all topics in order to come up with recommendations that suit the reality of Saudi families.

The Family Affairs Council is chaired by the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development. Moreover, the council has a secretariat headed by the Secretary-General. The council is represented by members from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance, and the Human Rights Commission. The council also includes four male and female specialists among its members, including two childhood affairs male specialists, as well as two women's affairs female specialists.