Family Affairs Information System Launched

(Jordan Times, Hana Namrouqa - Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania, president of the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), on Monday took part in the launch of the national information system for family affairs and two guidebooks on local family-related regulations and research. 
 
The NCFA, in cooperation with several government agencies and civil society institutions concerned with family issues, prepared the national information system for family affairs, a guidebook on family regulations and another on family studies and research.
 
The three projects seek to provide lawmakers, sociologists and researchers in the field of family-related issues with a solid and accurate background on the situation of families in the Kingdom.
 
NCFA Secretary General Haifa Abu Ghazaleh briefed Queen Rania on the importance of the three projects, noting that they will save time and effort searching for family-related data.
 
In her address at yesterday’s launch, Abu Ghazaleh commended Queen Rania’s support for efforts and initiatives seeking to improve the living standards of the Jordanian family.
 
“Local, regional and international concern with the family greatly contributed to shedding light on family issues, which helped make these issues part of international efforts, whether in economic development, or social, cultural and political fields,” Abu Ghazaleh said.
 
The national information system, which is the first of its kind in the Arab region, is considered a gateway for researchers, specialists and decision-makers, who will benefit from accurate data concerning families in the country, she added.
 
The system includes international conventions, statistical indicators, and related reports and lists the names of specialists in the field of family issues, according to Abu Ghazaleh.
 
Ministry of Social Development Communications and Social Awareness Director Fawaz Ratrout said the information system will also help identify qualified human resources in family-related fields whose experiences can benefit the ministry and other institutions in their work.
 
“The information system is also beneficial as the statistics it provides will form an early alarm system on the family situation in the country, evaluating and revealing potential future problems,” Ratrout told The Jordan Times yesterday. 
 
Commenting on the new system, Ratrout said it is a national development achievement which is expected to receive up-to-date information from concerned authorities.
 
The NCFA, in cooperation with its stakeholders, also prepared a guidebook on family-related regulations, which forms a reference for researchers and lawmakers on family issues.
 
“The guidebook seeks to provide judges, lawyers and researchers with all the laws, systems and regulations related to family affairs; it will be updated to include international agreements and family-related decisions,” Ratrout said.
 
The council also launched a guidebook on studies and research related to family issues, with the aim of providing lawmakers and sociologists with an outline of selected studies carried out between 2000-2005.
 
The research and studies were categorised in the following sectors: Economy, education, protection and welfare, culture, health and other family-related issues.
 
Building on the quality and quantity of collected family studies, the council will guide researchers to carry out studies of national priority by identifying issues that need to be discussed and studied.
 
At the end of the ceremony, Abu Ghazaleh presented Queen Rania with copies of the guidebooks on family-related regulations and research.
 
Established in 2001, the NCFA is a civil society organisation that supports, coordinates and facilitates the work of its partners and relevant institutions that areinvolved and influential in the field of family affairs, according to its website.
 
The council seeks to contribute to a better quality of life for Jordanian families through a national vision that supports the country’s development policies and enables the family to attain optimal aspirations.