The General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) in Sharjah held its first meeting of the year recently, to discuss strategies to achieve the Council’s objectives to provide a stable and safe environment for families, and empower them to carry out their responsibilities and roles in the community.

The newly-appointed Secretary-General of SCFA, Her Excellency Khawla Al Mulla, pointed out that the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of SCFA, were focused on strengthening the role and stability of the family, calling on relevant institutions and departments to formulate a comprehensive and integrated workflow system based on best practices to qualitatively expand the services offered to families.

The heads of entities and departments operating under SCFA’s umbrella who participated in the meeting led by the Secretary-General, included Mody bint Mohammed Al Shamsi, Director of the Department of Family Development Centres; Salha Ghabish, General Director of the Media and Cultural Office;  Iman Rashid Saif, Director of the Health Promotion Department, Khawla Al Serkal, Director-General of Sharjah Ladies Club; and Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei, Director of the Child Safety Department, each showcasing their organisations’ achievements over the past year, and future plans.

At the meeting, Al Mulla highlighted the roles and responsibilities of the SCFA, and its goals and objectives, which include unifying the efforts of the entities and departments operating under its umbrella, as well as setting agendas on public policies, installing cooperation mechanisms, and formulating institutional rules and regulations. The Secretary-General also defined the vision that SCFA’s departments and entities should implement to raise a new generation of leaders and a stable family unit capable of continuing the emirate’s development.

Al Mulla affirmed during the meeting that instead of launching a large number of initiatives and activities, SCFA would concentrate on quality initiatives that positively impact the emirate’s development journey, based on vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

Earlier, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi issued an administrative order appointing HE Khawla Al Mulla as secretary-general of the SCFA with the rank of a head of a department. Al Mulla has served as Chairperson of the Ninth Legislative Term of the Sharjah Consultative Council and has varied experience in family development. She also served as Executive Director of Family Development Centres, and a past member of both the Board of Directors of the Marriage Fund and the Women’s Committee of the Sharjah Charity International.