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Sec-Gen of Saudi Family Affairs Council: Similar Cases Globally, Different Solutions

Dr. Hala bint Mazyad Al-Twaijri, the Secretary General of Family Affairs Council, speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat. (Photo: Ali Al-Zaheri)
Dr. Hala bint Mazyad Al-Twaijri, the Secretary General of Family Affairs Council, speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat. (Photo: Ali Al-Zaheri)
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Sec-Gen of Saudi Family Affairs Council: Similar Cases Globally, Different Solutions

Dr. Hala bint Mazyad Al-Twaijri, the Secretary General of Family Affairs Council, speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat. (Photo: Ali Al-Zaheri)
Dr. Hala bint Mazyad Al-Twaijri, the Secretary General of Family Affairs Council, speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat. (Photo: Ali Al-Zaheri)

Saudi Arabia's Secretary-General of Family Affairs Council, Dr. Hala bint Mazyad Al-Twaijri, said that women concerns in Saudi Arabia are treated comprehensively, based on a system that is considered the best in international practices.

“In order to establish policies pertaining to women, we must first ensure that they enjoy their full rights,” she noted

Saudi Arabia’s Family Affairs Council was established on July 25, 2016, as an independent and official entity for the management of family issues.

The Council seeks to unite the efforts of all government sectors on children, women and the elderly. Twelve ministries are fully represented within the entity.

Al-Twaijri told Asharq Al-Awsat that when the coronavirus pandemic emerged, families were faced with further problems, especially as the virus threatened the elderly precisely.

“Older people are the most affected by the virus, so it was necessary to focus on them. The council conducted a survey to identify the most important challenges that this age group faced during the pandemic,” she noted.

The Council carried out a campaign on social media, in cooperation with various bodies, such as the Ministry of Health, to raise awareness on the means to protect this age group and alleviate their anxiety.

On a different note, Al-Twaijri emphasized the benefits of the participation of the Saudi Family Affairs Council in international organizations. She valued the Cabinet’s decision to approve the representation of Saudi Arabia in the Council of the Women’s Development Organization in the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“Balance is an important factor that is always present in the strategies of international organizations concerned with women’s affairs. It’s the balance between the women’s public and family life. In order to achieve this equilibrium, it is necessary to address the family situation of women, which in turn guarantees the access to all of their rights,” she explained.

In this regard, she emphasized that Saudi Arabia deals women issues in a comprehensive manner, based on the best international practices.

She continued: “Countries of the world have similar family challenges, no matter the differences between us. Thus, amending existing laws or proposing new policies to promote social responsibility will reflect on the Saudi society and then on the world.”

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Varieties

Why Does Trump Want to End US Daylight Saving Time?

Members of the public on a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2025. (EPA)
Members of the public on a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2025. (EPA)
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Why Does Trump Want to End US Daylight Saving Time?

Members of the public on a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2025. (EPA)
Members of the public on a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2025. (EPA)

Daylight saving time, a practice affecting almost 400 million people across North America, is once again in the spotlight as debates over its necessity continue. This twice-a-year ritual of adjusting clocks forward in spring and back in autumn has been ingrained in American, Canadian and Cuban life for more than a century. However, US President-elect Donald Trump has pushed for an end to daylight saving time, which he has called inconvenient and costly.

WHAT DID TRUMP SAY ABOUT DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME?

Trump said his Republican Party would work to end daylight saving time after he takes office on Jan. 20.

"The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't!" Trump wrote on social media. "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation."

Trump's billionaire allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom he picked to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, have endorsed Trump's plan.

In 2022, the US Senate passed a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act that would make daylight saving time permanent. It stalled in the House of Representatives because lawmakers could not agree on whether to keep standard time or permanent daylight saving time.

Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, could revive the bill or introduce a new one.

WHEN DO THE CLOCKS CHANGE?

Any changes that Trump and the Republicans may enact probably would not take effect immediately.

Daylight saving time in the United States and some other countries is due to start on March 9 at 2 a.m. local time, meaning people will lose an hour of sleep. Mornings will be darker but it will stay light until later in the evening. Daylight saving time is scheduled to end on Nov. 2. The saying "spring forward, fall back" serves as a helpful reminder for adjusting clocks.

Daylight saving time in the United States always starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

In the UK and other European countries, daylight saving time, also known as summer time, begins on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October. This year it will start on March 30 and end on Oct. 26.

WHEN IS THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR IN 2025?

The shortest day of 2025 will be on Dec. 21, which marks the winter solstice. Daylight hours vary significantly across latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Areas near the North Pole will be plunged into complete darkness while southern regions will still get more than 10 hours of sunshine.

WHY WAS DAYLIGHT SAVING CREATED IN THE US AND HOW DID IT START?

The modern idea of changing the clocks with the seasons can be traced back to at least the late 19th century, when New Zealand entomologist George Hudson proposed it to conserve energy and extend summer daylight hours, something that would have benefited his hobby of collecting insects after work. The idea was slow to gain traction until World War One, when European states sought any strategies to conserve fuel. Germany was the first country to adopt daylight saving time in 1916. The United States followed in 1918.

The practice went through many variations before the United States standardized it in 1966 in a law called the Uniform Time Act, which allows states to opt out of it but not to stay on daylight saving time permanently.

WHY IS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME CONTROVERSIAL?

A common myth is that the United States adopted daylight saving time to benefit farmers, but in reality many farmers are opposed to the practice for being disruptive to their schedules.

The original motivation to conserve fuel is also under debate, as studies have found little, if any, energy savings from the shift, according to the US Congressional Research Service.

Opponents point to other studies that have found adverse health effects linked to daylight saving time, such as a spike in fatal traffic accidents, heart attacks, strokes and sleep deprivation in the days after clocks are moved forward an hour every March.

A March 2023 YouGov poll found that 62% of Americans want to end the practice of changing clocks, though only 50% prefer to keep permanent daylight saving time.

DO ALL US STATES OBSERVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME?

No. Hawaii and Arizona, with the exception of its Navajo Nation region, do not observe daylight saving time. The US territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands also observe permanent standard time.

While daylight saving time is widespread across the United States, 19 states have passed legislation to permanently use daylight saving time if Congress were to allow it, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.