TRENDS Observatory Convenes First Annual Summit on Family in the Modern Age

As societies navigate rapid transformation, a landmark conference brings together policymakers, researchers and community voices to examine how families are evolving and what support systems they need.

The architecture of family life has shifted beneath our feet. Marriage patterns have altered, fertility has changed, the balance between work and caregiving has tilted in new directions, and digital life has woven itself into the bonds between generations. These are not abstract sociological observations; they touch every household, every relationship, every decision about how we live together. TRENDS Observatory, the research entity within TRENDS Group, is convening its first annual conference to make sense of these transformations and to ask the deeper question: are our policies, our data systems and our understanding of family keeping pace with the reality of how people actually live.

The conference, titled “The Family at the Heart of Social Transformations”, opens tomorrow at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, drawing together policymakers, researchers, data specialists, implementing organisations and community representatives. The gathering will be inaugurated by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, alongside Abdullah bin Sultan Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice; Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State; and Dr. Omar Habtoor Al Darei, Chairman of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat. Each will deliver keynote remarks, joined by other senior officials and representatives from family affairs and community development entities.

Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, Chairman of TRENDS Group, has identified the central challenge: families today face questions about mental health and relationship quality that earlier generations did not frame in the same way. The digital transformation has reshaped how family members communicate and how knowledge passes between generations. These are not peripheral concerns but central to understanding social stability and wellbeing. As TRENDS Observatory examined these developments, it became clear that research gaps existed, that data systems had not kept pace, and that the conversation needed to bring together the full ecosystem of knowledge makers and decision makers.

Four panel discussions will anchor the conference. “Family Formation and Changing Family Structures” will examine how households are being organised in new ways. “Work, Care, and Family Balance” will address the tension many experience between professional demands and caregiving responsibilities. “Mental Health and Family Cohesion” will explore psychological wellbeing within family systems. And “Family and Education: Adapting to Social Transformation” will look at how educational systems must evolve alongside family change.

An accompanying exhibition will showcase the research capabilities and knowledge products of TRENDS Group’s five companies, ranging from consultancy and training services to surveys, specialised publications, foresight research and the latest measurement tools. Interactive youth workshops will run alongside, bringing younger voices into the conversation. The conference has drawn partnership support from United Arab Emirates University, the University of Sharjah, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, the Federal Youth Authority, Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, and the Department of Community Development Abu Dhabi. As we reported earlier, TRENDS has become known for convening thought leaders around complex social questions, and this gathering continues that tradition by creating space where research evidence can inform policy and where the lived experience of families can shape how we think about these issues.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

This conference reflects a sophisticated understanding that societies cannot respond well to change without understanding it first. By bringing together researchers, policymakers and community voices, Abu Dhabi is ensuring that the decisions shaping family support, social services and community development are grounded in evidence and informed by real experience. The focus on research gaps and data integration suggests a commitment to building knowledge systems that serve the actual needs of families as they live today.

The emphasis on youth engagement, through interactive workshops and the inclusion of younger voices in discussions, recognises that family transformation is not something happening to young people but something they are actively shaping. By creating space for that voice at a senior policy level, the conference acknowledges that understanding the future of family means listening to those who will live it.

Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM)

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