Twenty teams from 8 universities participated in QatarDebate’s 3rd Qatar Universities Debate League (QUDL) in English, hosted by Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Services in Qatar (SFS-Q).
The participants debated around the following three motions during the tournament:
1. This House Believes That (THBT) Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter have the right to curate the news stories that trend on their platforms.
2. THBT Democracies should limit donations to the election campaigns, of parties or of candidates, to single small donations from individual persons.
3. This House supports strong government intervention to prevent gentrification.
The debate teams were from the following universities: Academic Bridge Program, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, College of North Atlantic Qatar, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Northwestern University Qatar, Qatar University, Texas A&M University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.

Public Debate
The top four teams from the 3rd Qatar Universities Debate League then participated in a public debate that was arranged by QatarDebate in collaboration with the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW). The public debate followed directly after the conclusion of the QUDL.
The public debate was part of a broader ongoing effort on the part of NCPW aimed at raising public awareness about the threat of weapons of mass destruction. As the national debate organisation of Qatar, QatarDebate facilitated the debate as part of its aim to create opportunities for debate and discussion about topics of national, regional, and global importance.
The event was an opportunity to showcase the talents and skills of debaters taking on a topic of national interest and relevance.
Brigadier (Air Force) Hassan Saleh al-Nesf, NCPW Deputy Chairman, stated that the State of Qatar, being aware of the gravity of these lethal weapons, has accelerated its accession to the conventions on the prohibition and disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, as well as internationally banned weapons, making Qatar one of the first countries supporting international efforts towards achieving the universality of these conventions and maintaining international peace and security.
He noted that the public debate being organised between the top four teams aimed to highlight the debaters’ skills on such topic of national, regional and international concern. The theme is welcomed by all the students and community of Qatar Foundation and the Qatari community as a whole, he said.
He added that the debate represents a model of integration between the theoretical and practical aspects on challenging issues to “our country and the international community.” It is also a step to invest energy of the youth to serve the nation and the humanity, as well as reflecting “the wonderful co-ordination between Qatar Foundation, universities, and the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons in Qatar.”
He appreciated the participation of the debaters, the adjudicators, QatarDebate and Georgetown University’s SFS-Q for dedicating their time towards creating awareness on international conventions on weapons of mass destruction.
QatarDebate itself extended its thanks SFS-Q for hosting the event and NCPW for their vision and mandate, and their willingness to collaborate with educational institutions and students.
In attendance from the NCPW were: Brigadier (Air Force) Hassan Saleh al-Nesf, Deputy Chairman, Lieutenant AbdulAziz Hamdan al-Ahmed, General Secretary, and Prof. Salwan KJ al-Ani, PhD Radiation Expert.
Also present were Jamal al-Baker, Events Manager from QatarDebate, and Anatol Lieven, Professor of International Politics, Georgetown University SFS-Q.
Students from preparatory and high schools in Qatar and students from the QUDL debate community also attended the public debate.
The idea of launching QatarDebate had emerged from the vision of HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Thousands of students have undergone training courses organised by QatarDebate, and many of them have participated in local, regional and global tournaments. The QatarDebate Center was founded in 2008 in order to develop the level of open discussion and debate and promote it among students in Qatar and the Middle East, including contributing to the preparation of global citizens and leaders of thoughts in the future.

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