Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF),in co-operation with Katara Public Diplomacy Center (KPDC), organised a lecture entitled 'Community Diplomacy', which dealt with the most important efforts of the foundation in promoting Qatar's image in global diplomacy. The lecture was attended by CEO of the Katara Public Diplomacy Center Eng Darwish Ahmed al-Shaibani, a number of Qatar Foundation officials, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, as well as media professionals.
The lecture, presented by head of External Relations at Qatar Foundation's CEO Office Habes Howail, emphasised on the importance of the endeavours undertaken by the foundation to unleash human capabilities, and how this contributes to the development of society. Howail dealt in the lecture with the role of Qatar Foundation in enhancing Qatar's image in global diplomacy, pointing out to the most important global initiatives of the foundation which have made an impact globally, such as the Qatar Genome Program (QGP), the first of its kind in the region, and efforts in the field of autism as Qatar contributed to the launch of the International Autism Day and the establishment of the Renad Academy.
Director of External Relations, in the office of the CEO of Qatar Foundation, also spoke about the role of the policy centers of Qatar Foundation in strengthening the position of Qatar globally, adding that Qatar Foundation has contributed to strengthening Qatar's position globally through policy centers, the most important of which is the Doha International Family Institute, our legacy initiative, the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), which made Doha a destination for world leaders and policy makers to launch their initiatives in the field of global education, as well as the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), which attracted a number of heads of states. It is also considered the largest gathering of health ministers outside the United Nations, which Doha hosts them every two years to discuss the health challenges facing the world.
He referred to the social impact created by the partnership and co-operation between Qatar Foundation and international organizations, especially during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, where Qatar Foundation provided easy access to people with disabilities and autism, and gave them the opportunity to watch the World Cup matches by designing sensory rooms and providing a suitable environment for them, in addition to designing a comprehensive guide for all abilities, which will serve as a reference for the countries organising the FIFA World Cup in the upcoming editions. He added that the Education City Stadium will be transformed into a special centre for national committees, initiatives and activities related to women's sports, with the aim of supporting national efforts to enhance women's involvement in the field of sports.
Howail indicated that Qatar Foundation has identified a number of areas on which it will focus its efforts over the next 10 years in order to strengthen Qatar's position on the global map. The most important of which is progressive education, which aims to encourage creativity and unleash the potential of teachers and students, sustainability, artificial intelligence to improve the quality of human life, and promoting precision healthcare and disease prevention based on emerging research and clinical approaches, in addition to social progress, in order to build a prosperous society that derives its roots from the heritage and cultural identity of Qatar.
In his remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA) following the lecture, Habes Howail said that Qatar Foundation managed over 28 years to create a unique developmental model through its various centers: pre-university education (PUE); higher education; research, development, and innovation centers; policy centers; and community development, as every sector sought to make community development the bedrock of all integrated work and make a unique feature for the Qatari society in various fields.
He noted QF's interest -- through policy centers -- in organising public and specialised conferences, such as the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) 2022 and World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), stressing that these conferences managed to create a global society within Doha as elite international experts participate in these conferences to offer innovative solutions for building the future of healthcare, education, sustainability, or protecting the family from challenges, even international prestigious and public figures launch their initiatives from Doha. All these efforts contributed to promoting public diplomacy in Qatar in co-operation and partnership with public authorities and the private sector.
He stressed that all these efforts and initiatives resonated well with the community as they addressed its main interests in the first place and had their reflection on Qatar's foreign image. He stressed that the community is an integrated part and essential partner in the foundation's efforts as all the community's efforts contribute to promoting public diplomacy. The lecturer highlighted QF's efforts -- through its schools and universities -- in building a flourished and active local community.
He also talked about the importance of QF's developing of research, development, and innovation centers to build an integrated system to provide the needed fund for researches, pointing out the importance of building global research partnerships with leading universities, such as the agreement signed between Qatar Biomedical Research Institute and Harvard Stem Cell Institute. (QNA)