Under the patronage of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani, Qatar will host the 24th Gulf Engineering Forum from March 7-9, under the theme 'Environmental Engineering and Sustainability'.
Organised by the Ministry of Municipality, Gulf Engineering Union and Qatar Society of Engineers, the event will bring together a number of ministers and dignitaries from Qatar and the Gulf and Arab countries.
This was announced at a press conference Tuesday, in the presence of Assistant Undersecretary for Urban Planning Affairs and Chairman of the High Organising Committee for the Forum Eng Fahd Mohamed al-Qahtani, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Society of Engineers and Vice-Chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee for the Forum Eng Khalid bin Ahmed al-Nasr.
Director of Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Municipality Fayeqa Ashkanani stressed the importance of the forum amid the urban and engineering developments in Qatar in particular, and in the GCC states in general. She also highlighted the ministry's great attention attached to the engineering and construction sectors, and the adoption of the highest international requirements, standards and specifications that achieve the goals of sustainable development.
Hosting this year's edition of the forum under the auspices of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior confirms Qatar's interest in this vital sector, she said.
Al-Nasr stressed that the three-day forum will include a number of discussion sessions with the participation of elite speakers from Qatar and the GCC states.
He added that the forum's scientific committee selected 26 working papers on the environment, sustainability and smart cities out of 220 to be presented in the discussions.
The forum covers four important axes — 'technology and smart cities', 'sustainable building materials', 'efficient management of buildings and cities,' and 'waste management and recycling', al-Nasr said.
He added that during the forum, the pioneers of engineering work at the Gulf level would be honoured.
In the individuals' category, two engineering pioneers from each GCC country, and five from Qatar as the organising country will be honoured. In the projects category, the best engineering projects that achieve environmental standards and sustainability will receive the Gulf Engineering Union's Excellence and Creative Engineering Award.
The forum will also mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Gulf Engineering Union, al-Nasr said.
On the sidelines of the forum, an engineering exhibition will be held where government and semi-government agencies and the private sector from Qatar and the GCC countries will showcase their most prominent ideas, projects and engineering services related to environment and sustainability. The forum and the exhibition will be open for specialists and the public.
The press conference that announced the event.
