The First Gulf-Arab Conference for Training and Development, organised by the International Federation for Training and Development (IFTD), commenced in Cairo Friday.
Themed From the Gulf to the Ocean: Bridges of Knowledge and Development, the two-day conference brings together representatives from 15 Arab countries, including a delegation from Qatar.
A select group of leaders and officials from training and development institutions, government and private entities, academics, researchers, entrepreneurs, trainers, experts, representatives of research and studies institutions, media professionals, and content creators are participating.
The opening session of the conference was attended by Qatar’s ambassador to Egypt and Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States, Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed al-Thani and the director-general of the Arab Organisation for Administrative Development, affiliated with the League of Arab States, Dr Nasser al-Hatlan al-Qahtani.
In his address during the opening session, IFTD president Dr Dera Muajeb al-Dosari said that the conference is a continuation of a series of training and development conferences, three of which were held in Doha in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
He expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s hosting of the conference and for the efforts of Qatar’s embassy in Egypt in ensuring its success.
Dr al-Dosari also expressed his gratitude to His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, the chairman of the conference’s strategic partner Al Faisal Holding, and to the IFTD honorary president, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani.
He voiced hope that the conference would be a success and represent a step towards greater co-operation and integration among Arab countries.
He noted that the IFTD will hold its next conference in Oman on September 15-16, under the title of “The Family Institution Between Identity and Current Challenges”, as well as the first conference on civil diplomacy and volunteer work in Sousse, Tunisia, on September 26-27.
Dr al-Dosari also mentioned the first Kuwait Conference on Training and Development, to be held on October 2-3, and announced the establishment of the International Academy for Civil Diplomacy in Tunisia.
He told the Qatar News Agency (QNA) that “the main objective of the conference is to build and develop Arab human resources, considering them one of the most important resources that must be managed efficiently and effectively”.
Dr al-Dosari said that the conference will include working papers and specialised sessions on topics such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), and construction and development.
He indicated that the conference’s outcomes and recommendations will be submitted to civil service bureaus and human resources departments throughout the Arab world to be used in developing policies and practices related to human resource development.
The first session of the conference featured a presentation of several success stories in the field of training and development, including one by Jamil Obaid Mohammed Turki on “The Community College in Qatar: A Success Story and a Model to Emulate in Higher Education”.
The conference agenda included panel discussions, workshops, and specialised recommendations to keep pace with the rapid developments in education, training, and development.
The aim was to establish an integrated system between education and the labour market and to formulate an implementation roadmap that would bridge the gap between the outputs of educational institutions and the rapidly evolving demands of the Gulf and Arab labour markets.
