Hosted by the Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG), the event was part of the QBG’s Ghars tree-planting campaign and aimed to highlight the importance of conservation in Qatar, while encouraging cross-cultural engagement.
HE the Minister of State Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Indian ambassador P Kumaran, QBG manager Fatima Saleh al-Khulaifi, Foundation for Environment Education president Lesley Jones, diplomats from other missions in Qatar, dignitaries and Indian community leaders participated in the event.
The formal ceremony started with some colourful dance performances by students of Birla Public School. Dr al-Kuwari, Kumaran and al-Khulaifi jointly planted the trees at Oxygen Park after the formal part of the ceremony.
“We have a very strong and long lasting relation with India. The relationship between Qatar and India is deep rooted in history. This long-term relationship is characterised by understanding, cultural exchanges and mutual respect among others.
The Qatar-India 2019 Year of Culture is an extension of these strong bonds between both the countries,” stated Dr al-Kuwari.
The Ghars campaign holds several tree-planting ceremonies each year as part of its overarching goal of cultivating an impressive 2,022 trees by 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“It is a pleasure to be part of today’s ceremony. This is a tangible opportunity for our two communities to come together and support important environmental initiatives against the backdrop of the Qatar-India 2019 Year of Culture. We look forward to collaborating with QBG on similar initiatives in the future,” ambassador Kumaran noted.
“Qatar and India have a long history of collaboration, and the recent ceremony clearly demonstrates that these joint efforts also extend into another critical area – environmental conservation. We see institutional partnerships and collaboration as vital to QBG’s efforts to protect and preserve the environment. I am confident that this initiative will help further strengthen our joint commitment to increasing awareness of the vital importance of green conservation,” highlighted, al-Khulaifi.
The ceremony concluded with a tour of the QBG Botanical Museum, which contains photographs, murals, and Islamic inscriptions that aim to immerse visitors in authentic Arab and Islamic heritage and traditions. The museum also displays traditional tools made from plants that are still used in our daily lives.
With a commitment to building a sustainable future for Qatar and educating the community about Islamic values, QBG engages the local community in diverse year-round awareness activities that focus on environmental sustainability, the value of planting trees, and the preservation of Qatar’s natural resources.
Related Story
