As part of the Qatar Scholarship Programme, the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) has signed a co-funding agreement with Switzerland’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID). 
The new partnership will bring a leading executive education programme in development studies and policymaking to Qatar.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) will become the home of IHEID’s Executive Master in Development Policies and Practices (DPP) programme for the Middle East and North African (Mena) region. 
Beyond funding and facilitation, HBKU will also develop further programmes with the IHEID. 
Managed by QFFD, the Qatar Scholarship Programme is a grant provided by Qatar. The programme is designed to attract developing professionals from across the Mena and Africa. Specifically, the Qatar Scholarship Programme aims to create future leaders capable of contributing to the development of their country and the wider global community. The programme also supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which seeks to ensure fair and inclusive education and enhanced lifelong learning for all. SDG 4 also resonates with QFFD’s priorities. 
In line with its authorisation to co-ordinate and implement external development assistance projects on behalf of Qatar, QFFD has also announced the launch of the Qatar Scholarship Programme website. This specifically targets international students from developing countries looking to study in Qatar in fall 2020 and beyond.
Ali Abdulla al-Dabbagh, deputy director general of planning for Qatar Fund for Development stated that “The State of Qatar through Qatar Fund For Development offers this unique opportunity, to confirm its commitment supporting SDG4 around the world, to create future leaders capable of contributing to the development of their country and the humanity. Those future leaders will be able to benefit from the advanced infrastructure and facilities available at Education City of Qatar Foundation; where it’s a place with branch campuses of some of the world’s leading educational institutes, a homegrown research university, start-up incubators, technology parks, heritage sites, cultural institutions, and so much more, and also the knowledge that HBKU can offer them. 
“As Qatar is an international hub for education, we believe that the Qatar Scholarship programme is a continuation effort and reflection of Qatar’s commitment to support quality education globally especially in LDC. We believe this collaboration with HBKU and Geneva Institute will bring expertise together to shape future leaders capable of contributing to the development of their own countries and humanity” 
Speaking after the agreement was confirmed, Dr M. Evren Tok, assistant dean for Innovation and Community Development and associate professor, College of Islamic Studies, HBKU, said: “We’re naturally delighted that HBKU will play a major part in developing this partnership. The Graduate Institute’s DPP offers working professionals from across the global south an unparalleled opportunity to influence the development and policymaking agenda of their home countries. Thanks to Qatar’s unique position at a pivotal global crossroads, we’re confident that future students will see the logic in studying for the DPP at HBKU. To this end, we’re already looking forward to welcoming our first cohort and strengthening our ties with the IHEID.”
The director of the DPP programme, Dr Alexandre Dormeier Freire, added: “Thanks to the support of the QFFD, we were able to jointly launch the DPP in the Mena region with HBKU. Already present in Latin America, Francophone and Anglophone Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, the DPP is now expanding into the Mena region and will become the largest community of development professionals in the world. This will enable us to foster innovative solutions to the many development challenges we will face in the coming years, while respecting our differences and diversity. We are convinced that this partnership with Qatari institutions will give a new impetus to the programme and foster relations between our two countries”.    
An online presentation of the DPP programme for candidates coming from the Mena region will take place on June 29 at 12noon (local time Geneva). Register here> https://graduateinstitute.ch/executive-education/events/lead-development-middle-east-north-africa
More information about the programme> www.graduateinstitute.ch/dpp