Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Affairs speaks of “absolute belief” that youth can confront challenges at QF’s Education City Speaker Series Bel Arabi

His Excellency Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, has spoken of his “absolute belief in the ability of youth to face challenges through research, development, and innovation”, at the second edition of Qatar Foundation’s Education City Speaker Series Bel Arabi, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense.

The Heart of Our Future: Empowering Youth Today, Protecting Our Tomorrow – which took place in the build-up to Qatar National Day – saw His Excellency Dr. Al Attiyah say: “We consider the alumni of Qatar Foundation, Qatar University, and other prestigious universities to be the true wealth of our country.

“We emphasize the importance of supporting and guiding them along their path, in both education and research, because they are the main pillars of our national defense. They are the ammunition that the education and research infrastructure of Qatar is providing to us.”

The hybrid event – with the discussion taking place at Qatar National Library and also being livestreamed on Qatar Foundation’s (QF) social media channels – explored how Qatar’s youth can be involved in decision making, and how their leadership skills and resilience can be enhanced so that they are equipped and motivated to confront challenges and drive positive change through innovation.

“Facing our national sustainability challenges requires us to continue investing in the minds of our youth, believing in their potential, and empowering them to use the tools they possess – such as science and knowledge – to develop solutions that achieve sustainability, not only in the context of the environment, but also in other sectors,” said His Excellency Dr. Al Attiyah.

“This is how, together, we can build a sustainable economy based on diversification. And it requires our youth to build on four key pillars: belief in the idea, enthusiasm, work, and positivity.”

His Excellency Dr. Al Attiyah added that building a sustainable future for Qatar requires empowering youth to hold responsibility, as he said: “Our fathers and grandfathers lived with many challenges, the most important of which were work and food, and they were able to overcome these.

“Through energy and our efforts in building a diversified economy, we were able to move forward. Today, young people are required to carry this responsibility by developing solutions that enable us to overcome water and food security challenges, and to engage with the field of clean energy. Our Ministry of Defense research centers are working closely with the research centers at Qatar Foundation to confront challenges such as those related to global warming and desertification, and we hope to ultimately reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Qatar to zero.”

Speaking about Qatar’s recent Shura Council elections, His Excellency Dr. Al Attiyah said: “There is no doubt these elections were the biggest event in Qatar in 2021, because they has played a vital role in engaging youth in the field of politics – providing them with political knowledge and enhancing their responsibilities, whether they are a candidate or through their connections with those nominated,

“Through the exchange of opinions, they now have a greater ability to observe the performance of the government through their Shura Council representatives, and play their part in shaping the future.”

And on the role of youth in the volunteering sector, he said: “Volunteering is part of our culture and runs in the blood of every Qatari.

“Qatari youth have a passion for charitable work and for helping others. And the methods of volunteering have been developed – they are not now limited to traditional volunteering, which has been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“But there is another pandemic: emigration, which, around the world, is seeing youth leave their countries. Nations need to prevent this brain drain so that the knowledge of youth can be harnessed through their volunteering in new fields such as technology and research, development, and innovation.”

His Excellency Dr. Al Attiyah also emphasized the role of the family at the center of Qatari society, saying” “We hope our youth will commit to the values of building families that we grew up with and possess, because families are the heart of the community. Building families is the core of protecting our heritage and national identity.”

The event saw a discussion moderated by Al Jazeera principal presenter Fairouz Ziani being followed by a question-and-answer session with the in-person and online audience.

Education City Speaker Series Bel Arabi reflects QF’s role as the custodian of the Arabic language, culture, heritage, and knowledge, and was launched in 2020 as part of the evolution of QF’s Education City Speaker Series dialogue platform.

Since its establishment, the Education City Speaker Series has hosted experts and thought-leaders from Qatar, the region, and around the world to discuss pivotal topics such as COVID-19, the future of education, youth and identity, entrepreneurship, and the Palestinian resistance to occupation. Having shifted to a virtual platform following the onset of COVID-19, Education City Speaker Series editions have attracted a new audience of tens of thousands of viewers from around the world.