QF and The Al-Attiyah Foundation partner to help Qatar combat climate change

Creating new knowledge about climate change in Qatar, and raising awareness about the need for action to tackle one of the planet’s most urgent challenges, will be the focus of a newly-formed partnership between Qatar Foundation and energy and sustainable development think tank The Al-Attiyah Foundation.

The two organizations are joining forces to amplify their contribution to shaping a sustainable future for the country and its people, through a collaboration that spans education, research, and hosting a joint climate change conference in Qatar later this year.

Through the partnership, Qatar Foundation (QF) and The Al-Attiyah Foundation aim to develop a new bank of knowledge on key climate change topics that can support policies and actions in Qatar, as well a digital platform that will provide people in Qatar with climate change information customized for the country, elevating public awareness of the issue.

“Just as climate change affects every single person on our planet, the responsibility of taking care of the planet is one that we all share,” said Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties to launch the collaboration.

“We must empower people to recognize our collective responsibility in protecting the environment for future generations. This empowerment comes through addressing the root causes, educating, and opening up opportunities for everyone to be an active steward of the Earth.

“Through this partnership, and the climate conference we will be jointly hosting later this year, Qatar Foundation and The Al-Attiyah Foundation aim to provide the empowerment, the education, and the impetus that supports a concerted, national climate action effort in Qatar.”

His Excellency Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Chairman of The Al-Attiyah Foundation, who also signed the Memorandum of Understanding, said: “It gives me great pleasure to see The Al-Attiyah Foundation work in close partnership with Qatar Foundation to ensure a better future for all.

“We are in a period of growing international debate on energy transition and its implications for climate change. This collaboration will be the first step to ensuring that the convening power of both Foundations is leveraged to contribute toward a zero carbon world.”

The first project under the partnership between The Al-Attiyah Foundation and QF will be to engage with all sectors of the economy and the public in Qatar in a joint climate change conference later this year. This conference will focus on issues relating to Qatar’s commitment in terms of the Paris Agreement – an international treaty on climate change which came into force in 2016 – and on its efforts to address climate change.

By regularly publishing technical reports on climate change topics that have particular relevance to Qatar, QF and The Al-Attiyah Foundation intend to form an in-depth study of the global climate change picture, and the actions being taken to combat it, to support Qatar’s policymakers and industries.

The climate change knowledge website that will also be developed through the partnership is designed to fill gaps in Qatar-tailored information about the path that climate change is taking and how it can be counteracted, and to act as both a knowledge hub and an educational tool.