Sustainability in focus at QF member’s international schools debating championship

A short video of melting ice in the Antarctic was enough to spark the interest of Moza Al Hajri, who has always been concerned about global warming and its impact on the environment – one of the most pressing issues in the global arena, demanding the attention of governments, decision-makers, and the world’s youth.

And it is the reason for Moza’s excitement at representing Qatar, and participating in debates and discussions about the environment and sustainability, in the Fifth International Schools Debating Championship. Organized by QatarDebate, a member of Qatar Foundation, it takes place from April 3-7, and, for the first time, is being held in both Arabic and English languages, with 50 countries participating in each category.

Moza, a member of the Qatari debate team at the championship, says: “Choosing sustainability as a topic for discussions in the tournament encouraged me to learn more about environment-related topics.

“I have always been interested in these issues, and I have a passion to learn and study more about the environmental challenges facing the planet, and how to confront and address them. I believe that this tournament will represent an important opportunity for students from all over the world to learn about the dangers that facing the planet.

“It is important to highlight the issue of sustainability as one of the most important ways of facing addressing climate change, global warming, and other environmental risks.”

Abdulrahman Al-Subaie, Outreach Programs Manager at QatarDebate, said: “Debating tournaments are distinguished from other awareness activities in that they encourage all debaters to explore issues and topics from various frames of reference they have to study the various positions and viewpoints related to a topic, critique them, and compare them.

“We believe that by adopting the topic of sustainability in this championship, we will increase awareness among over 400 young debaters, and over 100 coaches and 100 referees, by exposing them to the issue of sustainability in a critical way, away from traditional or superficial awareness.”

Speaking about the significance of the championship being held in both Arabic and English for the first time, Al-Subaie said: “QatarDebate has succeeded in being a flag carrier for the Arabic language around the world, and we are continuing to reach new student communities who are interested in learning the Arabic language in Asia, Europe, and America.

“At QatarDebate, we are working at QatarDebate to advance our role in spreading awareness and a culture of critical thinking to all young people around the world, so we decided that adding the English language as a new category in the competition will further enrich dialogue further and contribute to advancing our mission of building future leaders.”