DOHA: H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari (pictured), Cultural Adviser to the Emiri Diwan and Qatar’s candidate for the post of Director-General of Unesco, yesterday gave a lecture on ‘Towards the start of Unesco – yesterday, today and tomorrow’ at Qatar University (QU).
The audience comprised QU president Dr Hassan Rashid Al Derham, QU VP and CAO Dr Mazen Hasna, QU VP for Student Affairs Dr Khalid Al Khanji, QU officials, faculty, and staff. Over 100 students across QU colleges were also present.
Dr Al Kawari gave an overview of the international organization’s role, and outlined details of his candidature for the post of Director-General of Unesco, and his leadership plans.
He noted that as the national university of Qatar, QU is well-placed to host the lecture that he said was among a number of lectures he will deliver around the world.
“Unesco places education and culture at the core of its mission”, said Dr Al Kawari, adding, “The General Assembly of the United Nations considers education as a key component to achieve economic development in various countries.”
Dr Al Kawari highlighted his diplomatic background and noted that he is from a country -- Qatar -- that plays a significant role in promoting dialogue among different cultures and religions. This placed Qatar as a cultural platform to advance dialogue among civilizations, he said, noting that education is at the core of the vision of his leadership plans, particularly for women and youth.
“Women have the right to quality education and to participate fully in the development of their societies,” he said.
Dr Al Kawari underlined the pivotal role of “cultural diplomacy” in paving the way for dialogue among communities towards the realization of human development and peace. He also pointed to the importance of developing legislation to protect of heritage and cultural diversity.
“The achievement of this vision is founded on the investment in human and capital resources, as well as on merging our efforts and combining our experience and expertise,” he said, adding, “We also need to foster collaboration with international media agencies, and to equip Unesco with new resources to ensure the implementation of its projects.”The Peninsula
