As the first-ever nation in the Middle East to host the FIFA World Cup™, Qatar’s historic achievement for the region was followed by further wins and records. Up to the opening day on 20 November, 2.95 million tickets had been sold, revealed a FIFA spokesperson, comfortably exceeding Russia (2018) which sold just over 2.4 million tickets.
International Relations
Doha Peace Agreement – the first step towards Chadian reconciliation
In August, Chadian parties signed the ‘Doha Peace Agreement and the Participation of Politico-Military Movements in the Chadian National, Inclusive, and Sovereign Dialogue’, under the auspices of the State of Qatar. The ceremony was attended by HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, foreign ministers, officials, and representatives of the African Union and regional and international organisations.
The signing of the agreement is a result of negotiations held by the State of Qatar during a five-month period, with regional and international participation, and is the start of constructive discussions in Chad to achieve national reconciliation.
In a recorded speech during the signing ceremony, HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres thanked the State of Qatar for hosting and sponsoring the negotiations between the Chadian parties, leading to the signing of the Doha Peace Agreement.
HH The Amir at the United Nations
HH The Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani took part in the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in New York in September.
During the opening session, HH The Amir delivered a speech in which he addressed several international issues: the pursuit of a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the ongoing crises in Syria, Libya and Yemen.
HH The Amir also commented about reaching a just agreement regarding Iran and the nuclear deal, and for all parties to build on the outcomes of the Doha Agreement for Afghanistan.
Highlights of other international news:
• In an interview with French magazine Le Point in September, HH The Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed a number of subjects including women’s issues, freedom of expression, the energy sector and its current contexts, international affairs like GCC-Iranian relations, international wars and crises, and his rejection of discrimination against any minority.
• HH The Amir participated in the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November.
Domestic News
Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) reopened
The iconic museum reopened in October, following an enhancement project and the reimagination and reinstallation of its permanent collection galleries. The region’s foremost institution for Islamic art now provides a more accessible, engaging and educational experience for guests. More than 1,000 objects will be displayed in the Museum’s permanent galleries for the first time. The galleries are organised according to historical and cultural themes, time periods and geography, with a new section on Islam in Southeast Asia. The visitor experience introduces a comprehensive visitor trail, expanded interpretive materials to help contextualise the masterworks, and new mobile and child-friendly resources to make the Museum more accessible for families and younger guests.
The State of Qatar launched a new national emblem
The Government Communications Office (GCO) unveiled a new national emblem of the State of Qatar in September, with a design based on the trinity of sand, sea and sky – three elements closely associated with Qatar’s rich history. Each element has a significance: the striped sail of the Jalboot symbolises the national flag, the palm trees represent the generosity and abundance of the Qatari nation, while the sea waves signify strength and are represented by three lines referencing Qatar’s unique geographic location with water surrounding it from three sides. The two crossed swords at the bottom are a symbol of honour, pride, and power. The font used is a new official typeface called Lusail inspired by the original manuscripts of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani.
Shura Council marked 50th anniversary of its founding
The Shura Council was established in 1972 by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani with just 20 members. The Amir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani amended the composition of the council increasing the number of members to 45, most of whom were directly elected and which saw the first female members of the council in history in 2017. More changes came in 2021, with the election of two-thirds of its members through free and direct voting. The Shura Council Exhibition was attended by The Amir, where he viewed records, letters and collections presenting the history of the Shura Council since its establishment and the members who contributed to its direction and their legislative efforts.
Highlights of other domestic news:
The slogan of Qatar National Day (QND) 2022 was unveiled as Wahdatuna Masdar Quwatina – ‘Our unity is the source of our success’, inspired by an excerpt from a speech given by The Amir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Shura Council. There is a packed itinerary of events to look forward to around town – see our Events Calendar for more details and visit marhaba.qa for updates.
Qatar joined the AMBER Alert network on Facebook and Instagram to help find missing children and return them to their families by publishing missing alerts (September).
Healthcare
Minister of Public Health received prestigious accolade
HE Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, along with senior leaders from Qatar’s healthcare sector, took part in the ‘Walk the Talk: Health For All Challenge’ organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva in May. Before the start of the walk, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus presented HE Dr Al Kuwari with a special Director-General’s Health Champions 2022 award in recognition of her outstanding advocacy in global health promotion and security.
All Qatari cities now have WHO’s ‘Healthy City’ distinction
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated all eight Qatari municipalities as ‘Healthy Cities’, which sees Qatar as the first in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to receive awards for all its municipalities and is a result of one of the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 projects.
In October, Umm Slal, Al Khor/Al Thakhira, Al Wakra, Al Daayen, Al Shamal and Al Sheehaniya municipalities were joined by Qatar University as ‘Healthy University’ and Qatar Foundation’s Education City as ‘Healthy Education City’. Doha and Al Rayyan municipalities received the award earlier in the year. After the ceremony, 11 trees were planted as part of the ‘One Million Tree Planting’ initiative. All trees will be moved to DADU, Children’s Museum of Qatar.
Travel and Tourism
Qatar Airways celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022, and fittingly won the Skytrax ‘Airline of the Year’ award for a record seventh time in September. Qatar Airways also won World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining, and Best Airline in the Middle East. Hamad International Airport (HIA) was voted the World’s Best Airport 2022, winning the award for the second year in succession.
Qatar Airways hosted the 8th IATA World Financial Symposium in September, the largest conference of aviation financial leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Speaking at the event, Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), noted that despite ongoing difficulties, the Middle East aviation industry is recovering at a faster rate than other markets.
Hospitality
There were many new openings during the year, a combination of luxury hotels, resorts and attractions. New hotels include Le Royal Méridien Doha, Pullman Doha West Bay, Rixos Gulf Hotel Doha, The St. Regis Marsa Arabia, Waldorf Astoria Lusail, and Wyndham Grand Doha West Bay Beach. Attractions such as 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, Al Maha Island, Lusail Winter Wonderland, Lusail Boulevard, Corinthia Yacht Club, West Walk, West Bay North Beach Project, 974 Beach Club and Fuwairit Kite Beach came online, alongside new retail offerings Printemps Doha and Place Vendôme.
Business
Higher energy prices helped Qatar achieve a budget surplus of QAR47.3 bn for the first half of 2022 and gross domestic product growth of 4.3%, despite the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
In July, Qatar won the presidency of the International Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (Berne Union), part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This achievement is a recognition of the attention Qatar pays to IP issues and the progress made by the State in this field.
HH The Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani inaugurated Al Kharsaah Solar Plant in October, one of the region’s largest solar plants and the first in Qatar. It is expected to provide around 10% of peak electricity demand and part of Qatar’s contribution towards renewable energy.
Work continues on the North Field East and South expansion projects, with QatarEnergy awarding a number of mega contracts during the year. The North Field Expansion Projects is the industry’s largest ever LNG project. It will start production in 2026, adding more than 48 mn tonnes per annum (mtpa) to the world’s LNG supplies, and raising Qatar’s LNG production capacity to 126 mtpa. Internationally, QatarEnergy expanded its operations in 16 countries.
Education
It was announced in September that three Qatari cities – Doha, Al Rayyan and Al Daayen – have become part of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). The three cities join Al Wakra, Al Shamal and Al Sheehaniya, with preparations underway to enable the remaining two municipalities (Umm Slal and Al Khor/Al Thakhira) to join the GNLC.
Speaking at the ‘Transforming Education Summit’ at the United Nations in New York, Minister of Education and Higher Education HE Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi stated that Qatar is one of the largest contributors to humanitarian projects, investing in education, health and economic support. To date, the Qatar Fund for Development has spent USD1 bn in 64 countries and has supported 10 mn out-of-school children in 60 countries.
At this year’s Street Child World Cup held in Doha, HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, signed the ‘Qatar Commitment’, a document crafted by 290 street-connected children, refugees, and young leaders. It aims to remind nations of their commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that all children are entitled to all rights, regardless of their circumstances.
Sport and Leisure
All Set for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
A total of 3,010,679 tickets were made available, with organisers stating in September that more than 2.85 mn had been sold. More than 1.2 mn fans are expected to travel to Qatar for the tournament – apartments, hotel rooms, camps, villas, fan villages and cabins on cruise ships have all been made available.
The Generation Amazing Foundation legacy programme has now benefitted more than 1 mn people in over 35 countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas. Launched in 2010 by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the football-for-development outreach and education programmes support vulnerable and displaced people, empowering new generations to transform their communities and generate positive social development via sustainable programmes.
Sheikha Asma Al Thani
In May the Qatari mountaineer successfully scaled K2, the world’s second highest mountain as part of her Beyond Boundaries journey, becoming the first Arab to scale six of the 14 8,000ers. She aims to become the first Qatari woman to complete the Explorers Grand slam – climb the Seven Summits, climb the world’s 14 highest peaks, and reach both the North and South Poles. She is also the first person from Qatar to ski to the North Pole, and the first Qatari woman to reach the South Pole. She is now only one mountain away from achieving her goal!
Park with largest air-conditioned jogging tracks opens
HE Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Minister of Municipality, inaugurated Umm Al Seneem Park, with the largest air-conditioned jogging tracks in the world, a new Guinness World Record! The 1,143-metre-long air-conditioned jogging tracks was awarded the ‘longest air-conditioned outdoor path’ on 17 October 2022. The public can now enjoy using the paths all year, as the air conditioning system ensures temperatures of around 26˚ Celsius. The park was constructed by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), and this is now their fifth Guinness World Record.
Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah wins FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC)
Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah is the four-time winner of the Dakar Rally, a two-time Olympic medallist and now, the holder of the drivers’ title in the inaugural FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
Al Attiyah and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel drove their Toyota GR DKR Hilux across numerous tracks and trails in three provinces of southern Spain, dealing with inclement weather conditions and punctures along the way.
Author: Sarah Palmer
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