Qatar Foundation Chairperson HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser attended the opening ceremony of the Earthna Summit 2023 at Msheireb Downtown Doha. The summit aims to renew focus on examining ancestral solutions to climate challenges and how these may support current plans for advancing sustainability.

The theme of the two-day summit is Building New Sustainability Pathways for Hot and Arid Environments. It brings together sustainability experts and policymakers including indigenous peoples to learn from each other and exchange knowledge.

Speakers at the inaugural Summit, which is hosted by the Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future, include the President of the Republic of Zambia HE Hakainde Hichilema, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone HE Julius Maada Bio, Minister of Environment and Climate Change HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani and Qatar Foundation Vice Chairperson and CEO HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani.

Building a community of stakeholders

At the opening ceremony, HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani said this year’s summit will provide an opportunity to build a community of environmental stakeholders that will contribute to shaping the future of sustainability in hot and dry regions.

The summit will also focus on the unique challenges faced by these countries with difficult weather conditions. And these are the challenges that Qatar is committed to addressing, and sharing the best solutions and practices on how to overcome them with neighbouring countries and other countries of the world.

Sustainability discussions have typically revolved around tropical and temperate needs. The Earthna Summit aims to make hot and arid environments – such as Qatar’s –  more prominent in the global conversation by highlighting the critical adaptation needs of countries with such climates, and exploring options as the world moves towards energy transition.

In her speech at the opening, HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, said they deliberately placed a significant emphasis on exploring indigenous practices, in search of the fountains of accumulated wisdom tucked away in ordinary places in this year’s inaugural summit.

The purpose of seeking out indigenous wisdom is for us to discern and choose wisely that which resonates in our local environment, so that we may adopt simple whole solutions instead of complicating things. And so that, when we adopt new policies, we can attack the root causes of our modern issues, instead of getting lost in the branches.

Sessions, workshops and panel discussions

Earthna is hosting a variety of sessions, workshops and panel discussions based on themes of food and security adaptation, climate change and energy transition, resilient cities, and biodiversity.

Renowned primatologist and anthropologist Dr Jane Goodall closed the first day of the summit with a discussion about biodiversity, ecosystems and values.

Throughout the two-day summit, members of the public can also visit the Earthna Village at Barahat Msheireb, a sustainability-focused exhibition showcasing indigenous and sustainable practices.

The Agora section of the Earthna Village is hosting practitioners for short, interactive discussions with the audience about their exhibits.

All sessions on Day 2 of the summit are open to the public.  

For more information about the Earthna Summit, check out these related stories: 

(Images from HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser’s Official Facebook page)

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