Tribune News Network
Doha
The eighth edition of Qatar Sustainability Week (QSW 2023) concluded following a wide range of activities which aimed to promote, encourage and raise awareness of sustainable living among the community.
Organised by Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future (Earthna), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, QSW 2023 saw the highest participation rates in the history of the campaign, with over 470 events and initiatives being delivered by members of the public, government and non-government organisations, and businesses.
Commenting on the Ministry of Sports and Youth’s participation, which included organising more than 60 events for this year’s edition of QSW, HE Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, Minister of Sports and Youth, said: “Cross-community collaboration is critical to the success of national campaigns. The government, schools, businesses, and local clubs all have a role to play in promoting sustainable actions that bring wide-ranging benefits to all. I am proud of the many activities the Ministry of Sports and Youth has organised for the QSW, which included public seminars on youth environmental awareness, tree planting activities, cycling tours and arts and crafts workshops.”
Dr Gonzalo Castro de la Mata, executive director of Earthna, said: “Supporting sustainable development is at the forefront of Qatar’s priorities, and the country has demonstrated time and again that it is fully committed to taking action to grow in a way the protects society and enhances our environment. However, securing real change is a collective responsibility and this year’s Qatar Sustainability Week has demonstrated that people across the country are equally committed, with record numbers of participants getting involved in more activities than we have seen before.”
During this year’s campaign Earthna, in collaboration with partners including Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute and the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, delivered a series of workshops on water security, electric vehicles and lowering carbon emissions. The outcomes from these sessions will enable Earthna and others to formulate policy which will help Qatar to build a sustainable, knowledge-based economy. During QSW Earthna also held the Eco-Schools Congress, a program that helps young people advocate for sustainability education and encourage greater environmental awareness in their schools.
Other QSW 2023 activities included beach and desert clean-ups, tree and mangrove planting, recycling, upcycling and reusing initiatives, and a variety of seminars and lectures about sustainability-related topics.
Dr Castro de la Mata said: “I would like to thank all partners, contributors, and community members for their role in helping to make the latest edition of Qatar Sustainability Week a ground-breaking success. This year’s events have promoted a spirit of collaboration and solidarity between the private and government sectors and the public, to encourage all members of society to participate towards building an understanding of sustainability challenges, solutions, and inspiring action.”
QSW 2023’s strategic partners included Ministry of Municipality/Al Wakra, the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Expo 2023 Doha, Qatar Museums, Gulf Warehousing Company, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Katara Hospitality, Qatar Rail, Kahramaa’s Tarsheed, Msheireb Properties, One Tide, United Development Company, Al Meera and the British Council.
