Shifaa Mrad
A delegation
from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), led by SC Secretary
General Hassan Al Thawadi, recently participated in the 2018 Concordia Annual
Summit taking place in New York City on the side-lines of the 73rd session of
the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
During the
event, Al Thawadi participated in a panel discussion alongside David Miliband,
President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former UK
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on the role of
mega-sporting events in facilitating sustainable development. During the
discussion, which was moderated by the Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of
Concordia Matthew Swift, Al Thawadi highlighted how the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Qatar" is helping accelerate positive social change in Qatar and around
the world. Al Thawadi also announced that the SC is working with the IRC and
FIFA to launch an international initiative aimed at supporting refugees and
displaced people around the world, stating: "The State of Qatar has always
recognized the ability of the FIFA World Cup and the power of football in
facilitating positive development, which is why we bid to host the tournament.
We have utilized the tournament as a platform to launch several legacy
programmes, including Generation Amazing, which works on developing leadership
and life skills among youth in vulnerable communities in countries including
Pakistan, Nepal, Jordan, Lebanon and others. More than 250,000 participants
have benefitted from the programme since its launch". He added:
"Building on this strong foundation we have built in facilitating
sustainable social development, we are on course to launch an international
initiative aimed at supporting refugees and displaced people around the world,
in collaboration with the IRC and FIFA. We hope to announce the details of the
initiative and the various activities it will undertake soon."
From his
side, President and CEO of the IRC David Miliband reiterated the important
platform the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar can provide in shedding light on
important social issues, including those facing the millions of refugees and
displaced people around the world. He added that such mega-events provide an
unprecedented opportunity to support resolving humanitarian issues, and help
facilitate access to basic rights for people in areas including education,
healthcare and training.
Miliband also
expressed his hopes for the SC to engage millions of fans on all five
continents as partners in resolving the issues facing refugees and displaced
people around the world.
Al Thawadi
also highlighted during the discussion other ways in which the 2022 FIFA World
Cup Qatar has helped facilitate positive social development, including the
reforms witnessed by Qatar's labour market.
The
Concordia Annual Summit, which launched in 2011, takes place on an annual basis
in New York City on the side-lines of the UNGA. It convenes the world's most
prominent business, government, and non-profit leaders to examine the world's
most pressing challenges to identify avenues for collaboration, foster dialogue
and enable effective partnerships for positive social impact. Alongside Al
Thawadi, this year's speakers list included the President of Brazil Michel
Temer, President of Colombia Ivan Duque Marquez and Chief Executive Officer of
the World Bank Kristalina Georgieva.