Qatar Foundation: Difference between revisions

'''Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development''' ({{lang-ar|مؤسسة قطر}}) is a state-led [[non-profit organization|organization]] in [[Qatar]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ennis|first=Crystal A.|date=2018|title=Reading entrepreneurial power in small Gulf states: Qatar and the UAE|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020702018809980|journal=International Journal|language=en|volume=73|issue=4|pages=573–595|doi=10.1177/0020702018809980|issn=0020-7020|hdl=1887/71834|hdl-access=free}}</ref> founded in 1995 by then-[[List of emirs of Qatar|emir]] [[Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani]] and his second wife [[Moza bint Nasser]]. Qatar Foundation (QF), chaired by Moza bint Nasser, has spearheaded Qatar's endeavors to establish itself as a leader in education, science, and cultural development on both a regional and global scale.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/International_3/Qatar-and-its-Emir-He-ll-Do-it-His-Way.shtml |title=Qatar and its emir: He'll do it his way |publisher=The Economist |date=27 May 2010}}</ref>

Ostensibly non-profit, Reuters has reported that the organization has made "commercial-looking investments."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Galani|first=Una|date=2012-10-02|title=BREAKINGVIEWS-Qatar's sovereign funds: A guide for the perplexed|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idINL3E8L25ZB20121002|access-date=2021-07-13}}</ref> According to the Qatar Foundation, its initiatives are oriented towards education, science and research, and community development. It has solicited a number of international universities to establish campuses in Qatar as part of its goal to develop a youth population with the necessary expertise to maintain a [[knowledge economy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qf-research-division.org/about.html |title=About us|publisher=Qatar Foundation Research & Development|access-date=29 November 2015}}</ref> The foundation's social development programs aim to preserve Qatar's culture, "foster a progressive society" and to confront pressing social issues.<ref name="qftele"/> [[Joint venture]] partnerships in the areas of [[design]], [[information and communication technologies]], policy studies, and [[event management]] also contribute to fulfilling the objectives of Qatar Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mondediplo.com/2011/09/11oil |title=From oil to business tourism |publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique |date=11 November 2011}}</ref> The Qatar Foundation's activities have been characterized by critics as influence peddling or lobbying.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-30|title=Qatar’s State-of-the-Art Foreign Lobbying Campaign|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/qatar-foreign-lobbying-campaign|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Tablet Magazine|language=en}}</ref>

Qatar Foundation's community development initiatives are based on three primary pillars. The first pillar mandates the "fostering of a progressive society". Secondly, "enhancing cultural life and protecting Qatar’s heritage" is enshrined in the foundation's community development policy.<ref name="qftele">{{cite web|url=http://www.qf.org.qa/content/qf-telegraph/issue-144/fostering-a-progressive-society-2015|title=Fostering a Progressive Society While Protecting Qatar's Heritage|publisher=Qatar Foundation Telegraph|date=24 August 2015|access-date=29 November 2015}}</ref> This goal is signified by the presence of the a ''sidra tree'' in the foundation's logo, a symbol associated with the Islamic [[Sidrat al-Muntaha]] and an evergreen tree, ''[[Ziziphus spina-christi]]'', which is native to Qatar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qf.org.qa/about|title=About|publisher=Qatar Foundation|access-date=29 November 2015}}</ref> The last pillar involves "addressing the community's immediate social needs".<ref name="qftele"/> An example of an initiative designed to meet this goal is the Qatar Diabetes Association, which was incorporated in Qatar Foundation in order to raise public awareness of the rising rates of diabetes and assist in its management.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/news/qatar/332071/qda-unveils-fifth-regional-youth-diabetes-camp|title=QDA unveils fifth regional youth diabetes camp|publisher=The Peninsula|date=13 April 2015|access-date=29 November 2015}}</ref> Reuters has reported that the organization has made "commercial-looking investments."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Galani|first=Una|date=2012-10-02|title=BREAKINGVIEWS-Qatar's sovereign funds: A guide for the perplexed|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idINL3E8L25ZB20121002|access-date=2021-07-13}}</ref>