Launched by Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Charity:

United Nations Office Include Initiative" Sport for Peace and Development in Darfur" as a model for countering extremism

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has included the "Sport for Peace and Development in Darfur" initiative as a successful model for countering extremism in its Technical Manual on "Preventing Extremism through Sports". The guide was launched last Thursday during an online event attended by more than 250 government representatives and experts from all over the world.

"Sport for Peace and Development in Darfur" was launched by Qatar Fund For Development and Qatar Charity and implemented by Save The Dream and aimed to promote peace and development through sport for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Darfur. The initiative came within the framework of the Doha Peace Document for Darfur in western Sudan.

The Technical Manual on Preventing Violent Extremism through Sport, which was developed in consultation with international experts and other UN entities including UNESCO, provides comprehensive guidance on how to use sport and sport-based programs effectively to prevent violent extremism.

The report issued in the technical guide indicated that the initiative implemented by Save the Dream in 2019 in cooperation with Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Charity, in partnership with various sports and educational entities, such as Aspire Academy, aims to promote peace and prevent violent extremism and utilized sport as a tool for integration, tolerance, peacebuilding, and social cohesion.

Implementation of the five mechanisms

The report said that the field activities that were implemented in the city of El Fasher, North Darfur, included several sports and cultural initiatives, awareness campaigns, and training workshops on sport for peace and development.

The main objective was to cultivate community engagement and build the local capacity to design and manage sustainable sports-based peacebuilding projects.

The report also touched on the project’s model of forming local committees to sustain interest and leadership. In Darfur, 80 community leaders were brought together in a committee to build trust with the youth and their families, and to provide a safe environment where the youth could meet and interact without any obstacles.

“Sport for Peace and Development in Darfur” targeted IDPs and the host communities in Darfur and employed multifaceted sports programs aimed at promoting social integration and peacebuilding, with adequate training in project development, conflict resolution, strategic planning.

Mr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity, said: “ The Doha Document for Peace represents the largest framework for peacebuilding in Darfur, and was welcomed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as such in 2011”. He added that “Qatar Charity launched the "Sport for Peace and Development in Darfur" initiative in partnership with Qatar Fund for Development with the utmost conviction that the intrinsic values of sport can be harnessed to advance social cohesion, dignity and equality”. Mr Al-Kuwari also pointed out that mentioning this initiative in the report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a celebration of the power of sport and its role in achieving peaceful coexistence and Social Harmony in Sudan, and said he hoped that this report would open the door to potential sport-based initiatives that would bring about peace and positive change in Sudan.

Qatar Charity announces winners in ‘Future’s Writers-4’ program

Qatar Charity (QC) declared the names of winners in the fourth edition of its “Future’s Writers” program during a closing ceremony held remotely in compliance with the precautionary measures aimed at curbing the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Dignitaries

The program sponsor and partners were honored at the ceremony, which was attended by HE Salah Bin Ghanim Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports, Dr. Ibrahim Al Nuaimi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Mr. Yousif bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity. Besides, representatives of the key partners, officials of Qatar Charity, judging committees, writers, media figures, people concerned with the culture, and competing students participated in the ceremony.

Some 28 male and female students out of 2,355 participants from 287 private and government schools, Audio Education Complex, and Qatar University were declared winners in this edition of the program. s

At the beginning of the ceremony, Mr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al-Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity expressed his deep delight with the continued success of the program, which is establishing its solid position as a  pioneering national program in discovering and nurturing young writing talents in the State of Qatar. Al Kuwari congratulated the winners and thanked the partners and the supporters of the program.

The Minister of Culture and Sports HE Salah Bin Ghanim Al Ali expressed his happiness with participating in the ceremony. "The continuity of the program confirms that it is being developed regularly and being expanded to provide the literary and intellectual arena with promising writers,” said the Minister.

“We believe that our cultural role is not only to encourage our children to read and write, but also to urge them to love reading and writing.” the Minister added, noting “ That is why we continuously invest in this new generation to make the builders of the future."

Dr. Ibrahim Al Nuaimi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said the winners, who met the challenges of the competition with perseverance, are the best model for an educated generation familiar with books, stories, and novels, thanking all the participants and the winners in the program.

Dr. Hassan bin Rashid Al-Derham, President of Qatar University (QU) was delighted with the participation of hundreds of QU’s students in this program, for which he thanked Qatar Charity.

Qatar Charity valued the participation of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar University,

Qatari Forum for Authors, and Lusail Publishing and Distribution House for continuously supporting the implementation of the program. Qatar Charity also appreciated the Barwa Bank for supporting and sponsoring the program continuously since its first launch. The bank has significantly contributed to the success of the program as part of its social responsibility towards the local community service.

The programme has several phases implemented in cooperation with the partners. The phases include training, screening, interviewing by judges, and printing and signing winning books.

The program sponsor, partners, coordinators, trainers, and judges were honored remotely at the ceremony.

Winners

Lama Jaber Al-Marri, Rahma of Alaa Muhammad, Aisha Muhammad Al-Mansouri topped the list of winners in the category of primary, preparatory and secondary schools for girls, respectively, while Ali Muhammad al-Makki, Muhammad Ayman Sumaida, and Jassim Sultan Al-Muslim won the first positions, respectively, in the category of these schools for boys.

Sarah Saleh Saleh and Mohammed Ahmed Al-Maraghi were declared top winners from the Audio Education Complex, while Bana Salim Al Sahn and Abdul Rahman Jamal Al-Rimi from Qatar University came first and second, respectively, in the categories of QU’s male and female students.

This edition of the program also has second and third winners, both male and female, from each category, as well as from the Audio Education Complex. Qatar University has three winners in the category of female students; however, it has only second and third winners in the category of male students.

4 years of nurturing young writing talents

The “Future’s Writers” programme, since its launch by Qatar Charity in 2017, has managed to nurture 63 young talents of both male and female students in the field of short story writing during its last four seasons.

 Qatar Charity has printed 36 winning stories during the three seasons and get some stories translated into the Russian language, expecting the number will rise to 63 printed stories by completing the works of the fourth season.

The program witnessed a significant rise in the number of participants in each season. Some 137 female students from 32 government preparatory and secondary schools took part in the first season of the programme, while its second season recorded the participation of 375 male and female students from 55 preparatory and secondary schools. Besides, the third season of the programme saw a steep increase in the number of applicants, recoding 1697 male and female participants from 259 primary, preparatory and secondary schools.

Significantly, the programme, for the first time, allowed students with special needs and Qatar University’s male and female students to take part in its fourth season, in which 2355 male and female students from 287 schools, in addition of the students of Qatar University, registered participations. 

The stories of the first edition of the program have been translated into Russian and appeared at the Moscow International Book Fair within the framework of the Qatar-Russia 2018 Year of Culture.

The “Future’s Writers” programme won the Social Responsibility Award in the category of the best national initiative during the 6th Social Responsibility Awards organized by Dar Al Sharq in 2019.