Qatar can bring the world together on climate change: QF official

Omran al-Kuwari at the Ministerial Thematic Forum.

Qatar can bridge the global North-South divide and take a key role in driving forward the “difficult conversation” about how to tackle climate change, a Qatar Foundation (QF) sustainability expert told an international energy-focused United Nations event. Omran Hamad al-Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Foundation International and a climate technology and energy transition adviser, emphasised that rising temperatures will affect the Gulf more than many other regions, meaning its nations have a “vested interest” in taking action to mitigate global warming. Speaking at the Ministerial Thematic Forum on energy transitions – held ahead of the UN’s High-Level Dialogue on Energy, which will take place in September – he also explained how Qatar was ahead of the global curve in committing to building a more sustainable society, with QF at the forefront. “In Qatar, we see ourselves as being part of a place where the difficult conversation between the Global South and the Global North on climate change and the energy transition can happen,” al-Kuwari told the forum. “With our geography, our leadership, and our resources, we feel we can move this conversation forward in a responsible manner.