Ashraf Siddiqui

Doha Forum 2024, which concluded in Doha on Sunday, was a highly successful event. It was held under the theme ‘Inevitability of Innovation’.

The Forum drew statesmen, global leaders, experts, educationists, think tank members, diplomats, and members of civil society from around the world to address pressing challenges and promote collaboration.

The key speakers during the closing ceremony included UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, and Qatar’s Minister of State HE Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, among others.

Yang praised Qatar for fostering dialogue and cooperation, emphasizing their importance for peace and progress.

Al-Khulaifi highlighted the role of innovation in addressing global issues.

The two-day forum explored topics like geopolitical tensions, security, crises, and technological advancements, proposing solutions to global challenges.

Participants representing diverse regions and trades from various corners of the world shared their views with Qatar Tribune.

Yuriy Kamelchuk, Member Parliament, of the Republic of Ukraine, responsible for security policy, said, it was a great conference, which has a huge tradition, being the 22nd event of its kind organised by Qatar. He thanked Qatar for “the great hospitality, great networking opportunity, and extremely interesting agenda”.

He said, “I look forward to the developments in geopolitics, technology, economy, and all that is relevant and disruptive in the modern world, like the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. We had several meetings with the local authorities and universities and also bilateral meetings with the conference participants.”

Akira Tsuchiya, president of The Global Institute, said that global fora like the Doha Forum, World Economic Forum, UNGA, IMF, World Bank and Munich Security Conference play crucial roles in shaping global governance discussions.

“Traditionally, these dialogues have been Western-dominated, but platforms like the Doha Forum and the government summit in Dubai have amplified Arab voices in global conversations.”

He added that over the past 20 years, the Doha Forum has been pivotal in facilitating dialogue, bringing diverse perspectives together, “including key figures like Lavrov and the Iranian foreign minister. This year’s forum emphasized practical solutions and urgent negotiations, addressing interconnected regional issues and fostering a coordinated approach to peace and progress”.

Stephane Vincent, the advisor on Cyber security and e-governance in the Caribbean state of Haiti, and a first-time participant at the 22nd Doha Forum, praised the event as “a well-organized platform fostering collaboration among global leaders to address humanity’s challenges”.

He highlighted the region’s primary issue: outdated legal frameworks that hinder effective cLybersecurity strategies. He emphasized the need for legislative updates to address cybercrimes, fake news, and misinformation, which heavily impact societies, particularly older generations.

He advocated training skilled professionals in cybersecurity and learning from robust models like the EU’s GDPR and Digital Services Act to build a resilient digital ecosystem.