Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari ( ar, حمد بن عبد العزيز الكوّاري; born 1 January 1948) is a Qatari diplomat and politician. Dr. Al-Kuwari serves as State Minister with rank of Deputy Prime Minister. He is currently President of Qatar National Library and was formerly the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar (2008-2016). He was previously the Ambassador of Qatar to France, the United States,

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

and the UN. Dr. Al-Kuwari was a candidate in 2017 election of the Director-General of UNESCO. He is married and the father of three children.

Biography

Education

Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari holds a bachelor's degree in Arabic and

Islamic studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

from Cairo University ( Faculty of Dar al-Ulum), which he obtained in 1970. He also holds a master's degree Diploma from Saint Joseph Jesuit University in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

which he attended between 1974 and 1977. He then studied

political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, ...

Paris-Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; french: Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV) was a public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the Universit ...

in Paris in 1980 and completed a PhD in

Political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

at the Stony Brook University (New York) in 1990. He speaks Arabic, English and French.

Career

Early career and diplomacy

Between 1972 and 1974, he started his diplomatic career as chargé d'affaires in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. He was appointed ambassador of Qatar in Syria from 1974 to 1979 then in France (1979–84). During that time he was also non-resident ambassador in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. From 1984 to 1990, he was Qatar's ambassador next the

Headquarters of the United Nations zh, 联合国总部大楼french: Siège des Nations uniesrussian: Штаб-квартира Организации Объединённых Наций es, Sede de las Naciones Unidas , image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004.jpg , im ...

while also running the non-resident embassies to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and Canada. He was then appointed ambassador to the United States (1990–92) and non-resident ambassador to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Ministerial functions

Dr Hamad Al-Kuwari was appointed Qatar's Minister of Information and Culture in 1992. Between 1992 and 1996 he brought an end to censorship regulations on newspapers and publications, and in 1997 closed the doors of the Ministry of Information. This initiative expanding the freedom of information would eventually lead to the creation of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom in 2007. He was appointed Minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage on July 1, 2008. He was the first person to ever hold this position. In 2010, he presided at the 17th Conference of Arab Ministers of Culture. Whilst in office,

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

was named the 2010 Arab Capital of Culture. 2012 marked the launch of the "Year of Culture" initiative, launched to foster cooperation and exchanges between Qatar and other partner countries. Partners include the United Kingdom (2012), Japan (2013),

(2014),

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

(2015), China (2016) and Germany (2017). This project is a collaboration between the two main Qatari cultural institutions, the Qatar Museums Authority and the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage. The board is co-chaired by Sheikha Al-Mayassa Al Thani and Dr Hamad Al-Kuwari. In February 2016, Dr. Al-Kuwari was named as an Adviser at the Amiri Diwan (the Royal Palace of Qatar).

Functions in International Organisations

From 1979 to 1984, he was the Ambassador to France as well as the reprensentant for Qatar at UNESCO. During his tenure as Ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1990, Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari also represented Qatar as official delegate to the UN for the country. During that time, he was simultaneously elected Deputy Chairman of the

General Assembly of the United Nations The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

at its fortieth session and Chairman of the Special Political Committee (4th Committee) at its 42nd session. In 1987, he was elected Vice President of the Committee Against Apartheid and Member of the Trustee board of directors of the "

Dag Hammarskjöld Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld ( , ; 29 July 1905 – 18 September 1961) was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 196 ...

" Commemoration. He has also represented Qatar at the conferences of the

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...

. From 1997 to 2014, he was member of the Advisory Board of the

Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...

(GCC). In 2012, he presided at the UNCTAD XIII 2012 (

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

). In September 2012, Dr Hamad Al-Kuwari was elected Honorary Chairman of the 25th Universal Postal Congress. Passionate about the French language and culture, he presided over Qatar's delegation to l'

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

(OIF) in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

in 2012, which accepted Qatar as an associated member in the Organisation.

Other functions

* Member of the Consultative Authority for the High Council of GCC. * Member of the board of directors of the Rand-Qatar Policy Institute. * Co-founder and chairman of the Advisory Council of the Doha Center for Media Freedom. * President of Higher Committee for 2010 Arab Capital of Culture. * Head of the Committee of State Awards, Qatar. * Head of the Committee of Qatar Award for Child Literature. * Co-founder of the

Arab World Institute The ''Institut du Monde Arabe'', French for Arab World Institute, abbreviated ''IMA'', is an organization founded in Paris in 1980 by France with 18 Arab countries to research and disseminate information about the Arab world and its cultural an ...

, established in 1980. * Chairman of the Qatar Businessmen Association (2008). * Vice Chairman of “Al-Jazeera” and Managing Director * Member of the Board of Trustees of Qatar National Library * Co-Chairman of the Consultative Board of North Western University in Qatar

Distinctions

* Awarded the 25th of October 2017 by the Emir of Qatar the Ribbon of Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the highest Qatari distinction. * Awarded PhD Honoris Causa by the University of Rome Tor Vergata. * Awarded “Man of the Arab Heritage 2016" by the Arab Centre for Tourism Media in recognition of his efforts to preserve Arab history and heritage. * Decorated with the French honorific Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, in 2014. * Decorated with the French "

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

", title of Commander, in 1984. * Presented with National Order of Merit by the President of the French Republic in 1980. * Presented with Badges of Honour by Italy, Spain, Syria and Jordan. * Decorated with a medal from the Queen of The Netherlands. * Decorated with the Polish Golden

Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

.Allocution de S.E. Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Ministre de la Culture, des Arts et du Patrimoine du Qatar (2 février 2014)
, ambafrance, February 3, 2014

Publications

* Dialectics of Conflicts and Settlements ( Jadal Al-Maarik Wa Al-Teswiyat): Cairo: Dar Al-Moustaqbal Al-Arabi, 2001 * The Deficient Knowledge (Al-Maarifa Al-Naqisa): Beirut: Reyadh Al-Rayes, 2005 * Global Majlis: Qatar: HBKU Press, 2016

References

External links

Notes : The two following links (official biography from Qatar government) contain all the information about the Minister's education, early career and diplomacy, and the beginning of his ministerial functions.
Qatar cultural portal – official biography of Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari

Qatar general secretariat of the council of ministers – HE Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari