Doha Debates produces and distributes debate and interview programs, video reports and interactive content. The franchise's products include debates, interview series, podcasts, the #SolvingIt series, digital video reports, Deep Dive education curriculum, and the interactive Doha Portal. Doha Debates is funded by

Qatar Foundation The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development () is a state-led non-profit organization in Qatar, founded in 1995 by then-List of emirs of Qatar, emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Moza bint Nasser Al-Miss ...

. Doha Debates' content, production and distribution partners have included the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, TED, ''Foreign Policy'', the

Paris Peace Forum The Paris Peace Forum is a French non-profit organisation created in March 2018. The organisation hosts an annual gathering of world leaders and heads of international organisations, as well as leaders from civil society and private sectors and ...

, the

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and compo ...

NowThis News NowThis Media is an American progressive social media-focused media organization founded in 2012. The company specializes in creating short-form videos. Their target audience are Gen Z and Millennials. History NowThis was founded by ''Huff ...

Vox Media Vox Media, Inc. is an American mass media company founded in Washington, D.C. with operational headquarters in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in November 2011 by CEO Jim Bankoff and Trei Brundrett to encompass ''S ...

, Shared Studios, Fortify Rights, Doha Forum,

Rappler Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripples") is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and convicted cyberlibelist ...

and

eNCA eNCA, also known as eNews Channel Africa, is a 24-hour television news broadcaster owned by e.tv that focuses on African stories and events. Launched in June 2008, the channel is South Africa's first and most-watched 24-hour news service. Th ...

. Doha Debates' managing director is Amjad Atallah, who previously served as a news executive at Al Jazeera America and co-founded

Women for Women International Women for Women International (WfWI) is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides practical and moral support to female survivors of war. WfWI helps such women rebuild their lives after war's devastation through a year-long tiered prog ...

. Re-launched in 2018, Doha Debates' initial iteration ran from 2005 to 2012, when the debate program was televised by

BBC World News BBC News is an international English-language pay television channel owned by BBC Global News Ltd. – a subsidiary of BBC Studios – and operated by the BBC News division of the BBC. The network carries news bulletins, documentaries, an ...

History

Founded in 2005, the original Doha Debates programs were moderated by former BBC correspondent and interviewer

Tim Sebastian Tim Sebastian (born 13 March 1952) is an English television journalist and novelist. He is the moderator of ''Conflict Zone'' and '' New Arab Debates'' on Deutsche Welle. He previously worked for the BBC, where he hosted ''Doha Debates'' and w ...

, with

as the sponsor. Televised eight times a year by

until 2012, the debates were based on the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest unive ...

format. They focused on a single, controversial motion, with two speakers for and against. Once they outlined their arguments, each speaker was questioned by the chairman and the discussion was then opened up to the audience for argument and a final electronic vote. Topics included torture, terrorism and suicide bombings, political turmoil and human rights. Past motions questioned whether it was time to talk to

Al Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

, whether

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

had the right to fight a war on

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

's behalf, and whether the pro-

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

lobby was successfully stifling criticism of the country's actions. Special events featuring Q&A sessions with a single guest included figures such as

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

Mohamed El Baradei Mohamed Mostafa ElBaradei (, ; born 17 June 1942) is an Egyptian law scholar and diplomat who served as the vice president of Egypt on an interim basis from 14 July 2013 until his resignation on 14 August 2013. He was the Director General of th ...

Shimon Peres Shimon Peres ( ; ; born Szymon Perski, ; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the president of Israel from 2007 t ...

, Amre Moussa,

Ayad Allawi Ayad Allawi (; also spelled Iyad or Eyad; born 31 May 1944) is an Iraqi-British politician and neurologist. He served as the vice president of Iraq from 2014 to 2015 and 2016 to 2018. Previously he was interim prime minister of Iraq from 2004 to ...

, and Mahmoud Zahar.

Debates

Doha Debates' marquee debate series resumed in 2019 with a new host and format.

Ghida Fakhry Ghida Fakhry () is a Lebanese-British journalist. She was a lead anchor for the global news channel Al Jazeera English at its launch in Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and was later one of the primary anchors at the network's headquarters in ...

hosts and moderates the programs with contributions from correspondent

Nelufar Hedayat Nelufar Hedayat (born 1 January 1988) is a British journalist and presenter who hosts the podcast Course Correction and is the correspondent for Doha Debates. She has worked in television across the BBC, as well as on Channel 4, Netflix, Fusion ...

and bridge-building "connector" Govinda Clayton. Each program features 3-4 debaters, with each debate including a constructive consensus-targeted "majlis" session. Programs include two audience votes on speaker positions, as well as feedback from viewers around the world. Most 2019 and 2020 debate programs have been hosted in Doha's

Education City Education City is an educational and research hub located in Al Rayyan, Al Rayyan Municipality in the Doha Metropolitan Area of Qatar. Developed by the Qatar Foundation, it was established by Moza bint Nasser, one of the consorts of Qatar's form ...

, with 2019 debates also held at the

, the TEDSummit in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The debate programs since the 2019 re-launch of the debate series: * 26 February 2019, Doha: Global refugee crisis. Debaters: Muzoon Almellehan,

Marc Lamont Hill Marc Lamont Hill (born December 17, 1978) is an American academic, author, activist, and television personality. He is a professor of urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. He is the host of '' UpFront'' on Al Jazeera Eng ...

, Douglas Murray. * April 3, 2019, Doha: Artificial intelligence. Debaters:

Nick Bostrom Nick Bostrom ( ; ; born 10 March 1973) is a Philosophy, philosopher known for his work on existential risk, the anthropic principle, human enhancement ethics, whole brain emulation, Existential risk from artificial general intelligence, superin ...

Joy Buolamwini Joy Adowaa Buolamwini is a Canadian-American computer scientist and digital activist formerly based at the MIT Media Lab. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League (AJL), an organization that works to challenge bias in decision-making software ...

, Dex Torricke-Barton. * 24 July 2019, TEDSummit, Edinburgh: Globalization. Debaters:

Medea Benjamin Medea Benjamin (born Susan Benjamin on September 10, 1952) is an American political activist who, along with Jodie Evans and others, co-founded Code Pink.

Sisonke Msimang Sisonke Msimang is a South African-Australian writer, activist and political analyst based in Perth, Western Australia, whose focus is on race, gender, and politics. She is known for her memoir ''Always Another Country: A memoir of exile and ho ...

Parag Khanna Parag Khanna is an Indian-born strategy advisor and author. He is Founder & CEO of AlphaGeo, an AI based geospatial predictive analytics platform. Early life and education Khanna was born in Kanpur, India. His childhood was spent between India ...

. * 10 September 2019, Cape Town:

Water scarcity Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity. One is ''physical.'' The other is ''economic water scarcity''. Physic ...

. Debaters: Yana Abu Taleb,

Georgie Badiel Sherryl Roslin Recierdo, Filipino,5th child, born and raised in Philippines. CEO of Sherryl’s Food Traiding established since 2020. Owner of CDX Car aircon repair services. Biography Born February 7, 1985, she had taken on the issue of the ...

, Obakeng Leseyane. * 23 October 2019, Doha: Capitalism. Debaters:

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim Dr. Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim () GCSK (born 17 October 1959) is a Mauritian politician and biodiversity scientist who served as the sixth president of Mauritius from 2015 to 2018. In December 2014, she was selected to be the presidential ...

Anand Giridharadas Anand Giridharadas () is an American journalist and political pundit. He is a former columnist for ''The New York Times''. He is the author of four books: ''India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation's Remaking'' (2011), ''The True American: ...

Jason Hickel Jason Edward Hickel (born 1982) is an anthropologist and professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Hickel's research and writing focuses on economic anthropology and development, and is particularly opposed to capitalism, neocolonial ...

. * 12 November 2019, Paris Peace Forum: Loss of trust. Debaters: Brett Hennig, Toni Lane Casserly, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein. * 9 March 2020, Doha: Gender equality. Debaters:

Randa Abdel-Fattah Randa Abdel-Fattah (; born 1979) is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction. She is an advocate for Palestinian people and human rights in general, and much of her work focuses on identity and what it means to be Muslim in Australia. H ...

Christina Hoff Sommers Christina Marie Hoff Sommers (born September 28, 1950) is an American author and philosopher. Specializing in ethics, she is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Sommers is known for her critique of contemporary feminism. Her ...

, Ayishat Akanbi. * 11 March 2020, Doha: Future of genetics. Debaters: Jamie Metzl, Katie Hasson, Julian Savulescu. * 20 July 2020, virtual: Socialism. Debaters:

Fatima Bhutto Fatima Bhutto (; , born 29 May 1982) is a Pakistani writer and columnist. Born in Kabul, she is the daughter of politician Murtaza Bhutto, sister of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr, niece of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and granddaugh ...

, Tabata Amaral, Lord

William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...

. * 20 September 2020, virtual: Global Cooperation. Debaters:

Leymah Gbowee Leymah Roberta Gbowee (born 1 February 1972) is a Liberian peace activist responsible for leading a women's non-violent peace movement, Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace that helped bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Her ...

Ece Temelkuran Ece Temelkuran (born 22 July 1973) is a Turkish journalist and author. Biography Ece Temelkuran was born on 22 July 1973 in İzmir. She was a columnist for ''Milliyet'' (2000–2009) and ''Habertürk'' (2009 January 2012), and a presenter on Hab ...

Yanis Varoufakis Ioannis Georgiou "Yanis" Varoufakis (; born 24 March 1961) is a Greek economist and politician. Since 2018, he has been Secretary-General of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), a left-wing pan-European political party he co-founde ...

. * 04 November 2021, virtual: Climate change. Debaters:

Naomi Klein Naomi Klein (born May 8, 1970) is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses; support of ecofeminism, organized labour, and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism and Criticism of capitalism, ca ...

, Bjorn Lomborg, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim. In 2023, it was announced that comedian and actor "Mo"

Mohammed Amer Mohammed Mustafa Amer (; born July 24, 1981) is a Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for his Netflix comedy special ''Mo Amer: The Vagabond'' and as a member of the comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny. Amer also appeared ...

would host the upcoming series of debates.

Town Halls

In March 2022, Doha Debates launched its Town Hall series with a conversation with

Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai (; , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani female education activist, film and television producer, and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17. She is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history, ...

, the youngest-ever

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

laureate. * March 2022: The importance of girls' education in Afghanistan. Discussion participants included members of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team. The program was hosted at the

Qatar National Library Qatar National Library (QNL) is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of Qatar Foundation.Qatar National Library.About the library." Retrieved 2014-12-14. The plans for the new national library were announced by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, c ...

. * October 2022: Genetic editing and disability. The discussion was co-moderated by Nelufar Hedayat and Dr. Victor Pineda, president of World Enabled. The program was hosted at Qatar Foundation’s World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH). * December 2022: The future of Palestinian identity. The discussion "explored what Palestinian identity means in the face of the global diaspora and 75 years of statelessness." Discussion participants included Professor Dr. Tariq Dana, Palestinian activist

Ahed Tamimi Ahed Tamimi (, also romanized ''Ahd''; born 31 January 2001) is a Palestinian activist from the village of Nabi Salih in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Best known for appearances in photos and videos in which she confronts Israeli soldiers, ...

and Palestinian American comedian and disability advocate

Maysoon Zayid Maysoon Zayid () is an American actress and comedian. Of Palestinian descent, she is known as one of America's first Muslim women comedians. Early life Zayid was born in New Jersey in 1974. She described herself in a BBC interview as "a Palesti ...

. * November 2023: Orientalist art. The discussion was moderated by Dena Takruri and participants included author

and journalist Inaya Folarin Iman. * December 2023: Who should lead in a multipolar world? The discussion participants included politician Sawsan Chebli and president of Al Sharq Forum Wadah Khanfar. The program was hosted in partnership with Doha Forum.

#DearWorldLive

In April 2020, in response to the global COVID-19 crisis, Doha Debates launched a weekly coronavirus-focused interview series called #DearWorldLive.

hosts the virtual show, which each week examines a different aspect of the coronavirus and its impact on people and the world. Programs to date: * 14 April 2020: Inside India's massive lockdown. Guests: Jayati Ghosh, Ravi Mishra. * 21 April 2020: COVID-19's threats to refugees. Guests:

Filippo Grandi Filippo Grandi (born 30 March 1957) is an Italian diplomat and United Nations official, currently serving as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He previously served as Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agenc ...

, Jamilah Sherally, Immad Ahmed, Shafiqur Rahma/n * 28 April 2020: Disability rights for COVID-19. Guests: Maysoon Zeyed, Nawaal Akram, Tanni Grey-Thompson. * 5 May 2020: The climate crisis and coronavirus. Guests: Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Zeke Hausfather, Obakeng Leseyane. * 12 May 2020: Mental health in the time of COVID. Guests: Suleika Jaouad, Dr. Jan Emannuel De Nive, Dr. Kamran Ahmed, Dana Aal Ali. * 19 May 2020: How to stay connected while physical distancing. Guests: Priya B. Parker, Dr. Govinda Clayton. * 26 May 2020: Education and the coronavirus. Guests: Sherrie Westin, David Moinina Sengeh, Larry Rosenstock. * 2 June 2020: The coronavirus pandemic and gender inequality. Guests:

Alaa Murabit Alaa Murabit M.D. (; born October 1989) is a Libyan-Canadian physician, policy maker, and strategist focused on health, inclusive security, and sustainable development. She created the Voice of Libyan Women at age 21 and played a key role in ad ...

Ziauddin Yousafzai Ziauddin Yousafzai (; ; born 20 April 1969) is a Pakistani educational entrepreneur and activist best known as the father of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who protested against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan opposition to the education rights ...

. * 9 September 2020: UN Youth Plenary special edition – The world's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests: Paloma Costa Oliveira, Felix Feider, Obakeng Leseyane.

Podcasts

Course Correction

In January 2020, Doha Debates unveiled its Course Correction podcast series in which host

"immerses herself in humanity's greatest challenges." The 2020

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

played host to Course Correction's live audience debut, with Hedayat interviewing

founder and CEO

Maria Ressa Maria Angelita Ressa (; born Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo on October 2, 1963) is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in ...

and Ramona Diaz, whose "A Thousand Cuts" documentary on Ressa and Rappler premiered at Sundance. Other 2020 Course Correction interview subjects included

Khan Academy Khan Academy is an American non-profit educational organization created in 2006 by Sal Khan. Its goal is to create a set of online tools that help educate students. The organization produces short video lessons. Its website also includes suppl ...

founder

Sal Khan Salman Amin Khan (born October 11, 1976) is an American educator and the founder of Khan Academy, a free online non-profit educational platform with which he has produced over 6,500 video lessons teaching a wide spectrum of academic ...

, global strategy adviser

, economic anthropologist Jason Hickel, journalist

, Jordanian diplomat Zeid

Ra'ad al-Hussein Raad or Ra'ad may refer to: Military * Raad (air defense system), Iranian air defense system * Ra'ad (air-launched cruise missile), or Hatf-VIII, Pakistani weapon ** Ra'ad-II * Ra'ad (anti-ship missile), Iranian weapon * RAAD (anti-tank guided mis ...

, water rights advocate

, author

, Algorithmic Justice League founder

and Hedayat's mother, Patuni.

The Negotiators

In October 2021,

Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

and Doha Debates launched a jointly-produced podcast series called "The Negotiators." Hosted by

Deputy Editor Jennifer Williams, the podcast features interviews with key players in big international dealmaking. Topics include the Paris climate agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Nigerian #BringBackOurGirls campaign. The podcast has won several awards, including Best Podcast in 2024 from

WAN-IFRA The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization made up of 76 national newspaper associations, 12 news agencies, 10 regional press organisations, and many individual newspaper ex ...

The Long Game

In November 2021, ''

'' and Doha Debates debuted "The Long Game," their second jointly-produced podcast series. American Olympic medalist

Ibtihaj Muhammad Ibtihaj Muhammad (born December 4, 1985) is an American sabre fencer, author, entrepreneur and Olympic medalist. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics in hijab, the first American Muslim wom ...

hosts the podcast, which, according to ''Foreign Policy'', "highlights stories of courage and conviction on and off the field. From athletes who are breaking barriers for women and girls to a Syrian refugee swimmer who overcame the odds to compete at the Paralympics, the show examines the power of sport to change the world for the better."

Lana

In March 2023, Doha Debates launched its first Arabic-language podcast, Lana, in partnership with Jordanian podcast company Sowt ("lana" is the Arabic word for "ours"). The podcast is hosted by Rawaa Augé, an

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

on-air host and producer who previously served as a news presenter at

and

France 24 France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned publicly funded international news television network based in Paris. Its channels, broadcast in French, English, Arabic and Spanish, are aimed at the overseas market. Based in the Paris suburb ...

. Lana tackles major global issues, with Doha Debates' Japhet Weeks saying, “It’s about challenging your own viewpoints by listening to other intelligent, young voices.”

Doha Debates Podcast

In May 2023, Doha Debates launched "Doha Debates Podcast," their first podcast to include a video format. The podcast has a rotating series of hosts, including journalists Karen Given, Afia Pokua, Mariya Karimjee and Joshua Johnson.

Necessary Tomorrows

In January 2024, Doha Debates launched "Necessary Tomorrows," a sci-fi podcast mixing fiction and nonfiction. The series was produced in collaboration with Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios, and is presented by

Podcasts. The first episode of "Necessary Tomorrows" premiered at the 2023

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

as one of their official podcast selections.

#SolvingIt

Doha Debates' Instagram series "celebrates the next generation of leaders whose vision and work inspire hope and real change." Since its debut in August 2019, the #SolvingIt series has saluted trailblazers, including climate change activist

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3January 2003) is a Swedish climate activist, climate and political activist initially known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action to climate change mitigation, mitigate the effec ...

, education advocate

, Black Lives Matter protesters, human rights champion

Nadia Murad Nadia Murad Basee Taha (; ; born 10 March 1993) is an Iraqi-born Yazidi human rights activist based in Germany. In 2014, during the Yazidi genocide by the Islamic State, she was abducted from her hometown of Kocho in Iraq. Much of her communi ...

, water rights advocate

, Algorithmic Justice League founder

, U.S. Climate Strike Executive Director Isra Hirsi, "Cybercode Twins" America and Penelope Lopez, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, Congresswoman

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989), also known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the United States House of Representatives, US representative for New York's 14th congressional distric ...

, human rights activist Mahmoud Abugrin, environmental advocates Melati and Isabel Wijsen,

founder and CEO

, Digital Citizens Fund founder Roya Mahboob, disability rights advocate Nawaal Akram, World Central Kitchen founder

José Andrés José Ramón Andrés Puerta (; born 13 July 1969) is a Spanish-American chef and restaurateur. Born in Spain, he moved to the United States in the early 1990s and since then, he has opened restaurants in several American cities. He has won a num ...

, Syrian refugee advocate Bana al-Abed, the Parkland High School students, and UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake. In September 2021, ahead of the November

2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, coun ...

, Doha Debates announced the #SolvingIt26, showcasing 26 extraordinary young climate activists around the world. Honorees were from 22 nations on six continents. The honorees were showcased in a #SolvingIt26 social media campaign in the weeks leading up to the 2021 Climate Change Conference.

Video reports

Doha Debates' short films include: * ''(Un)divided'', 2019: A violent clash at a "Love Trumps Hate" rally results in a surprisingly constructive conversation between an Iraqi-American Muslim student, Amina, and a Trump supporter afraid of Muslims until meeting Amina. Filmmaker: Paul Raila. * ''The Waitlist'', 2019: Exposé on the challenges asylum seekers face at the U.S.-Mexican border. Filmmakers: Natasha Pizzey and James Fredrick. * ''The Invisibles'', 2020: In Italy, migrant labor union leader Aboubakar Soumahoro rallies farmhands as they fight for their rights amid the coronavirus epidemic. Filmmakers: Carola Mamberto and Diana Ferrero.

Deep Dive

In 2020, Doha Debates introduced a debates-related "Deep Dive" education curriculum for high school and university teachers and students. Curriculum topics are derived from the marquee debate programs, with each topic having its own lesson plan, including active learning, collaborative learning discussions, student motivation and participation, and writing assignments. The lessons include video excerpts from related debate programs.

Doha Portal

In Doha, Doha Debates hosts a mobile Shared Studios Portal, allowing members of the public to interact in real-time with users at more than 40 locations worldwide as if they are in the same room, creating a virtual majlis to discuss debate topics. Doha Portal interactive sessions have taken place from the Qatar National Library and other sites in Doha's Education City, as well as the Doha Forum. In January 2019, the Doha Portal was featured in a Doha Debates TED Salon called "Up for Debate," a session of TED-curated talks about the importance of civic discourse and debate. In November and December 2022, the Portal was a featured attraction at the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

Fan Zone FIFA Unity Pavilion, bringing fans together virtually for conversations with football fans and others in Portals around the world. The Doha Portal's visitors included Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, who spoke with young people in Kigali, Rwanda.

Ambassador Program

In August 2021, Doha Debates launched the inaugural edition of its Ambassador Program with 36 young participants chosen from among hundreds of applicants around the world. The solutions-focused initiative is meant "to empower a new generation of changemakers with the knowledge, tools, and relationships to bring positive change to their communities."

Honors

Doha Debates' honors include: * ''(Un)Divided'', Platinum Award, 2019 Spotlight Film Awards. Best Documentary Short. * ''The Waitlist'', Spotlight Silver Award, 2019 Spotlight Documentary Film Awards, December 2019 award winners. * ''Water Scarcity Debate in Cape Town'', finalist, 4th Annual Shorty Social Good Awards. Environment & Sustainability, live streaming. * Fortify Rights/Doha Debates Rohingya Instagram Fellows, finalist, 12th Annual Shorty Awards. Instagram. * #Solving It, 2nd place, 2020 North American Digital Media Awards. Social media engagement. * ''Water Scarcity Debate'', nominee, 2020 Digiday Media Awards. Best Live Event. * #Solving It, nominee, 12th Annual Shorty Awards, honoring the best in social media. Social good campaign.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doha Debates Mass media in Qatar Political debates 2005 establishments in Qatar 2018 establishments in Qatar