Minister of Municipality H E Dr. Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie (second right), Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Abdullah Al Thani (third right), Minister of Environment and Climate Change H E Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani (fifth right) and QU President Dr. Omar Al Ansari (fourth right) and other officials during the opening of the 6th International Conference ‘Entrepreneurship for Sustainability and Impact’ at the Cultural Zone, Expo 2023. PIC: Rajan Vadakkemuriyil
Doha, Qatar: The 6th International Conference ‘Entrepreneurship for Sustainability and Impact’ (ESI) hosted by Qatar University kicked off yesterday under the theme ‘Tackling Grand Challenges for a Sustainable Future.’ The conference aims to explore practical strategies to address critical issues in the region and globally, ranging from climate change, food and water scarcity, social inequality, and energy instability.
The conference runs until October 19 and is hosted by the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Organisational Excellence (CEOE) under the College of Business and Economics at QU. The opening session was attended by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Abdullah Al Thani; Minister of Municipality H E Dr. Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, H E Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani and QU President Dr. Omar Al Ansari. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, Stephanie Rambler delivered the keynote.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Commerce and Industry stressed the importance of the conference as a platform to join many business leaders and entrepreneurs in innovation to exchange experiences, discover the best practices and explore alternative solutions that would help the environment and boost business expansion.
“This conference, which is one of the most important in the MENA region, is a bridge between researchers and businesses to create fruitful collaborations. It is an opportunity to launch businesses in different fields and is in line with the goals of the Expo 2023,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
He added that through the MoCI, Qatar prioritises small and medium companies due to their importance to development, aligning with the country’s vision. He said the ministry has provided a suitable environment for businesses to innovate and thrive while fostering a culture of modernisation to meet contemporary challenges. The minister added that food security and how to eradicate desertification are major areas of concentration for the country to combat climate change and sustainability.
QU President Dr. Al Ansari noted that the world faces several challenges, and the conference targets these obstacles as they affect sustainability. He said these challenges “require pressing solutions, and this cannot be achieved by the traditional attitudes but implementing sustainable solutions, and this is the chance for entrepreneurs to provide the solutions.”
Dr. Al Ansari said as part of Qatar’s vision to develop the country, entrepreneurs and creatives are cornerstones to build a sustainable society and lead innovation to complement the government’s efforts. He added that the conference will contribute to creating ideas and a positive impact, creating a sustainable economy.
Meanwhile, Dean of the College of Business and Economics, QU Professor Rana Sobh, said organisers received around 330 research contributions from 50 countries, with 27% of those from Qatar. Speaking about sustainability and business, she said the purpose of business itself is evolving towards a more holistic approach to value creation, where profitability and positive environmental and societal impacts are not mutually exclusive to global challenges.
She emphasised that with the evolving landscape, business schools cannot make an impact by operating in silos within the confines of their establishment but by collaborating to tackle challenges and encouraging innovation.
“We need to collaborate and reach out to our stakeholders from outside academia, practitioners from the industry and decision and policymakers from the government and semi-government institutions. And this is the reason we wanted this conference to be different. By bringing academics and stakeholders from outside academia together, we aim for this conference to catalyse tangible change,” Dr. Sobh said.
She disclosed that Qatar will open a Space and Frontier Technology Hub in 2024, while for the first time in the region, the MENA Business Schools Alliance for Sustainability (MEBAS) will be launched today.
Several panel sessions, including Agriculture and Waste Management: Opportunities and Impact; Industrial Sector and Circular Economy for Sustainability, and workshops were also held as part of the conference.
