UNESCO re-iterates its readiness to support Qatar on its platforms of education, science and culture to get ready for 2022 with an awareness drive around Qatar. UNESCO congratulates Qatar to their success regarding 2022.  In view of Qatar’s successful bid for the 2022 World Cup UNESCO re-iterates its readiness to support Qatar on its platforms of strengths to get ready for 2022: education, science, and culture. In the forefront of the FIFA's World Cup nomination event in Switzerland, UNESCO arranged for an Environmental Awareness Drive into existing and planned UNESCO sites in Qatar, such as the Al Reem Biosphere reserve, the planned World Heritage Sites Al Zubara Village and Khor al Udayd landscapes, and the locations of the planned Quranic Botanic garden, and the Qatar Museum of Nature. The event took place in the context of the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, and it was sponsored by Volkswagen Middle East, Saad Buzwair Automotive, the Qatar Museums Authority, the Qatar National Hotels Company, and the Sealine Beach Resort. Participants were specialists from the UNESCO Offices in Paris, Bukarest, Ramallah, Cairo, Bagdad, Beirut and Doha, prominent Qatari business persons with an interest in biodiversity conservation, environmental technology, and education, embassy representatives, and representatives from the concerned Qatari authorities. Benno Boer, UNESCO’s Ecological Sciences Advisor in the Arab Region said: “Let’s get ready and start the work – 2022 is just around the corner”.

Background and objectives

UNESCO has done a lot in Qatar, in order to support the Government authorities to identify and establish UNESCO sites and projects. New Government authorities have been formed over the last few years, and existing ones have been reshaped since the last visible push for UNESCO conservation sites in Qatar. It is therefore timely to use a field-excursion as an educational and awareness platform bringing together representatives and experts from the specialized Qatari authorities, embassies, UNESCO specialists, and some important partners from the private sector. The private sector and embassies are especially important, because these UNESCO sites, once professionally managed and conserved, offer not only value for heritage and biodiversity conservation, but they also offer a wide range of business opportunities in the field of environmental tourism, architecture and technology, with a special view to water conservation, energy management, waste management, and education.