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On 29th October, CNN hosted the inaugural Middle East edition of its new events franchise, Global Perspectives: In Doha, Qatar.
The event was opened with remarks from H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, H.E. Sheikh Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani, Chairman of Media City Qatar, and Sir Mark Thompson, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of CNN Worldwide.
More than 600 attendees were present at the Rosewood Doha, where speakers included H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute, Reach Out to Asia, and Qatar Leadership Centre; and Co-Chairperson, Fashion Trust Arabia, Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi, CEO, Qatar Investment Authority, John Kerry, Former Secretary of State of the United States, Tom Barrack, US Ambassador to the Republic of Turkiye and Presidential Special Envoy to Syria and Iraq. They were joined by Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football, and MotoGP Deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta, who flew in ahead of next week’s Qatar MotoGP.
Conversations were moderated by CNN journalists Christiane Amanpour, Wolf Blitzer, Richard Quest, Becky Anderson, Caroline Faraj, Eleni Giokos, and Bijan Hosseini with sessions exploring geopolitics, business, technology, sport and culture, and how the Gulf is increasingly at the forefront of global developments in these fields.
Global Perspectives: In Doha was hosted in partnership with Media City Qatar. Sponsors included Dangote and Qatar Airways.
Key insights from the event
H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said, of Global Perspectives: In Doha, "Gatherings such as this offer a valuable opportunity to bring together people from different backgrounds, industries, and experiences... Understanding different perspectives has never been more important....The challenges we face are increasingly interconnected, and no single perspective can offer all the answers,” he continued, adding that Qatar has “always believed in dialogue.”
H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute, Reach Out to Asia, and Qatar Leadership Centre; and Co-Chairperson, Fashion Trust Arabia, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that culture is "a form of resistance and resilience” amid challenging times.
She acknowledged that artists had been affected by the conflict but believes delaying or cancelling events in aftermath of missile strikes earlier this year would have been like “a sign of defeat.”
“You cannot control the geopolitics because these are decisions done by people outside of our country, but we are playing a leading role in trying to bring people together, de-escalate and form spaces for dialogue,” she said. “What I can control is the agenda and we’re going through the agenda because the people who need it the most, need it now more than ever.”
“We create spaces for creativity because I really believe culture transcends ignorance, arrogance, and we need more empathy in the world."
John Kerry, former US Secretary of State, reacted to reports that President Trump is considering new strikes on Iran, telling CNN's Christiane Amanpour "It would be an enormous mistake just to open up post-election with a military barrage. That is not what will impress the Iranians or bring them to the table in a more serious way. In fact, it will push them away.”
Patrice Motsepe, the President of the Confederation of African Football, said, “Gianni [Infantino] is a very good friend, a very loyal friend. We’ve said very clearly we support Gianni.”
“Governance for us, transparency, ethics, from an African perspective, are critically, critically important,” he said, when pressed by CNN’s Eleni Giokos on why he supports the FIFA boss. “There have been allegations of lack of governance, and it’s a very simple process. If anybody is accused of having either violated governance or behaved in a manner that’s contrary to the rules and regulations, take him to the ethics committee. Let a hearing take place and let judgment be made whether there’s been a violation or not.”
