Signed as part of the extension of the Executive Master in Development Policies and Practices (DPP) to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the new partnership with the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) offers the Institute new prospects for developing collaborations in the Middle East.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha will become the new hub of the DPP for the MENA region, and a number of scholarship opportunities will be available thanks to the Qatar Scholarship Programme, provided by the State of Qatar and managed by the Qatar Fund for Development.

Specifically, the Qatar Scholarship Programme aims to create future leaders capable of contributing to the development of their country and the wider global community. The programme also supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which seeks to ensure fair and inclusive education and enhanced lifelong learning for all.

Ali Abdulla Al Dabbagh, Deputy Director General of Planning for the Qatar Fund for Development, stated "The State of Qatar, through the Qatar Fund For Development, confirms its commitment supporting SDG4 around the world, and offers this unique opportunity of collaboration with HBKU and the Graduate Institute to shape future leaders capable of contributing to the development of their country and the humanity. Those future leaders will be able to benefit from the advanced infrastructure and facilities available at the Education City of the Qatar Foundation, a campus housing the world’s leading educational institutes, a homegrown research university, start-up incubators, technology parks, heritage sites and cultural institutions.
As Qatar is an international hub for education, we believe that the Qatar Scholarship Programme is a continuation effort and reflection of Qatar’s commitment to support quality education globally, especially in Least Developed Countries."

Speaking after the agreement was confirmed, Dr. M. Evren Tok, Assistant Dean for Innovation and Community Develoment and Associate Professor, College of Islamic Studies, HBKU, said: “We are naturally delighted that HBKU will play a major part in developing this partnership. The Graduate Institute’s DPP offers working professionals from across the global south an unparalleled opportunity to influence the development and policy-making agenda of their home countries. Thanks to Qatar’s unique position at a pivotal global crossroads, we are confident that future students will see the logic in studying for the DPP at HBKU. To this end, we are already looking forward to welcoming our first cohort and strengthening our ties with the Graduate Institute in Geneva.”

The director of the DPP programme, Dr. Alexandre Dormeier Freire, added: “Thanks to the support of QFFD, we were able to jointly launch the DPP in the MENA region with HBKU. Already present in Latin America, Francophone and Anglophone Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, the DPP is now expanding into the MENA region and will become the largest community of development professionals in the world. This will enable us to foster innovative solutions to the many development challenges we will face in the coming years, while respecting our differences and diversity. We are convinced that this partnership with Qatari institutions will give a new impetus to the programme and foster relations between our two countries”.   

An online presentation of the DPP programme for candidates coming from the MENA region will take place on 29 June, at 12:00 (local time Geneva). Register here>

Read the press release published in the Gulftimes