03 April 2012

SFS-Q’s Qatari Cultural Club recently hosted an informal discussion lead by His Excellency, Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, to help focus the fog surrounding potential career avenues in Qatar’s foreign service.

The initiative was spearheaded by Haya Al Thani and Hessa Al Misnad, executive members of SFS-Q’s Qatari Cultural Club and two of the driving forces in its creation and subsequent cornerstone projects. “Qatari students have a lot of potential; it’s just a matter of exposing them to the choices available to them, which they may be unaware of,” Al Thani explained. “They will take it from there, being very motivated and competent. By inviting H.E. Minister Al Attiyah, we hoped to give Qatari students in Education City the inside-track on what their futures could look like.”

SFS-Q’s Qatari Cultural Club aims to promote and foster the personal and career growth of Qatari students in Education City, providing informative encounters and rich opportunities to learn about Qatar in partnership with fellow students, staff and professors, as well as to engage in holistic endeavors within the local community.

Speaking in Arabic to a gathering of primarily Qatari students, including those enrolled in Northwestern University in Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Al Attiyah made informal introductions, after which students were welcome to share their names, ages and aspirations in life.

Arriving without the customary entourage of a security detail and attachés, Al Attiyah gave a brief introduction and then opened the floor for students to ask anything concerning a career in Qatar’s foreign service. “We need you,” said Al Attiyah, reaffirming the role and importance the students will play in the Qatar of tomorrow. “Each public servant in Qatar at the director’s level has five acts, and this is unsustainable.”

H.E. Minister Al Attiyah repeatedly stressed the high standards of professionalism within Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the prevalent institutional culture of respect for gender equality during this insightful exchange. “No matter whether you are a man or a woman, if you work in Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you may be called to New York, for example, on a day’s notice, and the expectation is that you will perform at the same level. There is no such thing as gender preference in Qatar’s foreign ministry.”

H.E. Minister Al Attiyah continued by describing the broad scope of international relations shaped by Qatar’s foreign policy, noting that a position in Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs could take Qatari students to countries far afield, helping to reinforce Qatar’s reputation for diplomatic peace brokering and its open dialogue with counterparts of varying political persuasions.

In response to a question as to why he travels without entourage, H.E. Minister Al Attiyah clarified, “The quality of governance in Qatar ensures a certain level of safety for members of state in Qatar that is not often seen elsewhere. In Qatar, we believe in 360 degree diplomacy. We don’t do enemies.”