Association of Arab Universities Names His Excellency Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister of State and President of Qatar National

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Library, as 2025 Personality of the Year for Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development

Doha, Qatar, 4 December 2025: The Second Forum for the Arab World’s International Day for Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development has named His Excellency Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library, as the 2025 Personality of the Year for Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development. The forum, organized by the Department of Sustainable Development and International Cooperation of the General Secretariat of the Arab League, was held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on 4 December 2025, under the patronage of the Association of Arab Universities.

The selection of HE Minister Al-Kawari as Personality of the Year reflects the Association’s recognition of Qatar’s pioneering role in education, culture, and creative development, and underscores Qatar National Library’s distinguished efforts as a beacon of human creativity and cultural enlightenment.

Dr. Al-Kawari received a formal invitation to attend the forum from Professor Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities and Honorary President of the Arab Council for Social Responsibility, who expressed the forum’s appreciation for Qatar’s role in supporting education, culture, and the advancement of the Arab region.

On this occasion, HE Dr. Al-Kawari expressed his gratitude for the honor, stating: “I am proud to be named the 2025 Personality of the Year for Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development. This is a tribute to every Arab intellectual and educator who has planted a seed of knowledge or a seedling of culture in our good Arab land. It is not recognition of me personally as much as it is recognition of the ‘cultural diplomacy’ message that Qatar believes in, and it honors the role that Qatar National Library plays in building bridges of knowledge between our nation’s heritage and its present, linking its past with its future.”

Speaking on the importance of knowledge and fostering innovation, HE added: “In Qatar, we share with our Arab brothers the same vision that knowledge is the first pillar of responsibility, and that making knowledge accessible and encouraging innovation are the shortest paths to achieving true sustainable development. Our greatest responsibility toward our societies lies in combating ignorance, preserving Arab memory from being lost, and making science accessible to every seeker of truth. This represents social responsibility in its highest sense—equipping the Arab mind with the tools that enable it to face the challenges of the age.”

HE emphasized that this honor recognizes “an idea that Qatar, leadership and people, has believed in: that culture is not a luxury but a responsibility, that knowledge is not an option but a duty, and that youth are not only the future but the present that we must empower today.”

HE outlined the main pillars of Qatar National Library’s social responsibility and Sustainable Development, which include: democratizing knowledge through the Qatar Digital Library project and other resources; building a reading and informed society through the “Qatar Reads” and its “One Book, One Doha” campaign; preserving heritage and historical memory; comprehensive accessibility and empowering everyone through the Sensory Room, assistive technologies, and the “Manara” open science platform; and cultural diplomacy and building bridges for international dialogue through partnerships with leading global institutions.

HE dedicated this honor “to our Arab youth, to the talents in whom we see the making of the future, to the minds that need only an opportunity to create, and to the hearts that carry the dreams of their homelands,” emphasizing that “the real investment is not in buildings, but in people—in their values, knowledge, and will.”

This event is part of the Arab League’s efforts to achieve sustainable development goals and strengthen joint efforts that contribute to the advancement of Arab societies, while providing necessary support to broad segments, particularly youth, women, and various Arab universities.