Doha to Host Second International Conference on Debate and Dialogue

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Event organized by QatarDebate in partnership with leading local and international institutions

Doha, Qatar, May 12, 2025 – Doha will host the second International Conference on Debate and Dialogue on May 19–20, 2025, at Qatar National Convention Center. The event will bring together academics and researchers from around the world for intellectual and scientific discussions aimed at bridging academic research with contemporary knowledge and expanding its practical applications in both academic and societal contexts.

Organized by QatarDebate, founded by Qatar Foundation, the conference promotes a global culture of debate, positioning dialogue as a tool for societal development and academic enrichment. It serves as a platform for advancing the fields of argumentation and debate while exploring connections with disciplines such as philosophy, education, linguistics, and Islamic sciences. A key goal is to translate research into improved knowledge practices in academic and societal domains.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Christopher Tandell from the University of Windsor, Canada, who will speak on “Cross-Cultural Argumentation as a Vehicle of Understanding,” and Dr. Hammou Nakari from Mohammed V University, Morocco, presenting on “The Logic of Disputation.”

Building on the success of the inaugural 2023 event, which drew over 800 participants from Qatar and abroad, this year’s edition reflects the conference’s advanced position as a global intellectual forum.

Abdulrahman Al-Subaie, Program Director at QatarDebate, said: “This second edition reinforces QatarDebate’s leadership in promoting dialogue at both regional and international levels. It marks a qualitative step forward, solidifying our role as a global platform for constructive discourse and aligning with our continued support for academic research in this field.” He added, “Our strategic vision merges research excellence with global partnerships, driven by our belief in the transformative power of debate.”

The conference will feature the signing of cooperation agreements between QatarDebate and a number of regional and global institutions.

Day one will include sessions on topics including the study of Islamic manuscripts in collaboration with Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, best practices in debate training, theoretical models of argumentation, culturally diverse debate formats, political discourse, and the role of argumentation in Islamic jurisprudence.

Other sessions will address the role of AI in debate education, academic skill development through debate, political discourse in the Arab world, and the historical and legislative foundations of Islamic argumentation.

Day two will feature sessions on Arab and Islamic traditions of argumentation, debate’s impact on critical thinking and language learning, methodologies in Islamic argumentation, the use of AI, and rethinking curricula through debate. Discussions will also cover how argumentation fosters resilience, inclusion, and effectiveness in dialogue. A dedicated youth workshop will give young participants a platform to voice their perspectives.

The conference will also present selected papers from the peer-reviewed journal Informal Logic, with topics ranging from international law to argumentation and jurisprudential reasoning.

Youth leadership will be a key focus, with young leaders and members of the Elite Academy hosting a dialogue session on a major global issue.

A special exhibition organized in partnership with the Turkish Ministry of Culture, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University, and Qatar Museums will display rare manuscripts that highlight the art of debate in Islamic civilization.

The event is supported by a strong network of academic partners, including University of Windsor, Ibn Khaldun University, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University, and Ez-Zitouna University, Tunisia.

About QatarDebate:

QatarDebate Center, founded by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, was established in 2008 and is the national debating organization for Qatar. We aim to be a guiding force in nurturing the spirit of free thought, open discussions, and constructive debate in Qatar, the wider Arab region and beyond.

At QatarDebate, we believe by “Enriching Dialogue, Empowering Minds”, we prepare the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to explore, analyze, and debate important issues from all sides.

The efforts of QatarDebate Center in spreading the culture of debate and open dialogue are expanding and spreading via building bridges of cooperation with many institutes locally and internationally. QatarDebate nurtures unique programs with the aim of spreading QatarDebate’s message across the globe.

QatarDebate Center serves the community by partnering with local organizations and ministries to improve public discourse. We organize events and tournaments for schools and universities worldwide. QatarDebate also fosters Team Qatar, the national debating team that represents Qatar in international championships.

For more info, please contact: Khaled Al-Ibrahim 55834445