QF and Ted To Host Flagship Tedinarabic Summit in Doha

The groundbreaking TEDinArabic initiative – created by Qatar Foundation and TED to inspire and amplify ideas in the Arabic language on a global scale – is bringing the TED conference experience to the Middle East, as Arabic speakers from around the region and the world are invited to the flagship TEDinArabic Summit.

The two-day summit will be held in Doha, Qatar, on 18-19 March, at Qatar National Convocation Center. The theme of the event will be The Butterfly Effect, which reflects the idea of the world as being interconnected, with one small occurrence having the power to influence a much larger complex system – meaning that the actions we take today can have a collective and lasting impact on the future. 

The Summit will include TED speakers from across the Arab world, including Yusra Mardini, Olympic swimmer and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and the subject of the critically acclaimed Netflix film The Swimmers; Imane El Khantouti, an aerospace engineer who works to make space more accessible; Ahmad Nabeel, a multi-talented physician, scientist and inventor making waves in the worlds of medicine and technology; and Ahmad Habib, a writer and accessibility specialist whose work inspired by his belief in the ability of everyday people to create massive social change. To view other speakers, and register to attend the Summit, please visit https://tedinarabic.ted.com/en/summit2023

“Qatar Foundation and TED share a belief in the power of ideas to change perceptions, lives, and societies, and we are proud to have partnered to create TEDinArabic – providing a platform for such ideas to reach and benefit the world, in the Arabic language,” said Machaille Hassan Al-Naimi, Strategic Initiatives Executive Officer, QF.

“This pioneering initiative reflects QF’s commitment to preserving, promoting, and being a custodian of the Arabic language, and through the thought-provoking talks at the TEDinArabic Summit, QF and TED are celebrating our Arab identity, our heritage and our modernity, and the progression of our region. We hope that the ideas amplified through TEDinArabic, and at the forthcoming Summit, will resonate with people from across the Arabic-speaking world, catalyzing solutions and nurturing mindsets that strengthen our societies.

“As the first of its kind, this is a Summit for everyone across our region, and everyone who speaks and loves the Arabic language. It is a pivotal moment in QF and TED’s shared goal of setting in motion a new culture of ideas-generation across the Middle East and beyond, and we look forward to welcoming the world to Doha for this unique showcase of ideas – in Arabic".

Lisa Choi Owens, TED Partnerships Senior Advisor, said: “We are thrilled to host our inaugural TEDinArabic Summit in partnership with Qatar Foundation to bring unique and bold ideas from the Arabic-speaking world to a global audience.

“We embarked on this journey three years ago with the goal of highlighting the nuances and richness of the Arabic language, something that we strongly value here at TED, and couldn’t have asked for a better partner on this journey than Qatar Foundation.”

The Summit will also include a poetry evening by the Palestinian poet Tamim Al Bargouthi, as well as a series of Discovery Sessions which will take ideas a step forward and allow the audience to join meaningful conversations and inspiring workshops from local and regional entities. The Summit will also offer an interactive social space that will celebrate creativity, language, dialogue, science, and technology from the Arab world through a variety of activations and immersive experiences, including an Arabic culinary experience, an Art and Design Zone, a Sports Zone, a Knowledge and Learning Zone, and an Arab cinema.

Since the three-year partnership between QF and TED – which reflects QF’s commitment to preserving and promoting the Arabic language nationally, regionally, and globally – began in 2020, three regional TEDinArabic events have been held in Qatar, Jordan and Morocco. A customized digital destination has been created to act as TEDinArabic’s content library, housing blogs, TED-Ed video lessons, customized videos, and other content in the Arabic language.

To find out more about TEDinArabic, visit https://tedinarabic.ted.com/en/