Senior leadership from the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD) marked their presence at Doha Bank’s leading corporate event “Qatar – Land of Opportunities" held on Sunday, September 29, at Sheraton Hotel.

Qatar – Land of Opportunities is an annual knowledge sharing event that gathers senior management and decision makers to explore the nation’s economic development amidst blockade, potential investment opportunities and associated risks among other areas of Qatar’s economy. The event was organised under the patronage of Sheikh Fahad bin Mohammad bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman and Sheikh Abdul Rehman bin Mohammad bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director of Doha Bank. The Board of directors, several diplomats, dignitaries and prominent members of the Qatari and expat community attended the event which commenced with a keynote speech delivered by Dr. Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank.

This year, the platform was joined by GORD’s Founding Chairman Dr. Yousef Alhorr. Presenting a strong case to incorporate sustainability within the economic framework, Dr. Alhorr highlighted some opportunities and impacts of climate actions and carbon markets in the region with the introduction of GORD’s pioneering project titled Global Carbon Trust (GCT).

GCT is MENA’s first GHG emission reduction project aimed to facilitate the supply and demand for carbon credits among owners and buyers. Launched in 2016, the voluntary carbon platform follows international protocols for quantification and issuance of carbon credits. Once implemented, GCT will drive carbon-neutral growth of international airlines and delivery of the 2022 FIFA World Cup among other projects.

Speaking about the role of sustainability as a part of Qatar’s national agenda, Dr. Alhorr said,

In the background of Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s recent speech at the Climate Action Summit, it is evident that the State of Qatar has assumed its responsibility as an active partner in the international community to confront the climate change phenomenon. GORD will be the tool to materialize Qatar’s carbon neutrality. With hydrocarbons being the backbone of Qatar’s economy, one simply cannot expect similar levels of GHG reductions from all organizations dealing in diverse sectors. To address this challenge, GCT will facilitate carbon intensive companies in meeting their climate goals for operations where GHG emissions are unavoidable.

Dr. Alhorr also highlighted the support of Doha Bank among leading institutes in the development of online carbon registry for GCT.

In his presentation at the event, Dr. Yousef Alhorr highlighted that during Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s recent address at the Climate Action Summit, the Emir announced that Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund “will promote and encourage green investments activities and adopt low-carbon economic growth". The Emir has also said that a contribution of USD100 million has been pledged to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Dr. Alhorr also talked about GSAS (Global Sustainability Assessment System) which GORD has developed, based on extensive research. GSAS is a performance-based rating system to assess the sustainability merits of buildings and infrastructure projects taking into consideration the region’s specific environmental and ecological aspects.

Qatar – Land of Opportunities also featured presentations by Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO, Qatar Financial Centre; Rashid Al-Mansoori, CEO, Qatar Stock Exchange, and Nasser Al-Ansari, Chairman, Just Real Estate. Together the leaders discussed Qatar’s economic outlook, investment potential and its promising scope post 2022.