The 20th edition of the event was inaugurated by the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and will be convening for two days.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise appearance at Doha Forum from via video link. His attendance was welcomed with a large round of applause as he addressed  global leaders at the international conference.

Zelenskyy also thanked the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and Qatar for helping Ukrainians during the ongoing Russian invasion of his country.

“We are working to ensure that theres no injustice in the world, but we haven’t found justice in the world for 31 days now,” said Zelenskyy, who pleaded with leaders to support Ukraine in its struggle against the Russian invasion. “We are defending our country on battlefields on our own for 31 days now. There is no justice, because Russia is doing this against Ukraine.”

He concluded by calling to have an anti-war coalition with the goal of avoiding the holy month of Ramadan getting overshadowed by the misery and pain of Ukrainians. “We need peace, not starting from Ukraine but from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Somalia.”

This is the 20th edition of Doha Forum. It is a global platform dedicated to creating dialogue, and bringing together global leadership. Its main goal is to address critical challenges that the world is facing and possible solutions, from different perspectives.

This year’s theme is ‘Transforming For A New Era’. It will focus on four main topics, including geopolitical alliances and international relations, the financial system and economic development, defence, cyber security, food security, in addition to sustainability and climate change.

The global conference was inaugurated by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who took the stage to welcome the attendees.

During his speech, he discussed the need for transitional justice, and combatting Islamophobia as well as the Israeli aggression on Palestinians. He also reinforced Qatar’s stance in aiding Syrian and Afghan civilians who he claims have been “let down by the international community.”

The Amir further reiterated Qatar’s role as a mediator when dealing with global crises, concluding that he hopes the Doha Forum discussions will be fruitful and bear solutions for world issues.

Roya Mahboob, CEO of the Afghan Citadel Software Company, and the leader of the Afghan girls robotics team, was awarded the Doha Forum 2022 Award for her effort in advancing girls education in Afghanistan.

The event will host panels and discussions by experts on different topics that tackle social justice, climate change, and the global south.

This is the first edition of Doha Forum to be held in attendance since the start of the pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, the Doha Forum, just like the rest of the world, went virtual.