Qatar Foundation Finalises Preparations for Second “Bi Al Arabi 2026” Forum

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development announced that it has completed preparations to host the second edition of the “Bi Al Arabi 2026” forum, organised by the foundation's “Bi Al Arabi” initiative under the theme “Building With Our Ideas”. The forum will take place on September 19 and 20 at the Multaqa building, the Education City Student Center, in Doha, with more than 1,000 participants from over 25 nationalities.

Hisham Nourin, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programmes at Qatar Foundation, said in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency “QNA” that the foundation views the “Bi Al Arabi” initiative as a strategic investment in the ability of Arabic-speaking communities to produce knowledge, contribute to developing ideas and transform them into practical, applicable solutions that advance societies.

Nourin explained that Qatar Foundation's efforts focus on combining pride in culture and authentic values with openness to global expertise, with the aim of finding solutions that respond to communities' needs and give initiative leaders an active role in advancing their countries. He expected the impact of this intellectual momentum to continue beyond the forum through building connections between innovators and institutions and opening broad avenues for cooperation and knowledge exchange.

The Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programmes said the forum's programme includes more than 12 exploratory sessions and 19 interactive exhibitions, in addition to inspiring talks on the main stage, interactive workshops, and artistic, cultural and creative performances with the participation of more than 11 local and regional partners. He noted that the forum represents a global gathering of Arab voices to promote intellectual exchange and celebrate Arab innovation.

Regarding participation in this edition, he revealed that the forum received more than 400 applications to participate in the 2026 edition, from which around 15 inspiring speakers were selected. Their experiences span vital fields including media, science and technology, precision medicine, architecture and heritage, entrepreneurship, sustainability, peacebuilding, sport and social work.

He noted that this year's programme includes prominent Arab figures, including Palestinian journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's bureau chief in the Gaza Strip; Palestinian-Jordanian entrepreneur Issam Hijazi, founder of the UpScrolled platform; Algerian researcher Bashir Halimi, who specialises in adapting technology for the Arabic language; and engineer Hamad Mubarak Al Hajri, founder of Snoonu.

He pointed out that this diversity gives the Arabic language broad space to serve as a language of contemporary thought and solutions emerging from people's realities. He added that the initiative attracted more than 1,100 applications across its first and second editions, in notable demand that reflects its growing success.

On the preparations preceding the main gathering in Doha, Hisham Nourin told “QNA” that the forum is the culmination of the intensive regional tour launched by the initiative from August 4 to 9. The tour covered three Arab cities—Damascus, Amman and Djerba—and saw the participation of 14 speakers, around 1,000 participants and 10 strategic partners, helping connect ideas with the cities where they originated and take the intellectual dialogue to a wider setting in Doha.

Source: QNA

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