Under the patronage and in the presence of HE Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, MSDF Minister, the Young Professionals Forum, organized by the Qatari Lawyers Association (QLA), was held with the participation of officials, heads of professional associations, experts and academics.

The forum aims to strengthen cooperation across professional disciplines, promote social responsibility, and support the role of young people in national development.

The forum opened with a welcome speech by Mr. Mubarak bin Abdullah Al-Sulaiti, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatari Lawyers Association, followed by the opening speech of HE the MSDF Minister.

In her speech, HE the Minister affirmed that professional associations are an important component of civil society. Their role is not limited to serving their members and developing their professional practices; it extends to contributing to community development, spreading knowledge and awareness in their fields, and promoting the values of responsibility and community participation.

HE the Minister noted MSDF’s commitment to supporting associations and private institutions, enabling them to fulfil their roles and strengthening their institutional capacities. This helps expand their social impact and establish them as active partners in achieving Qatar National Vision 2030.

She stressed the importance of strengthening integration between professional associations and other associations, and of drawing on the capabilities and expertise of civil society institutions to launch distinctive initiatives and widen the scope of participation and giving, for the benefit of both the individual and society.

She expressed her hope that the forum would provide an opportunity to strengthen the engagement of young professionals and open wider horizons for cooperation and integration across professional disciplines. She noted that young people are not merely an extension of previous generations but partners in shaping the present and the future, and that investing in their abilities begins with giving them opportunities to learn, participate, take initiative and assume responsibility.

She added that empowering young people professionally requires more than training and acquiring knowledge. It also requires giving them space to take part in developing professional practices, encouraging their ideas and initiatives, and building their ability to keep pace with developments and respond to the evolving demands of professional work.

HE the Minister emphasised the importance of integrating legal, engineering, accounting and other professional expertise, given the growing development and overlap between disciplines worldwide. Such integration enhances the exchange of knowledge and expertise, develops practices, and achieves more effective results.

She expressed her pleasure at seeing the Lawyers Association, the Engineers Association, the Certified Public Accountants Association, and the Experts and Arbitrators Cultural Awareness Association come together at the forum, describing it as a model that reflects the importance of integration between different professional disciplines. She affirmed that cooperation between professional associations and other associations is an opportunity to strengthen institutional partnerships and translate them into joint initiatives and programmes that promote the exchange of expertise, prepare young talent, and enhance awareness and social responsibility.

On social responsibility, HE the Minister affirmed that it is not merely an additional activity carried out by associations and private institutions, but an integral part of their mission and role in serving society. She explained that professional associations, with their specialised expertise and talent, play an important role in promoting this responsibility by spreading awareness and knowledge, taking part in community initiatives, and using their expertise to serve various segments of society, each within its field.

HE the MSDF Minister welcomed the initiatives launched by the Qatari Lawyers Association in cooperation with its partners, which enable young lawyers to provide voluntary legal awareness and advice to individuals and families. She expressed hope that the forum would serve as a launchpad for similar initiatives that strengthen the partnership between professional institutions and society.

She also affirmed MSDF’s aspiration for young professionals to have wider space to participate in these initiatives and to have opportunities to contribute their ideas and expertise to developing community work. This would strengthen their connection to the issues of their society and embody the values of initiative, giving and responsibility.

The forum witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between three of the participating associations: the Qatari Lawyers Association, the Qatari Certified Public Accountants Association, and the Qatar Experts and Arbitrators Cultural Awareness Association. The memorandum aims to strengthen institutional cooperation, exchange expertise and develop joint professional initiatives.

The forum’s programme included three panel discussions. The first, titled “From Specialisation to Integration: The Power of Joint Professional Work,” addressed the importance of coordination between professional associations and the use of specialised expertise to develop joint work. It brought together the chairpersons of the boards of the lawyers, certified public accountants, engineers, and experts and arbitrators associations.

The second session, titled “Social Responsibility… A Duty That Extends to the Young Generation,” discussed the role of professional institutions and associations in developing young people’s community participation. It featured representatives of Doha International Family Institute, the National Human Rights Committee, MSDF and the Qatari Lawyers Association.

The third session, titled “Youth and the Future of Professions: From Learning to Leadership,” addressed preparing young national talent to assume leadership roles. It featured representatives of Qatar University, the Ministry of Justice, the Qatar Experts and Arbitrators Cultural Awareness Association, and Qatar Career Development Center.

The forum concluded by emphasising the importance of expanding partnerships between professional associations and national institutions and developing joint initiatives that support the preparation of young people and reinforce the role of professions in serving society, contributing to national development priorities.

The Young Professionals Forum is part of a series of independent events organised by the Qatari Lawyers Association under the Association’s Forum, celebrating its 20th anniversary, with the aim of promoting professional dialogue, exchanging expertise and expanding horizons for institutional cooperation.