When every year, members of the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize committee research of the most befitting candidate for this prestigious prize, they need to consider the name of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, founder and chairperson of the Qatar Foundation – a prominent figure in Qatar who has been actively involved in social reform and education and been selflessly working for many years, for the betterment of the people of Qatar and the world.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser received a Bachelors degree in Sociology from Qatar University in 1986, and hold a MA in Public Policy from the Hamad Bin Khalifa University. She was awarded honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the Virginia Commonwealth University (2003), Doctorate from Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon, Imperial College London; and the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser has also received the following honors from foreign countries:
Croatia: Grand Cross of the Order of Queen Jelena,
Italy: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic,
Malaysia: Honorary Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm,
Morocco: Dame of the Order of Muhammad,
Netherlands: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion,
Netherlands: King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal,
Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Henry,
Spain: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Isabella the Catholic,
United Kingdom: Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire,
Poland: Member of the Decoration of the Smile,
United Kingdom: Royal Institute of International Affairs: Chatham House Prize,
United States: Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy,
United States: George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service (George Bush Presidential Library).
Her Highness Sheikha Moza works with the United Nations to support global education and other key areas of development for marginalized children and youth. Since 2003, she has held the role of UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, launching multiple projects including the International Fund for Higher Education in Iraq, and in 2016 she was appointed as an Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In response to growing global needs, Her Highness Sheikha Moza developed two initiatives aiming to foster development and stability. In 2012, she launched Education Above All (EAA) to deliver quality education to the hardest to reach children and generate a global movement with a particular focus on areas affected by poverty, conflict and disaster. In 2018, EAA’s Educate A Child program reached its initial target of ensuring the education of 10 million marginalized children, and it continues to strive to educate those most in need throughout the world.
In 2008, Her Highness Sheikha Moza founded Silatech to address the challenge of youth unemployment in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. Silatech aims to help youth in the most challenging environments and circumstances to take control of their lives and their future, and lead change in their region. Through economic and social empowerment, Silatech creates meaningful employment opportunities and programs in enterprise development, career training and microfinancing, among many others.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser co-founded and chairs the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), which was set up in 1995. Her Highness also acted as chairperson of Silatech since 2008; chairperson of the Arab Democracy Foundation; and president of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs since 1998. She has been vice president of the Supreme Education Council since 2002 and was UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education in 2003. In 2002, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and former Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani opened the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. She is also a member of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medicine. Besides this, she is the chairperson of Sidra Medical and Research Center, a high-tech women’s and children’s hospital in Doha, Qatar. According to to media reports, Her Highness donated US$7.9 billion to this medical center.
In 2012, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser founded the Eucation Above All (EAA) Foundation to improve access to quality education in developing countries. EAA is a partner of UNICEF and UNESCO.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser is a prominent figure in Qatar who has been actively involved in social reform and education for many years. She has played a vital role in various national and international development projects.
She currently serves as the Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), a private non-profit organization founded in 1995. The flagship project of QF is Education City, which serves as a hub of academic excellence and houses branch campuses of renowned international universities and institutions. In addition to her work at Qatar Foundation, Sheikha Moza has served as the Vice Chair of the Supreme Council of Health and the Vice Chair of the Supreme Education Council, where she helped bring about significant reforms to Qatar’s public schools and healthcare system.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza is also internationally renowned for her work in education and youth employment. She launched Education Above All (EAA) in 2012, a global initiative that aims to foster development and generate a global movement, with a particular focus on areas affected by poverty, conflict and disaster. She also launched the Silatech initiative in 2008 to address the growing challenge of youth employment in the Middle East and North Africa. Her Highness has been appointed as a United Nations (UN) Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals and serves as a UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education.
Her Highness has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and the George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service. She holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy in Islam and a degree in sociology from Qatar University. She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from several prestigious universities.
Qatar Foundation, where Her Highness Sheikha Moza serves as Chairperson, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to education, research, and community development. It has been driving innovation and entrepreneurship, fostering social development and a culture of lifelong learning, and preparing young minds to tackle tomorrow’s biggest challenges for over two decades.
At the heart of everything Qatar Foundation does is a belief in the power of human potential. Education City, Qatar Foundation’s flagship initiative, is a campus that spans more than 12 square kilometers and hosts branch campuses of some of the world’s leading educational institutes, a homegrown university, and other research, scholastic, and community centers. Together, these institutes make Education City a unique model of academic and research excellence, pioneering a new approach to multidisciplinary, global education and enabling breakthroughs that benefit Qatar and the rest of the world.
Qatar Foundation continues to strengthen itself, while making new breakthroughs throughout its journey. For over two decades, Qatar Foundation has been driving regional innovation and entrepreneurship, fostering social development and a culture of lifelong learning, and preparing our brightest minds to tackle tomorrow’s biggest challenges.
Nobel Peace Prize to Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser
According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who in the preceding year “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”. Alfred Nobel’s will further be specified that the prize be awarded by a committee of five people chosen by the Norwegian Parliament.
In my opinion, as Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser has been dedicatedly working for the betterment of the people of Qatar and the world, giving special emphasis on education, she certainly deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. As we know, back in 2011 Turkish born Yemeni Tawakkol Karman was the first Arab female and the second Muslim female to receive a Nobel Prize, it will be a matter of greatest inspiration to all the females in the Arab and Muslim world to focus on education.
