Marquee Speakers Joining Globalization Edition of Doha Debates at Tedsummit in Edinburgh

Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Doha Debates is presenting a debate on the merits and future of globalization at the 2019 TEDSummit in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 24.

As the world grapples with the risks and rewards of globalization, and the future of billions of people at stake, the debate brings together diverse perspectives and a consensus-building expert in a session titled ‘Globalization: Our Future or Our Failure?’

The debate speakers include Parag Khanna, an Indian-American CEO, international strategist, and author; Sisonke Msimang, a South African writer whose work is focused on race, gender, and equality; and Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the women-led American grassroots advocacy organization CODEPINK.

Joining the debate and playing a key role in the unique solutions-focused ‘Majlis’ segment will be the debate’s bridge-building ‘connector’ Govinda Clayton, a conflict resolution expert and researcher at ETH Zurich university.

The debate’s moderator is Ghida Fakhry; while Nelufar Hedayat will be the digital host for the debate which will be livestreamed on Twitter.

The debate’s audience at TEDSummit will include young people from the Edinburgh area, students from QF, and TEDSummit participants from around the world. Debate attendees will be joined online by millions of viewers globally via livestream, including a special interactive screening at Qatar National Library. Remote audiences and those in Edinburgh will be invited to join the conversation with questions and comments, as well as vote on the merits of solutions-focused proposals from debate speakers.

The student participants from Qatar are part of a Doha Debates-sponsored #Doha2Edinburgh educational and cultural exchange program, taking place from July 22-26, and are from Georgetown University in Qatar, Northwestern University in Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar – QF’s partner universities – as well as Hamad Bin Khalifa University, QF’s homegrown university.

Amjad Atallah, Managing Director of Doha Debates, said: “Debates about globalization are taking place in countries all over the world, especially in Europe and the United States, where the fault lines don’t easily fall into ‘left’ and ‘right’, and where the outcome of these debates will have consequences for the next generations across the globe.  Doha Debates is proud to host this timely debate during TEDSummit.”

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’. Every few years, TEDSummit gathers more than 1,000 members of its community for five days of performances, workshops, brainstorming, outdoor activities, future-focused discussions and an eclectic program of TED Talks. Attendees at TEDSummit include the most engaged TED friends, TED Fellows, TED-Ed educators, TED Translators, and TEDx organizers, as well as 150 past TED speakers.

Doha Debates is a production of QF, whose Education City hosted the first two editions of the 2019 Doha Debates. Future live 2019 Doha Debates are slated for September 10 in Cape Town, South Africa; October 23 at QF’s Education City; and November 11 at the Paris Peace Forum, France.

As part of the Doha Debates-TED partnership, Doha Debates is providing four additional components at the 2019 TEDSummit. Connector Govinda Clayton will lead a TEDSummit workshop on ‘Negotiating Common Ground: How to engage in effective discussion, negotiation and debate, whether in the home, the office or the world at large'.

Doha Debates and its partner Shared Studios will provide a shipping container Portal for TEDSummit attendees to participate in live life-size video chats with inspiring young people in far-flung places around the world.

Finally, TEDSummit attendees will be invited to post notes on a massive Doha Debates wall explaining why they think we should not settle for a divided world — a Doha Debates theme.

On July 24, watch the globalization debate livestream on Twitter through the handle @DohaDebates, starting at 2.15 p.m. in the UK, 4.15 p.m. in Qatar, and 9.15 a.m. in New York, US.

Join the conversation online using the hashtag #DearWorld.