Carnegie Mellon hosts discussion on Qatar elections and the role of women

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, hosted a panel discussion in advance of the first Shura Council elections in Qatar.

The panel included Her Excellency Reem Al-Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Society Development at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and Dr. Amal Mohammed Al-Malki, Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad bin Khalifa University.

The panel discussion was moderated by Maryam Al-Naemi, a graduate of CMU-Q who now works as Project Manager in Information Technology for Qatar Petroleum.

Annette Vincent, Associate Dean for Diversity and Climate, leads CMU-Q’s Office of Diversity and Climate, which hosted the event. “This is an historic time for Qatar, and we believe it is important to create a space where our students can share their views. We are very pleased that these three insightful Qatari women led our discussion about the role of women in the Shura Council.”

In November 2020, His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, announced that Shura Council elections would be taking place for the first time in 2021. Of the 294 candidates who have been announced, 29 are women.

Roughly 40% of the CMU-Q student population is Qatari, and more than half of those students are women. The Office of Diversity and Climate organizes regular discussions for the CMU-Q community to share their perspectives on events in the news.