A delegation from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), led by SC Secretary General H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, recently participated in the 2018 Concordia Annual Summit taking place in New York City on the side-lines of the 73^rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

During the event, Al Thawadi participated in a panel discussion alongside David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on the role of mega-sporting events in facilitating sustainable development. During the discussion, which was moderated by the Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Concordia Matthew Swift, Al Thawadi highlighted how the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ is helping accelerate positive social change in Qatar and around the world.

H.E. also announced that the SC is working with the IRC and FIFA to launch an international initiative aimed at supporting refugees and displaced people around the world, stating: "The State of Qatar has always recognised the ability of the FIFA World Cup™ and the power of football in facilitating positive development, which is why we bid to host the tournament. We have utilised the tournament as a platform to launch several legacy programmes, including Generation Amazing, which works on developing leadership and life skills among youth in vulnerable communities in countries including Pakistan, Nepal, Jordan, Lebanon and others. More than 250,000 participants have benefitted from the programme since its launch."

H.E. added: "Building on this strong foundation we have built in facilitating sustainable social development, we are on course to launch an international initiative aimed at supporting refugees and displaced people around the world, in collaboration with the IRC and FIFA. We hope to announce the details of the initiative and the various activities it will undertake soon."

From his side, President and CEO of the IRC David Miliband reiterated the important platform the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ can provide in shedding light on important social issues, including those facing the millions of refugees and displaced people around the world. He added that such mega-events provide an unprecedented opportunity to support resolving humanitarian issues, and help facilitate access to basic rights for people in areas including education, healthcare and training.

Miliband also expressed his hopes for the SC to engage millions of fans on all five continents as partners in resolving the issues facing refugees and displaced people around the world.

Al Thawadi also highlighted during the discussion other ways in which the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ has helped facilitate positive social development, including the reforms witnessed by Qatar's labour market.

The Concordia Annual Summit, which launched in 2011, takes place on an annual basis in New York City on the side-lines of the UNGA. It convenes the world's most prominent business, government, and non-profit leaders to examine the world's most pressing challenges to identify avenues for collaboration, foster dialogue and enable effective partnerships for positive social impact. Alongside Al Thawadi, this year's speakers list included the President of Brazil Michel Temer, President of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez and Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank Kristalina Georgieva.