Educating Future Leaders to Engage with their Communities

Positioning disability and health at the center of inclusive policy and sustainable development, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and World Health Organization (WHO), convened a capacity-building workshop titled Foundations of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The session reflects HBKU’s role in translating research and policy expertise into national efforts to strengthen how disability and health are understood, measured, and addressed.

Developed by the WHO, the ICF is a framework for describing and organizing information on functioning and disability. The training is positioned at a pivotal moment in Qatar’s disability reform, supporting the National Disability Classification Project led by the MSDF in partnership with key sectors, as mentioned in the opening remarks by Ms. Maha Al-Mansouri, Chief Executive Officer of Mada Center and national lead of these projects. The reform aims to establish a unified, fair, and transparent national system for disability assessment and eligibility across all services. It adopts a function-focused, rights-based framework informed by the ICF and adapted to Qatar’s legal and policy context. The project’s success depends on strong inter-sectoral coordination, shared accountability, and consistent professional application of the framework.

Ms. Al-Mansouri stated: “The objective of this reform is clear: to move toward a single, coherent national system that ensures fairness, consistency, and transparency across all sectors serving persons with disabilities.”

The opening session was also honored by Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention Program, Ministry of Public Health, who affirmed the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration in addressing autism within a broader disability and health framework, noting that understanding autism necessitates a multifaceted approach that highlights the need for collaboration between different ministries and all stakeholders involved in autism care.

Dr. Rayana Bou Haka, WHO Representative to the State of Qatar, noted that the determinants and policy domains related to disability intersect, and reaffirmed that success will depend on joint action and coordinated responsibilities.

The workshops were led by experts from the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and the Disability Policy and Implementation Research unit at Swiss Paraplegic Research. By bringing together policymakers, practitioners, and experts, the workshop combined expert instruction with applied, case-based exercises to establish a shared, WHO-aligned foundation for future system development. In doing so, it builds on the recently issued Law No. 22 of 2025 regarding Persons with Disabilities in Qatar, which reinforces the state’s commitment to ensuring that those with disabilities fully participate in society. Proceedings also reinforced HBKU’s role in advancing a shared understanding of disability that moves beyond medical models toward a holistic, person-centered approach.

Commenting on the significance of the workshop, Dr. Hira Amin, Assistant Professor, HBKU’s College of Public Policy, stated: “By promoting inclusivity across policy, planning, and institutional frameworks, the university embodies the role of academia in fostering collaborative environments where persons with disabilities can fully exercise their social and economic rights.” 

This initiative underscores HBKU’s pivotal role as a strategic convener, bridging the gap between global evidence-based frameworks and national development priorities.