Ministry of Culture

Dr. Hamad was appointed Minister of Information and Culture in Qatar in 1992. During the period from 1992 to 1996, he took measures that served the freedom of the media and the press, putting an end to the censorship that included the press and publications, leading to the closure of the Ministry of Information in Qatar in 1997. This measure was in support of freedom of the media.

In line with his subsequent co-founding of the Doha Center for Media Freedom in 2007, Dr. Hamad was appointed Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage in July 2008. He was the first Qatari politician to oversee the new ministry, and in 2010 he chaired the 17th Conference of Arab Ministers of Culture. During his ministry, the Qatari capital, Doha, was chosen as the “Capital of Arab Culture” in 2010.

In 2012, he contributed to the launch of the “Years of Culture” initiative, which aims to consolidate cultural exchange relations between Qatar and partner countries. Years of Culture initiatives began in the United Kingdom in 2012, and from other countries. The initiative included Japan (2013), Brazil (2014), Turkey (2015), China (2016), Germany (2017), Russia (2018), India (2018), France (2020), and the United States (2021).

Most of the major cultural institutions in Qatar are participating in the project, led by Qatar Museums, the Ministry of Culture, and the Qatar National Library.