Qatar Airways Expands Youth and Women’s Empowerment Programs Across Football and Formula One – The Voice of Africa

Report on Qatar Airways’ Social Impact Initiatives and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Introduction: Strategic Shift Towards Social Impact

Qatar Airways has initiated two significant social-impact programs that align with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These programs represent a strategic shift from sponsorship focused solely on brand visibility to embedding social programming across its global sports portfolio. The initiatives aim to expand opportunities for youth and women, leveraging partnerships with major sports entities such as Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, UEFA, MotoGP, and FIFA.

Program 1: Qatar Airways United – Youth Empowerment

The “Qatar Airways United” initiative, created in partnership with Rio Ferdinand, is designed to support youth from underserved communities by providing access to elite sporting events and integrated educational programming. The program launched at the Milan Derby, offering a full matchday experience to visually impaired children.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

• SDG 4 (Quality Education): Each activation includes educational components, ensuring participants gain valuable knowledge alongside their sports experience.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The program specifically targets children from underserved communities, including those with disabilities, to provide opportunities they would otherwise lack.
• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The initiative is a collaboration between Qatar Airways, sports figures like Rio Ferdinand, and organizations such as Education Above All to achieve common development objectives.

Program Rollout

1. Qatar Grand Prix: Trackside experiences for young people.
2. UEFA Champions League Final (London): Youth-focused activations.
3. FIFA World Cup 26 Final (New York): Flagship event integration.

Program 2: Female Empowerment in Motorsport and Aviation

In an expansion of its partnership with the BWT Alpine Formula One Team, Qatar Airways has launched a dedicated pathway initiative for women. Led by F1 Academy’s Carmen Jorda, the program establishes mentorship opportunities for aspiring female drivers and connects motorsport development with aviation career pathways for women.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The program is explicitly designed to empower women and create pathways for them in the male-dominated fields of motorsport and aviation.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): By providing mentorship and career development, the initiative supports the creation of professional opportunities for women, contributing to economic growth.

Implications for Africa’s Sustainable Development

These initiatives serve as a model for how global brands can contribute to development goals in Africa, a continent with a significant youth population and a rapidly growing sports economy.

Contribution to SDGs in the African Context

1. Addressing Inequalities (SDG 10): Such programs can help dismantle systemic barriers faced by African youth athletes and women in sport.
2. Fostering Education and Economic Growth (SDG 4 & SDG 8): By focusing on skills development and career pathways, these partnerships can transform sport from entertainment into a vehicle for opportunity in underserved African communities.
3. Building Partnerships (SDG 17): This model encourages a shift from simple logo placement to meaningful social investment, making Africa’s sports industry a key destination for impactful global partnerships.
4. Promoting Gender Equality (SDG 5): The report underscores the need for similar investments to be directed toward African academies, federations, and women-led sports programs to ensure equitable participation and opportunity.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several initiatives by Qatar Airways that connect directly to multiple Sustainable Development Goals. The analysis identifies the following relevant SDGs:

• SDG 4: Quality Education: The article mentions that each event under the “Qatar Airways United” initiative will “integrate educational programming alongside elite sports access.” It also focuses on “skills development,” which is a core component of quality education for lifelong learning.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The partnership with BWT Alpine Formula One Team is explicitly a “female-empowerment partnership” and a “dedicated women’s pathway initiative.” It aims to create mentorship and career opportunities for women in male-dominated fields like motorsport and aviation, directly addressing gender equality.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The programs are designed to create “pathways that matter” and “open real doors for future careers” for both youth and women. This focus on creating career opportunities and skills for employment aligns with promoting decent work.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The youth program specifically includes “visually impaired children from underserved communities.” Furthermore, the article emphasizes how these initiatives can help break barriers for “African youth athletes and women in motorsport,” directly targeting the reduction of inequalities for marginalized and underrepresented groups.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The entire strategy described in the article is built on partnerships. Qatar Airways is collaborating with numerous entities, including sports figure Rio Ferdinand, the BWT Alpine F1 Team, Carmen Jorda, Education Above All, and major sports organizations like FIFA and UEFA, to achieve its social impact objectives.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the initiatives described, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 4.4 (under SDG 4): “By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.” The article’s emphasis on “skills development” and creating “pathways” for “future careers” in aviation and sport for young people directly supports this target.
2. Target 5.5 (under SDG 5): “Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.” The initiative to create “mentorship programs for aspiring female drivers and aviation professionals” is a direct action to increase women’s participation and opportunities in these specific economic sectors.
3. Target 8.6 (under SDG 8): “By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.” Although the target date has passed, the spirit of the target is addressed. The “Qatar Airways United” youth initiative, which provides educational programming and skills development, aims to create pathways to employment and training, thus tackling the issue of youth disengagement.
4. Target 10.2 (under SDG 10): “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.” The program’s inclusion of “visually impaired children from underserved communities” and its potential to benefit “African youth athletes” are concrete examples of actions toward this target of social and economic inclusion.
5. Target 17.17 (under SDG 17): “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.” The article is a showcase of this target, detailing a private sector company (Qatar Airways) partnering with civil society figures (Rio Ferdinand, Carmen Jorda), other private entities (BWT Alpine, PSG, Inter Milan), and non-profits (Education Above All) to achieve development goals.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention official SDG indicators, but it implies several metrics that could be used to measure the progress and success of the described initiatives:

• Number of participants from target groups: An implied indicator is the number of “visually impaired children,” “young people from underserved communities,” “aspiring female drivers,” and “African youth” who participate in the various programs. This would measure progress towards Target 10.2.
• Number of women in mentorship and career programs: The success of the female-empowerment initiative (Target 5.5) can be measured by the number of women who enroll in and complete the mentorship programs and subsequently enter careers in motorsport or aviation.
• Number of youth engaged in skills development: To measure progress towards Target 4.4 and 8.6, an indicator would be the total number of young people who participate in the educational programming and skills development activities integrated into the sports events.
• Number and scope of partnerships: The article lists numerous partners (Rio Ferdinand, BWT Alpine, Education Above All, FIFA, UEFA). An indicator for Target 17.17 would be the number of active partnerships and the scale of the joint initiatives undertaken.
• Geographic reach of programs: The article highlights the potential for these programs in Africa. A key indicator of success would be the number of initiatives and participants specifically from African countries and other underserved regions.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thevoiceofafrica.com