Ministry of Culture and Sports

The Ministry of Culture and Sports is the ministry responsible for administering Qatar's cultural policies and programs. Its responsibilities include organizing cultural events, promoting cultural cooperation, publishing local literature, and raising awareness of Qatar's culture. As of 2016, the ministry also presides over sports and youth club affairs. The current minister is H.E.Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali.

Qatar's culture ministry has undergone several phases through its history until its official establishment in 2008. Prior to that year, the country's cultural policies were administered in tandem with other government ministries. In 1975, the first government department for culture was formed as part of the Ministry of Information. The ministry eventually integrated as the Ministry of Information and Culture in 1989. During Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari tenure as Minister of Information and Culture from 1992 to 1996, he took steps to reduce media censorship.

Qatar's government decided to delegate its cultural administration to the Ministry of Education in 1996, resulting in its reformation as the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The first stand-alone government agency for culture was established in 1998 as the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage.[3] Ten years later, the government replaced the National Council with the newly created Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage.[1] In 2016, the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage was merged with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (est. 2013) to form the Ministry of Culture and Sports