First Qatari to climb Everest lectures at UK's UCL

Reach Out To Asia's (ROTA) goodwill ambassador Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Thani, the first Qatari to reach the top of Mount Everest, has addressed a group of academics and students at the University College London on his two-month trip that raised $1 million for educational projects in Nepal. Titled "Follow Your Dreams: The story of an Arab with Altitude," the lecture came as one of the events of the Qatar U.K. 2013 Year of Culture and was one of other joint projects with UCL, which recently became the first British educational institute to open a campus in Qatar. "I'm very pleased to welcome Sheikh Mohammed to the UK. This lecture provides an important contribution to UCL's Global Citizenship Program and an exciting platform to share ideas and experience between Qatar and the UK," said UCL Vice-Provost Professor Anthony Smith, who chaired the lecture. Qatar U.K. 2013 is a year-long cultural exchange program between the two countries with the aim of deepening bilateral ties through long-term partnerships between institutions and individuals. It seeks to enhance mutual understanding, recognition and appreciation between the Qatari and British cultures through more than 80 entertaining and educational events.