Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (Gord).
The objective is to help prepare AZF facilities as per the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), pioneered by Gord, and spread awareness about sustainability among AZF employees.
The MoU was signed at AZF headquarters in Doha by Abdulla Nasser al-Naimi, director general of Aspire Logistics on behalf of Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi, CEO of AZF; and Dr Yousef al-Horr, founding chairman of Gord.
The MoU paves the way for a number of joint initiatives between the two organisations in several areas, particularly sustainability. Most notably, the partnership seeks to assess the sustainability levels of AZF’s facilities in preparation for the GSAS certification, which is administered by Gord.
As part of the MoU, Gord will also work with AZF to organise training sessions, workshops and seminars for AZF’s employees to train and spread awareness about sustainability and other relevant topics.
Al-Naemi said, “Over the years, AZF has implemented a number of successful joint initiatives with Gord in the area of sustainability and this MoU will further strengthen our constructive partnership. The signing of this MoU frames all our existing efforts under one umbrella, from which we’re able to expand the base of our co-operation to include a multitude of projects and programmes.”
“Environmental sustainability is vital for us on two levels; the national level, and the organisational level. Environmental sustainability is one of the main pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030. On an organisational level, it is an inseparable part of our unique facilities, which is established and managed according to the highest international standards. Helping educate our employees will only further help with our sustainability efforts,” he added.
Dr al-Horr remarked, “We are delighted to partner with one of the most prestigious national organisations in Qatar and one that seeks to promote active and healthy lifestyles among community members. Our co-operation goes back years, with one of our earliest initiatives being a project that saw us assist with Khalifa International Stadium’s four-star rating from GSAS, making it the first stadium of its kind to obtain such recognition. That was thanks to the organisation’s commitment to adopt the best sustainability practices in the stadium’s design and construction after the country was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.” 
He continued, “The MoU will help AZF ensure its facilities are as sustainable as possible, particularly during the design and operational stages ahead of obtaining the GSAS certification. The GSAS is unique because it includes evaluation system specifically designed to assess sports facilities, which was hailed by FIFA delegation whilst visiting Doha to observe Qatar’s sustainable 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
infrastructure.”
Khalifa International Stadium’s unique design that extends beyond the traditional stadium, fitted with innovative and energy-efficient cooling and lightening technology, has set a new benchmark in the field of architecture which has contributed to it being awarded the four-star certification at the second annual Sustainability Summit in Doha last November.
The MoU also builds on AZF’s existing efforts to support the community in adopting a sustainable lifestyle to benefit future generations. AZF is taking a lead in the use of recycled materials, solar technology and by adopting sustainable and eco-friendly solutions to conserve electricity. AZF has also recently built an eco-friendly wastewater treatment station, making it one of the first organisations in the country to use an innovative process known as ‘reverse osmosis’.

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