 Doha Debates also hosts its own audiovisual Portal at Qatar National Library to allow members of the public to interact in real time with users at more than 40 locations worldwide as if they are in the same room, creating a virtual majilis to discuss the debate topics.On 16 January 2019, Doha Debates and TED Salon organized "Up for Debate," a session of curated talks about the importance of civic discourse and debate.The Doha Debates was founded in 2005, moderated by former BBC correspondent and interviewer Tim Sebastian, with Qatar Foundation as the sponsor.