Cabinet Holds Weekly Meeting

Doha, June 22 (QNA) - HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting held at its seat at the Amiri Diwan on Wednesday.
Following the meeting, HE Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Sulaiti issued the following statement: At the outset of the meeting, the Cabinet praised HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's speech on Tuesday at the opening of the Qatar Economic Forum 2022, Powered by Bloomberg, as well as the participation of a number of Their Excellencies heads of state, government, ministers and senior officials from policy makers, parliamentarians, thinkers, economists, businessmen, media and representatives of regional and international organizations.
The Cabinet affirmed that His Highness' speech, with its important visions, ideas and contents, clearly identified the causes of the difficulties and challenges that the global economy is currently facing and how to overcome them.
The Cabinet valued HH the Amir's call during his important speech for all countries to adhere to a set of principles, the first of which is the consolidation of justice, equality and solidarity, and the rejection of double standards, in addition to His Highness's affirmation that the success in overcoming current challenges depends on the ability to adhere to these principles.
The Cabinet expressed great satisfaction for the continued leadership of the State of Qatar in the Middle East and North Africa region in the Global Peace Index and for occupying an advanced position at the global level, as it ranked first place at the level of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa region. The State of Qatar ranked 23 globally out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index 2022 report issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) in Australia on the level of the security situation, advancing six places over the previous year as the safest and most secure. Qatar maintained its high rank in several security indicators included in the report, including criminality in society, terrorist activity, homicides, safety and security, organized internal conflicts, terrorism and political stability.
After, the Cabinet considered the topics on the agenda as follows: First - The Cabinet was informed of the Shura Council's approval of the following draft laws: 1- A draft law amending some provisions of Decree Law No. 17 of 2010 on the organization of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC).
2- A draft law regulating the use of cash in transactions.
3- A draft law on the protection of protection of victims, witnesses and other cooperating persons.
Second - Approval of a draft law on combating the concealment of non-Qatari practice of commercial, economic and professional activities in violation of the law, and referring it to the Shura Council.
The preparation of the draft law comes to replace Law No. 25 of 2004 and within the framework of modernizing legislation, creating an investment environment based on transparency, and consolidating the practice of activities in accordance with the provisions of the laws in force in the country.
Under the provisions of the draft, any non-Qatari person, whether a natural or legal person, is prohibited from the following: 1- To practice or invest in a commercial, economic or professional activity that he is not licensed to practice or invest in according to the laws in force in the State.
2- Obtaining percentages of profits that exceed the percentages stipulated in the company's incorporation document or its articles of association.
It is also prohibited for any natural or legal person to cover up a non-Qatari person by enabling them to practice or invest in a commercial, economic or professional activity in violation of the provisions of the laws in force in the country, whether by allowing them to use the name of the one who covers up, their license, or their commercial or professional record, or by any other method that enables them to evade their obligations under the laws in force in the country, and whether this is done for the account of the person being covered up or the one who covers up or others.
Third - Approval of a draft Cabinet decision specifying the transactions in which the use of cash is prohibited.
Fourth - Approval of a draft Cabinet decision to amend some provisions of the executive regulations of the law regulating tenders and auctions issued by Cabinet Decision No. 16 of 2019.
Among the amendments included in the draft Decision are the following:
Add the definition of local value, which is the total amount spent by a contractor, supplier or service provider within the country to develop national business, services or human resources to stimulate productivity in the local economy.
Preparing model contracts that government agencies are bound by when concluding any contract, without the need to review the Contracts Department, and it is stipulated that the model should not be modified, and if there is a need for amendment, the Department’s approval is required after coordination with the Contract Department.
In bids with a value of less than QR 5 million, the government entity may limit participation in it to micro, small or medium companies, or all of them classified at the Ministry.
Fifth - Approval of increasing the percentage of non-Qatari investor ownership in the capital of some banks and joint stock companies listed on the Stock Exchange, based on the proposal of the Minister of Commerce and Industry.
Under this decision, a non-Qatari investor may own up to 100 percent of the capital of the following banks and companies:
1- Qatar International Islamic Bank.
2- Doha Bank.
3- Medical Care Company.
4- Qatar Gas Transport Company Limited (Nakilat).
5- Qatar Fuel Company (Woqod).
Sixth - Approval of a draft decision of the Minister of Interior to amend some provisions of Decision No. 11 of 2007 specifying the conditions, controls and periods of granting special leave to the military personnel in the Ministry.
The draft Decision states that the Qatari military female personnel may be granted leave to accompany their children during their stay for treatment in one of the public or private hospitals inside the country, provided that they are not married, and that the leave is approved by the medical committee of the Ministry of Interior.
Seventh - Approval of a draft decision of the Minister of Public Health regarding the conditions and procedures for locating human autopsy locations.
Eighth - Approval of a draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Sports and Youth in the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in the Sultanate of Oman in the field of sports.
Ninth - The Cabinet reviewed the annual report of the Permanent Population Committee for 2021, and took the appropriate decision in this regard.
This committee, in coordination with the competent authorities, undertakes the study of the demographic structure, its characteristics and trends, the proposal of the State's population policy and follow-up to its implementation after its approval, the preparing population-related studies and research aimed at knowing the social reality in the country, developing population policies and programs, and a number of other tasks. (QNA)