DOHA: Qatar's National Development Strategy 2011-2016 which was launched here yesterday by the Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani presents new initiatives while building on what already exists. For projects, policies and institutions already under way, it provides added impetus and focus.
The National Development Strategy 2011-2016 has been fused from 14 sector strategies and background reports prepared by the Task Teams under the guidance of the Executive Groups and the supervision of the National Steering Committee.
The framework for Qatar's National Development Strategy 2011-2016 is set by the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). Launched in 2008, QNV 2030 builds a bridge from the present to the future and aims to transform Qatar into an advanced country, sustaining its development and providing a high standard of living for all its people--for generations to come.
QNV 2030 builds on a society that promotes justice, benevolence and equality. It embodies the principles of the Permanent Constitution, which protects public and personal freedoms, promotes moral and religious values and traditions, and guarantees security, stability and equal opportunities. In line with these principles, QNV 2030 rests on four pillars, including human development, social development, economic development and environmental development.
Qatar's management of its hydrocarbon resources will continue to secure improvements in standards of living, but those improvements cannot be the only goal of society. The National Development Strategy 2011-2016 thus aims to balance five major challenges identified in QNV 2030, namely moulding modernisation around the preservation of Qatari culture and traditions, balancing the needs of this generation and those of future generations, managing growth and avoiding uncontrolled expansion, matching the size and quality of the expatriate labour force to the selected path of development and aligning economic growth with social development and environmental management.
This National Development Strategy 2011-2016, Qatar's first, is the culmination of extensive stakeholder consultations, dialogues and analyses. The positive and unprecedented engagement of multiple sectoral and intersectoral stakeholders reflects a genuine desire for reform that is in the best interest of the country. The consultation process began with ministers and key leaders from government, private sector and civil society and moved out into society.
Qatar has built a solid foundation for embarking on the National Development Strategy 2011-2016. Rapid growth in the 2000s, the fastest in the world, has given Qatar one of the world's highest levels of per capita income (measured in purchasing power parity terms). High saving, both private and public, has been reflected in substantial domestic investment and the accumulation of a substantial pool of foreign currency assets. To meet new demands in a more complex economy and to strengthen performance, Qatar has embarked on a variety of reforms. The reforms aim to bring together decisions of national significance within an integrated framework for making deliberate and concerted choices about Qatar's future. At an operational level the reforms emphasise improvement in public services and delivery of "value for money", thereby enhancing opportunities and conditions for the country as a whole as well as for individual citizens.
By clarifying national development priorities and direction, the reforms provide greater predictability for the private sector and civil society, leading to better alignment of interests across the country.
A significant rationalisation of the functions and roles of ministries and agencies is under way, aimed at promoting tighter policy cohesion, improving service delivery, eliminating waste and enhancing public sector accountability and performance.
Implementing these changes across the whole of government is now proceeding, with the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers having been given the mandate for planning and performance monitoring across government. An initiative of particular importance is the expansion of the role of the former Ministry of Finance to include economic policy support, advice and coordination.
The trajectory of Qatar's economy is tightly linked to developments in the hydrocarbon sector. Hydrocarbons still dominate the economic landscape, but Qatar is branching out into new areas. A supply of cheap hydrocarbon feedstock and energy has helped the development of downstream industries in the petrochemical and metallurgy sectors, with some subsectors, such as fertilisers, growing at a fast clip. A foothold has also been established in new areas, including air transportation and media services. The Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) now tenants more than 30 ventures in such areas as life sciences, oil and chemicals, environment, electronics and software engineering.
Qatar's financial sector has also seen rapid development serving the needs of a larger and more complex economy. Physical investments have fast caught up with needs. Bottlenecks in infrastructure, which contributed to high project costs and inefficiencies, are being tackled across a broad front. Investments in healthcare have been significant, supporting workforce productivity and fostering social cohesion.
Thanks to the heavy investments in high-quality health services and delivery systems, mortality levels have declined markedly, and the prospects of survival at vulnerable ages have improved.
A diverse complex of health facilities now meets widely divergent and often highly specialised needs, supported by more than 13,000 personnel, almost all with specialist medical and technical skills. Education and training investments have also been significant. Recognising deficits in its education system and in broader capabilities within the country, Qatar has invested heavily. Government education spending has steadily increased to about 5 percent of GDP in 2008.
© The Peninsula 2011
