Qatar Economic Outlook Issue Number 13

Qatar Economic Outlook 2021 - 2023 
42 
Recent Legislative, 
Institutional and Planning 
Developments in Qatar 
The State of Qatar has witnessed legislative, 
institutional, and planning developments 
during 2021, the most important of which are: 
1. The year 2021 began with the holding of 
the Gulf Summit No. (41) which was held 
on January 5, 2021 in Al-Ula Governorate 
in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in which it 
was agreed to end the diplomatic crisis 
between the State of Qatar and a number 
of Gulf Cooperation Council countries. 
2. Completion of the institutions stipulated in 
the constitution by establishing the elected 
legislative authority along with the 
executive and judicial authorities. The first 
legislative elections were held in the 
country on October 2, 2021, to elect 30 
members through direct voting, and for the 
Emir to appoint the remaining 15 members 
to make up the 45-member assembly. The 
participation rate was 63.5% of the total 
voters. 
3. A structural adjustment was also made to 
four sectoral ministries with the aim of de-
centralizing, including:
a. Separating the Ministry of Transport 
and Communications into two 
ministries: one for transportation and 
the other for communications and 
information technology. 
b. Separating the Ministry of Municipality 
and Environment into two ministries: 
one for the municipality, the other for 
environment and climate change, 
c. The Ministry of Administrative 
Development, Labor and Social Affairs 
has been separated into three 
institutions: tow ministries: one for 
labor and the other for social 
development and the family,
a. With the aim of raising the 
efficiency and effectiveness of 
providing government services, 
Civil Service and Government 
Development Bureau was 
established. 
d. 
Separating the Ministry of Culture 
and Sports into two ministries: one 
for culture, and the other for sports 
and youth. 
4. With the aim of attracting investments and 
overcoming obstacles, the Investment and 
Trade Court and its first instance and 
appellate circuits were established, which 
will handle dispute resolution relating to: 
•
commercial contracts and lawsuits 
arising between merchants related to 
their commercial business, 
•
the investment of non-Qatari capital 
in Qatar’s economic activities, 
•
the operations of banks, insurance 
companies, finance and investment 
companies, 
•
Bankruptcy cases and trying to reach 
a settlement that guarantees the 
rights of consensual litigants. 
5. The completion of the process of General 
Population, Housing and Establishments 
2020, the results of which were announced 
on October 12, 2021. The process of 
executing this census was characterized 
by the use of administrative records in the 
official authorities in the country. In 
addition, the latest technological tools, as 
tablets, the Internet and phone-call center 
were used to collecting, entering and 
reviewing the data, which contributed to 
improving the quality of population, 
housing and establishments data, and 
analysing them statistically, graphically 
and geographically