Qatar is among the top 20 countries in the world which are well-prepared to embrace change. The country has been ranked 12th out of the total 140 countries in the 2019 Change Readiness Index released by KPMG.
Qatar’s performance in the index assumes significance as it has surpassed many major economies including United States, Canada, Japan and Australia. At a time when the world is changing at a rapid pace, Change Readiness Index ranks 140 countries on how effectively they prepare for, and respond to, major change events.
Switzerland has topped the ranking for a second year, followed by Singapore and Denmark which were placed in second and third place, respectively. Europe dominated the top ranking as nine European countries were included in the top 20.
The 2019 Change Readiness Index (CRI) indicates the capability of a country – its government, private and public enterprises, people and wider civil society – to anticipate, prepare for, manage, and respond to a wide range of change drivers, proactively cultivating the resulting opportunities and mitigating potential negative impacts.
Qatar has ranked fourth in government capability, 16th in the enterprise capability and 22nd in people and civil society category.
Qatar has also improved its performance in the past few years in terms of adapting to changes which is evident from jump in its ranking the index.
The country has jumped seven places in the last couple of years, as it was ranked 19th in the 2017 Change Readiness Index, released two years ago.
At that time, Qatar was ranked 11th in government capability, 24th in the enterprise capability and 21st in people and civil society category.
The Index measures a country’s capacity for general change, but KPMG’s methodology shows that those same capabilities also dictate a country’s preparedness for climate change.
The 2019 Index also revealed that countries most susceptible to climate risks are mostly low income and lower-middle income countries.
Less mature economies like Chad, South Sudan and Afghanistan are the worst performing in climate resilience, as are countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The majority of higher income economies are considered low risk, high readiness countries.
The 2019 Change Readiness Index combines data from 25 primary survey questions, gathered from 1,400 specialists, with a secondary dataset of more than 125 variables.
The Index, now in its fourth year of bi-annual publication, measures each country across three key pillars of capability: enterprise, government and people & civil society.
“Climate change is among the most pressing issues we face as a global society. Those countries failing to recognise the impact of climate change are likely to be unprepared for its growing costs, which will be levied on citizens, businesses and economies around the world. Our 2019 report aims to demonstrate that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to responding to major change,” said Timothy Stiles, Global Chair of KPMG’s International Development Assistance Services.
