President of Planning and Statistics Authority, H E Dr. Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit, and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCWA, Rola Dashti at the event, yesterday.
President of the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) H E Dr. Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit has said the contribution of the non-oil sector to the real GDP has reached over 60% in the second quarter (Q2) of this year, supported by a well-developed economic and logistical infrastructure.
He was speaking at the opening session of the ‘National Workshop on Enhancing Integrated Development Planning in the State of Qatar’ yesterday.
The two-day event is being organised by PSA in coordination with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
He said as the end of Qatar Second National Development Strategy 2018-22 is approaching, the preliminary results indicate progress in implementation of most of the initiatives and projects of the strategy, especially in the field of economic diversification and encouraging the private sector.
Al Nabit said the Strategy has kept pace with the regional and global developments affecting all political, economic and social levels, including challenges at the health level.
Al Nabit said specific topics for the workshop were chosen based on their importance in the development planning process. He said the workshop will focus on the tools and materials related to integrated planning prepared by ESCWA, on the successes and challenges in national development planning of Qatar, and on public policies and institutional reforms, especially those related to economic diversification policies and the growth of the private sector, including attracting foreign direct investment.
“Since we are approaching a new development planning cycle, which is the third cycle, the focus will be on holding a series of preparatory and accompanying events that will allow the space not only for capacity-building but also for the exchange of opinions and knowledge on benefiting from the past lessons,” said Al Nabit.
The ESCWA has given encouraging estimates about Qatar’s economic growth. Addressing the gathering, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCWA Rola Dashti, said “According to ESCW estimates, Qatar’s economy is expected to grow about 6.7% for the year 2022.”
She said the growth of Qatar’s economy is supported by investments in infrastructure and services, spending on human resource, support for youth, development of education, and improvement of the economic and legal environment.
Rola Dashti said Qatar deserves all the appreciation for its outstanding achievements in the field of national development planning. She said Qatar has made great efforts to advance development planning, which allowed it to make significant progress towards sustainable economic development.
Dashti said that the best example of this is the flexibility and responsiveness despite the sudden changes that have turned the region upside down, perhaps the most severe of which is the COVID-19 pandemic.
She congratulated Qatar and its people on Shura Council elections and its inauguration, which she said will strengthen the democratic process in the country.
Dashti said ESCWA is looking forward to cooperating with Qatar to enhance the technical capacity of the staff and to provide advice to contribute to setting policies that aim to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030.
