Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs leads State of Qatar delegation to the 50th World Economic Forum
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, led a significant delegation from the State of Qatar to the 50th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, which took place from 21 to 24 January 2020.
Themed around ‘Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World’, the World Economic Forum was marked by collaborative and productive discussions around tackling global issues, including sustainability and the international governance of trade and technology. Qatar has made these areas of global importance a priority in recent years, investing in new technologies and participating in global convenings, such as the World Economic Forum, to advance new ideas and collaboration.
The State of Qatar delegation included His Excellency Mr Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Minister of Finance; His Excellency Mr Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Commerce and Industry; His Excellency Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy; Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA); His Excellency Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer of Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar; and Yousuf Mohamed Al Jaida, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Financial Centre.
During the World Economic Forum, Qatar’s delegation met with ministers and government officials, representatives of multilateral organisations, international corporate executives, and financial institutions.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke at the QIA event titled ‘Perspectives from Qatar: The Reality of Economic Prosperity in the Middle East’, which focused on how sustainable and diversified economies are reshaping the Middle East.
In his remarks, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, “Qatar has opened its doors to partnerships, and we encourage all in the region and beyond to join our efforts to make economic prosperity in the Middle East a reality through renewing investments in human capital, diversifying investments, and in building the partnerships needed to make the Middle East strong and prosperous.”
Additionally, HE the Commerce and Industry Minister, HE the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, HE the Chief Executive Officer of Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar and the CEO of Qatar Financial Centre participated in numerous high-level convenings and panel discussions. These included an event hosted by Qatar Financial Centre and Bloomberg on the shifting geopolitical landscape and global competition for Foreign Direct Investment, and a debate on “big tech” and regulation hosted by Qatar Foundation’s Qatar Debate and the New York Times. The Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar also organised a panel discussion at Russia House in association with the Roscongress Foundation that explored Qatari and Russian perspectives on investment trends in emerging markets.
The Forum was an opportunity for Qatar to showcase its accelerating economic diversification and attractive business environment. Real GDP growth in Qatar is set to accelerate to 1.5% in 2020 and 3.2% by 2021, while an ambitious programme to improve business regulations saw Qatar recently break into the top 20 global business environment improvers.