COLOMBO : It is with great pleasure I extend this message on the occasion of the National Day of the State of Qatar.
We celebrate the National Day of the State of Qatar on December 18, in remembrance of the historic day of accession of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, founder of the State of Qatar, as the ruler in 1878.
In such a glorious day in the glorious history of Qatar, we recall the biography of the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammad bin Thani, who laid the foundations of the modern State, preserved its sovereignty, safeguarded the dignity of its people, made our dear country, Qatar a unified, coherent and independent State and established the values and principles on which it was based. By virtue of them, it proceeded in the paths of glory, achieving achievements, making glories, caring rights, protecting covenants, providing relief to the needy, supporting the oppressed, fighting for the right and justice, observing the right of neighborliness, adhering to the values and morals, presenting to the world a bright example of a safe and stable state capable of achieving the highest rates of development and providing the finest means of a decent life for its people and the residents on its land.
When we remember the Founder, we remember his rushing to support oppressed. We also remember how the Qatari people sacrificed their lives while rushing to support him. They believed it was their duty to fight against oppression against all individuals and they believed that justice is the foundation for prosperity.
On this national occasion, we remember the values of generosity, loyalty, responsibility and sacrifices made by our fathers and grandfathers, which are the basis for the success of Qatar today. As well as we recall the present challenges and achievements and the future of hope and aspirations.
On this day, all distinguished personalities who contributed to build our dear country and worked to protect it are honored. Also, the Qatari people express their joy, happiness, feelings of love and gratitude for their country.
Vision of the National Day celebrations and its values
The vision of the Qatar National Day celebrations is based on promoting loyalty, solidarity, unity and pride in identity. Its values aimed at achieving them are inspiration, participation, creativity and transparency.
The slogan of Qatar National Day 2021
The Organizing Committee for the National Day (QND) Celebrations revealed the National Day 2021 slogan. The slogan for Qatar National Day 2021 is “ANCESTRAL MEADOWS: A MATTER OF TRUST”.
The slogan is based on the poetry of the founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Bin Thani, may Allah rest his soul:
Oh, how many caravans have passed by,
Leaving behind vestiges of the fluctuations of the times,
Abodes our sights are accustomed to as the seasons slip by,
Our meadows ornamented with herbs.
From time immemorial, Qataris have always maintained a close-knit relationship with their environment. They were brought up on the land that shaped their characteristics, and they explored and coexisted with nature, the colors of its soil and sea and its seasonal changes, to the extent that the environment has become part and parcel of their existence and a major source of influence in the building of their personality and identity.
The simplicity of Qatari life reflects that of their environment, and the placidness of the land is equally manifested in the moral rectitude of the people, their modesty, the smoothness of their language and the clarity of their expression, qualities which, in turn, reflect on their clothing style and architecture.
The intersection of sea and land is a distinctive feature of the Qatari environment, which makes their lives the quintessence of two blessings that enrich their livelihood with their bounties.
They went to sea in the summer season for diving and relocated to terra firma in the winter season. They embraced the realms of the sea in search of pearls, empowered with wisdom and courage, believing that the meaning of life resides in interaction with others, which is why Qataris welcomed with open arms the ships coming to their shores from far and wide.
In the desert, Qataris found inspiration and acumen despite the difficulty of desert life as reflected in the scarcity of water and lack of grassland. They were, nonetheless, able to tame the desert through patience, and the beauty of the meadows enhanced the beauty of their poetry and creativity.
Qataris roamed the land of which God has made them vicegerents; so, they contemplated it and took care of it, using stones and animal fur to build their homes, but without indulging in extravagance, because they appreciated the blessings of God upon them, and their expression of gratitude towards God was articulated in deed before words.
Qataris became attached and loyal to their environment, and their devotion to the land enhanced their sense of belonging and pride. The environment assumed an important place in their lives and was celebrated in their songs and poems.
The celebrations of the National Day of the State of Qatar for this year, which are being held taking into account the health situation resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic, proudly come with national identity and solidarity of the people of Qatar with their leadership in facing the global challenges.
The State of Qatar celebrates its National Day this year, while it proud of the glories of the past and cherish the achievements of the present with full of hope, optimism and confidence for a bright tomorrow and a future full of giving, development, renaissance and progress under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar and his government.
The modern State of Qatar and its achievements
The accession of His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the father of His Highness the present Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, to power in June 1995 marked as an important milestone in the march of national cause and a vital step leading the State of Qatar on the right direction. Under the leadership of His Highness, Qatar has made bright achievements in the process of overall development in every aspect of life within the framework of the modernization that he led with a vision that foresees the prospects for a promising future and a new era of prosperity for the country and its citizen.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who assumed the reins of power in 2013, transformed the State of Qatar to an important country on the world political map converting it to a prominent landmark and destination in the world, having fostered the development of a diversified economy through dedication to the advancement of the country’s economic, political and social institutions.
Qatar National Vision 2030 has envisioned a vibrant and prosperous society where economic and social justice prevails and balance between the environment and the human being is observed. QNV 2030 came as a result of focused consultations that adopted participatory methodology for setting priorities, as many segments of Qatari society, including government and non-government agencies, the private sector, civil society organizations and academic institutions, participated in the discussions.
Qatar vision 2030 aims at transforming Qatar into advanced society capable of achieving sustainable development and securing a high standard of living for its people for generations to come.
The National Vision foresees development through four interconnected pillars:
- Human Development: The development of the Qatari people to enable them to promote a prosperous society.
- Social Development: The development of a safe, just society founded on high moral standards and social capable of interacting with different societies playing a significant role in global partnerships for development
- Economic Development: The development of a national competitive and diversified economy capable of meeting the needs of the Qatari people both present and in the future and securing a high standards of living.
- Environmental Development: Management of environment with harmony and balance between economic, social development and environmental protection.
Qatar is on the right track towards building a diversified and sustainable economy in order to achieve the goals and aspirations of Qatar National Vision 2030.
The follow-up results of the implementation of the second National Development Strategy 2018-2022 indicate there is a progress in implementing most of the strategy’s initiatives and projects, with the pace of implementation different from one sector to another, from one goal to another, and from one project to another, especially in the field of economic diversification and the encouragement of the private sector, with a focus on priority economic sectors.
All residents of Qatar enjoy enough good quality food. As food security is considered one of the most important and prominent developmental issues in the State being one of the dimensions of hunger eradication goal of The Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, Qatar has set the goal of reaching 70% food self-sufficiency by 2023 and achieving 100% food security by 2030, making the issue of food security a priority for sustainable development. In light of the distinguished policies of the Government of the State of Qatar, Qatar’s international ranking jumped from 22nd in 2018 to 13th in 2019 in the Food Security Index out of 113 countries and first in the region among 22 Arab countries.
The State of Qatar has made remarkable achievements in preventive physical and psychological care in various fields, including early detection of diseases, encouraging the public to practice healthy behaviors, and improving transparency regarding patients’ rights and responsibilities. Qatar has also made tangible achievements as the index of availability of basic health services has reached complete inclusion (100%) for the entire population covered by primary health care. Mortality rates due to environmental hazards have also decreased to very low levels. Qatar has further achieved a significant reduction in the rate of deaths due to traffic accidents to less than half the global rate. At the same time, the aid provided in the field of health and welfare increased by a significant percentage.
The prosperity of the Qatari economy is not only due to the abundance of natural hydrocarbon resources, but also due to the existence of an efficient administrative system, political stability, social harmony and distinguished international relations. These features enabled the State of Qatar to benefit from its natural resources in local manufacturing and foreign trade, and to provide high levels of banking, transport, communications, education and health services, raising the standard of living for the population. The growth of these economic activities has contributed to the expansion of the scope of local and foreign investments, and the provision of job opportunities in various fields available to all international labor markets. Qatar’s international development partners have also played a pivotal role in the process of economic and social development, whether in providing financing and expertise, or skilled and unskilled labor.
It is worth noting that since the adoption of the 17 SDGs in 2015, the State of Qatar has faced three economic shocks: twice from a sharp drop in energy prices, and an economic blockade that lasted three and a half years; and the implications of the epidemic on health and the economy. To overcome these challenges, Qatar has deployed its financial and non-financial capabilities to reduce the negative effects on the living standards of the population and on macroeconomic stability. Among the actions taken are the following:
• Increasing capital spending on economic diversification projects and infrastructure, which acted as a financial incentive for economic activities.
• Implementing a package of reforms to improve the business environment, protect workers’ rights and duties, raise the efficiency of resource use, and increase financial and administrative discipline.
This has led to an increase in the level of productivity of some sectors, and an expansion in the use of technology and innovation in several areas, including small and medium industries, banking services, communications, transport and other productive activities. In addition, these measures contributed to mitigating the severity of the decline in real per capita GDP from an average of negative 4.7% during the period 2015-2017 to an average of negative 0.35% during the period 2018-2019, before it intensified due to the repercussions of the epidemic containment measures in 2020 to negative 1.69%. The participatory approach was also used to involve stakeholders in contributing to overcoming these shocks, in partnership with the private sector, civil society or local communities, which contributed to moving forward towards diversifying the economy and enhancing food security towards self-sufficiency of some agricultural and industrial food commodities. This participatory approach has further contributed to citizens and residents’ commitment to the preventive measures imposed by the government during the first wave, in addition to harnessing the financial, health and media capabilities of the State in order to enhance economic stability and reduce and treat infected cases. As a result of these measures, the shock to economic activities was alleviated, and at least 98% of the infected cases recovered, with less than 250 deaths in a country with more than 143,830 cases by December 2020.
On the labor side, employment policies, the development of labor market legislation, encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation, encouraging women’s participation in the workforce, taking effective measures to eliminate forced labor, slavery and human trafficking, and promoting the occupational health and safety of workers have all been critical factors in realizing the goal of achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men in the State of Qatar by 2030.
The State of Qatar has adopted several programs and legal amendments to address some imbalances in managing the affairs of a segment of expatriate workers, with the aim of improving their living conditions and protecting their financial and moral rights, such as raising the minimum wage, abolishing the sponsorship system, giving workers the ability to change jobs and residency, facilitating their movement, and enabling them to open bank accounts and remit their savings at the lowest costs. It is worth noting that while the Qatari economy benefits from the services of semi-skilled and unskilled workers, the countries that export such labor also benefit from financial returns and practical experiences that they gain while working in Qatar’s development projects. As such, the total current transfers of expatriate workers (remittances) during the period 2011-2020 amounted to about $ 113.4 billion, with an annual average of $ 11.4 billion.
Many economic activities have been affected by measures to contain the Corona virus epidemic outbreak, but the most affected are the activities carried out by small and medium-sized enterprises with high labor intensity. To alleviate the crisis on workers, the government has established a national guarantees program as part of the economic policy package to face the repercussions of the epidemic with the aim of paying employees’ salaries. This program has benefited more than 4 thousand companies which employ around 320 thousand employees.
The State of Qatar has diversified its production base by developing economic infrastructure, encouraging investment, establishing industrial and service zones, supporting and developing small and medium-sized enterprises and increasing their contribution to diversifying the production base. At the same time, Qatar has been promoting a culture of rationalization and responsible consumption so that it becomes an integral part of people’s lives all the way to building a balanced consumption pattern in Qatar. This approach is evident in the goals and initiatives of the national strategy drawn up by the State in the energy, water, food and waste management sector, as well as in the projects and initiatives implemented on the ground.
The State of Qatar is firmly committed to reducing global warming and addressing climate change. In this regard, it has invested in oil and gas exploration to make radical solutions for climate security at the local and global level through the production and export of natural gas, which is considered the cleanest type of fossil fuel and a high-quality energy source at a time when the world is moving towards renewable energy. Natural gas exports contribute to supporting sustainable development at the local and global levels. At the same time, Qatar is moving strongly to environment-friendly solutions including diversifying energy sources and investing in solar energy, moving to electric public transport system, shifting to green buildings and expanding natural solutions such as the One Million Tree Project. In this context, the State of Qatar is committed to preparing the first carbon-free World Cup 2022 through the use of a range of environment-friendly innovations such as sidewalks that generate electricity and seats made from recycled palm branches. With the end of the tournament, the State of Qatar pledges to rebuild these stadiums in developing countries. Qatar has ensured to have its own footprint in the field of renewable energy, as all World Cup stadiums, training facilities and fan-designated areas are equipped with cooling technology using solar energy.
The State of Qatar has also reached advanced ranks by achieving high evaluation rates in some axes, mainly: low rates of murder and violence, limiting the spread of crime in society, stable political conditions, building a society free from terrorism and its effects, and the absence of either threats or conflicts both internal or external. The State of Qatar has also maintained its top position for the third year in a row and for the fourth time in its history in the list of the most safe, secure and crime-free countries at the global and Arab levels in the NUMBEO World Database Encyclopedia 2021, out of 135 countries included in the classification. Qatar has the lowest number of crimes in the world, scoring 12.29 points in the crime index.
The State of Qatar managed to develop an elaborate system of social protection with active participation by civil society organizations and the private sector in the country, also to provide health and education services for all. This led to Qatar achieving an advanced rank in the Human Development Index year after year, as it ranked 45th out of 189 countries in the 2020 report.
The World Cup, to be organized by the State of Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022, is considered one of the most important international partnerships, and one of the key drivers of achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development at the national level. It will leave a remarkable national legacy and provide an opportunity for Qatar and the peoples of the region to spread a message of sustainable welcome for millions of people around the world who will participate or attend this event in the stadiums, or watch through satellite channels. Qatar will present its unique Arab identity and national culture, building bridges of love and peace and promoting tolerance, respect, and understanding between civilizations.
In March 2020, the State of Qatar developed a national action plan to respond to the pandemic, aiming to prepare, follow up, respond and recover from the spread of this epidemic. It affirmed its commitment to support the guidance of the United Nations in this field and the importance of international cooperation to confront the Coronavirus pandemic through the global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to vaccines for all countries. Qatar has also developed a national electronic platform to display all information related to this pandemic, enabling it to address the issue and manage response well, and provide vaccines to the population in a timely manner.
With regards to research, development and innovation, the State of Qatar considers it one of the most important means that contribute to implementing the goals of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and increasing productivity in The Second National Development Strategy 2018- 2022 in accordance with QNV 2030. This field constitutes a major long-term lever for growth and contributes to achieving many goals and targets related to education, health, food security, the environment, investment in human capital and capacity building.
The institutional arrangements for Qatar’s third National Development Strategy 2023-2027 have been started. The concerned authorities in the State of Qatar have begun preparing an organizational structure aimed at governing the preparation process with the highest possible level of participation and at the same time with greater flexibility, in particular the proposal of the committees and work teams representing all governmental and non-governmental bodies and sectors of the State, benefiting from the two previous experiences of the State.
Qatar – Sri Lanka bilateral relations
Much of our prosperity comes from our relationships with other countries and Sri Lanka is one of Qatar’s oldest friends in South Asia. We value these long-standing relationships which have gone from strength to strength.
The State of Qatar and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka enjoy excellent bilateral relations in all political, economic and social fields. The bilateral relations between the two countries witnessed a great leap over the past years, especially after the mutual visits of the heads of the two countries, including the visit of His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to Sri Lanka in January 2012, the visit of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar to Sri Lanka in March 2015, as well as the visit of His Excellency the former President Maithripala Sirisena to the State of Qatar in October 2017.
All These visits opened wider horizons for strengthening relations between Qatar and Sri Lanka.
There is continuous cooperation between our two countries in international forums and we seek to enhance trade and economic cooperation between our two countries through the joint economic and technical committee.
There are also (96908) Sri Lankans working in the State of Qatar as per the statistics issued as of July 2021, among them are skilled workers and there is a joint committee on Regulation of Sri Lanka Manpower in the State of Qatar. The last meeting of this committee was held in Colombo, on 30 November 2021.
On this happiest occasion, I extend my heartiest greetings and wishes to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar and His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al- Thani and to the people of the State of Qatar.
I also take this opportunity to wish the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and its friendly people peace prosperity and success.