The Shura Council State of Qatar

HE Shura Council Secretary-General, Nayef bin Mohammed Al Mahmoud, has confirmed that the upcoming phase marks a new beginning for the Council in its second legislative term, driven by a comprehensive institutional vision and full operational readiness.

Speaking at a media briefing held on Sunday with representatives of the local press, HE Al Mahmoud said that preparations for the opening of the first ordinary session of the second legislative term, scheduled for Tuesday, have been fully completed. These include equipping the main hall, meeting rooms, and facilities with the latest technologies, as well as enhancing the interior aesthetics and ensuring technical and organizational readiness.

The opening session will be followed by a procedural sitting that includes the oath-taking, the reading of Amiri Decree No. 98 of 2025 convening the Council, and the elections for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions. Al Mahmoud emphasized that all legal and technical teams are fully prepared to carry out the process smoothly, reflecting the Council’s decades-long institutional experience and its high professional standards.

Reviewing the Council's performance during its first legislative term (2021–2025), His Excellency described the General Secretariat as the cornerstone in supporting parliamentary work and enabling Council members to fulfill their roles.

During this period, the Council held 138 regular sessions and two extraordinary ones, alongside 312 meetings of permanent and ad hoc committees. It discussed 84 draft laws, 22 discussion requests, and 25 proposals by desire. Additionally, it held 21 public hearings and participated in 185 parliamentary events domestically and abroad. The Council also conducted 417 bilateral meetings and engagements.

These figures reflect the extensive efforts of the General Secretariat and the growing institutional role of the Council in legislation, oversight, and parliamentary diplomacy, Al Mahmoud said.

The Secretary-General also spoke about the Council's ongoing digital transformation as part of its overarching institutional development plan. He announced the upcoming launch of the Secretariat's first-ever strategic plan (2025–2030), which is aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the directives outlined in HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's opening speeches at past Council sessions.

The new strategy aims to enhance efficiency, digitize procedures, improve administrative and technical performance, and develop human capital to meet the needs of the next phase.

HE Al Mahmoud noted that the Secretariat places strong emphasis on attracting national talent, with Qatarization levels exceeding 90%. Moreover, second-line leadership has been developed in 70% of departments.

He highlighted the Secretariat's efforts to refine its workforce through specialized training workshops and partnerships with key institutions such as the Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Georgetown University, the State Audit Bureau, Al Jazeera Media Institute, and others.

These partnerships, he said, aim to equip staff with the legal, administrative, and technical skills required for modern parliamentary work, while also offering Secretariat-specific training programs designed in collaboration with national universities. This contributes to higher efficiency and fosters a culture of excellence within the parliamentary environment.

During his meeting today with representatives of local media, HE Al Mahmoud highlighted the outstanding relationship of the Secretariat-General with its counterparts in fraternal and friendly councils and parliaments.

He explained that the Secretariat-General has visited these councils so far to observe parliamentary experiences and exchange expertise, while the Shura Council has also received representatives from other secretariats to review its experience and share legal and technical knowledge.

Al Mahmoud further indicated that these reciprocal visits reflect the growing global confidence in the Council's experience, as well as its leading institutional role.

As part of governmental-parliamentary cooperation, His Excellency emphasized that the relationship between the Secretariat-General of the Shura Council and the Secretariat-General of the Council of Ministers represents a model of integration between the two authorities.

He noted that a direct electronic channel has been established to exchange correspondence and observations regarding draft legislation. This channel has accelerated the review of proposals, facilitated the work of specialized committees, and achieved a higher degree of institutional fluidity and integration between the two entities.

Al Mahmoud underscored the critical role played by the media in conveying the Council's work to citizens with transparency and objectivity, praising the collaboration of journalists and national media institutions in covering weekly sessions and various events.

He highlighted that the Council is committed to holding an annual meeting that convenes the Council's Speaker and editors-in-chief, as part of the existing partnership between legislative and media institutions.

Al Mahmoud added that the Media Office and the Council's digital platforms provide facilitations for journalists to convey news and information accurately, while ensuring adherence to the Council's regulations on the confidentiality of certain matters.

Regarding community engagement, His Excellency explained that the Council regularly receives school and university students through monthly visits, familiarizing them with the Council's working mechanisms.

  He emphasized that the Council participates in a wide range of national and social events, with a focus on promoting the culture of Shura within society and consolidating the principles of citizen engagement and interaction with the legislative institution.

During the meeting, Al Mahmoud highlighted the prestigious status that the Shura Council has attained in international forums, clarifying that the Council holds membership in several parliamentary positions, most notably in the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the highest international parliamentary body, in addition to participating in a number of its permanent committees.

He further stressed that the Secretariat-General plays a vital role in supporting council members and empowering them to effectively perform their parliamentary diplomatic role, noting that external parliamentary work is no longer merely symbolic, but has become a purposeful activity aimed at achieving concrete results that serve national interests and strengthen the Council's international relations.

His Excellency also outlined the foremost parliamentary events that the Council will host in the coming period, including the parliamentary forum with the IPU on the margins of the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha in November, in collaboration with the United Nations, as well as hosting the Asian Parliamentary Assembly meetings in December.

In addition, the Council will participate in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit of Heads of Legislative Councils, which will be hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain at a later date.

He emphasized that the Secretariat-General provides comprehensive technical and logistical support to ensure the success of these events and guarantee outcomes that reflect the parliamentary stature of the State of Qatar.

Finally, His Excellency underlined that the Secretariat-General is committed to advancing its new strategy with renewed spirit and unwavering ambition.

He emphasized the continuous pursuit of excellence, guided by the vision of the prudent leadership, and aspiring toward a more efficient and effective institutional future, one that fulfills the aspirations of the nation and its citizens and strengthens the presence of the Shura Council at both national and international levels.