The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council held Monday its regular weekly meeting under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.

At the beginning of the session, the Shura Council extended its congratulations to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, HH the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani and the Qatari people on the success of hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which concluded its activities with the final match between Argentina and France on Sunday at Lusail Stadium.

The Council renewed its congratulations on the occasion of the Qatar National Day, wishing Qatar more success and prosperity.

The Council pointed out that yesterday was an exceptional day for the State of Qatar, as the world was following the FIFA World Cup final, which coincided with the anniversary of Qatar National Day.

The Council expressed its pride in what the State of Qatar has accomplished for its people and the region, and for what it has provided to humanity in establishing new concepts of sport for the unity and brotherhood of peoples.

It noted that the State of Qatar presented an impressive tournament, with a tight organization, witnessed by everyone, during which the masses who came to the country from all over the world lived in an enthusiastic and festive atmosphere, and the organization won the admiration of all the participating teams, while newspapers, international networks and various media outlets praise it.

The Council also affirmed that the State of Qatar succeeded in presenting the correct image of the region, and changing the prevailing negative stereotypical image of Arab and Muslim people by putting its Arab and Islamic imprint on the most important and largest sporting event in the world.

The Shura Council indicated that this was clearly demonstrated in the opening ceremony, which mixed Arab and Islamic cultures and its openness to various cultures, noting that the tournament received thousands of fans from all over the world, who made good impressions of the region and its people after a number of them had negative thoughts and hesitated to come to it.

The Council affirmed that the effects of the World Cup legacy have been evident in various fields for a long time, especially in establishing an integrated infrastructure, promoting transportation, providing multiple recreational, tourism and sports facilities, parks and gardens across the country, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting people with disabilities, and providing the technology for cooling stadiums, adding that this success would not have been achieved without prior planning and the sound vision of our wise leadership.

The Council appreciated the support and assistance provided by the wise leadership of the country for this event, as it periodically followed the stages of its workflow, directed to harness all capabilities for it and to overcome the obstacles that might face it.

The Council also praised the efforts of the esteemed government and all State institutions in the public and private sectors, and their contributions to the success of this global event, stressing that cooperation, solidarity and the joint efforts made by everyone in this championship embody the slogan of this year National Day, "Our Unity Source of Our Strength." It noted the government's meticulous plan of action, which received unlimited support from the wise leadership, to organize the tournament in the best and most professional manner, confirming that this plan contributed to not affecting the level of services provided in light of the increase in the number of visitors to the state.

The Council extended its sincere thanks to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) for its tireless efforts over the past years to achieve this historic achievement, commending its work, which greatly contributed to presenting the correct and positive image of the country, by completing projects according to the highest standards, correcting misconceptions, and addressing everything that would undermine this entitlement. It also thanked the volunteers for their efforts, which had a tangible impact on the success of the tournament.

The Council denounced the systematic and tendentious campaigns and heinous attacks that the country had been subjected to since winning the honor of hosting the World Cup.

It added that these campaigns were built on false allegations and misleading statements, and Western media and organizations stood behind them, supported by some officials and authorities in some countries, stressing that these campaigns increased the strength and determination of Qatar, so those criticisms during the tournament turned into praises.

The Council pointed out that hosting the World Cup is just a stage and not the end of the road, affirming its confidence that the process of work and achievement will continue by building on this success.

The Shura Council also affirmed that Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup was a long and arduous journey, full of difficulties and challenges, which the country was able to overcome, as it welcomed, over 28 days, the whole world, and succeeded in organizing the best edition of the World Cup, which will be remembered forever.

After that, HE Secretary-General of the Shura Council Dr. Ahmed bin Nasser Al Fadhala read the agenda of the session, and the minutes of the previous session were approved.

The Council reviewed a draft law on documents and archives referred to the Council by the esteemed government and decided to refer it to the Information and Cultural Affairs Committee, for study and submit a report thereon to the Council.

The Council also reviewed the report of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee on a draft law amending some provisions of the Income Tax Law promulgated by Law No. (24) of 2018.

After reviewing the committee's report, and reviewing and discussing the draft items, the Council approved the aforementioned draft law.

The Council also approved two requests to extend the work of the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee to study a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. (6) of 2014 regulating real estate development, and the work of the Information and Cultural Affairs Committee to study the issue of promoting national values and identity in society.

The session was attended by several SC ambassadors as well as specialists in the General Tax Authority (QTA) and legal researchers.