8/6/2020
Qatar Chamber has held today its general assembly meeting through the video conference technology.
The meeting, headed by QC Chairman HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani, was attended by many Board Members, businessmen and QC members.
The agenda of the meeting included the approval of the Qatar Chamber’s annual report and fiscal report for the year ending December 31, 2019.
The meeting also saw the discharge of Board Members, the approval of the 2020 budget, and the appointment of a legal auditor for the fiscal year 2020 and determining his fees.
During the meeting, QC Chairman HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani reviewed the Board of Director’s report on the activities of Qatar Chamber for the year ended December 31, 2019.
HE said that this meeting coincided with the third anniversary of the siege imposed on Qatar and came under exceptional circumstances and a crisis that overshadowed all world countries.
Sheikh Khalifa also said that the consequences of the Corona pandemic have affected the economies of many countries in the world, while the private sector has suffered a host of constraints that made countries strive to find appropriate solutions.
He noted that the crisis affected international shares, aviation industry, and industrial production, while world economic growth declined significantly, affirming that the Corona virus is still devastating the world economy, as production, supply and air transport have been hindered worldwide.
Sheikh Khalifa pointed out that the world faces a very strong economic sock which is different than previous crises, affirming that the pandemic directly affected many sectors including services, retail, real estate, education, entertainment, and eateries.
“Most countries have taken precautionary measures to curb the spread of the epidemic, creating a combination of negative economic and trade repercussions that have a direct impact on the economy and the private sector. They have therefore provided financial packages and economic incentives to address the negative effects of the virus on their economies,” he said.
QC Chairman praised the directives of the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani which included 8 decisions to support and provide financial and economic incentives, in the amount of QR 75 billion to the private sector.
Terming them as quick and urgent support for the national economy and the private sector, Sheikh Khalifa said that the financial package would give companies the power and flexibility to adapt to the conditions created by the repercussions of the Corona virus, which impacted many economies around the world.
“The Qatari package represents a confirmation of the interest of the Wise Leadership and the esteemed government in the private sector and of the necessity to help it to emerge from this crisis with the least losses to fulfill its intended role in the country’s economic development”, he added.
Sheikh Khalifa presented his deep thanks and appreciation to HH the Amir for these directives, which demonstrated that the private sector would remain on the top of His Highness’s priorities.
Regarding the siege, QC Chairman said that three years have passed since Qatar was imposed by an unjust blockade that aimed at undermining its sovereignty and hindering its economic growth.
He added: “Now we are stronger. We had benefitted from this experiment. The Siege contributed to accelerating the country’s economic strategies, expanding agricultural and industrial projects, increasing outward investments, promoting local investment and attract more foreign investments to the local market. It also helped in providing more incentives to the private sector for promoting local industries, increasing production, enhancing relations with friendly countries, and activating trade with countries around the world,”
Undermining the role of the private sector, he said that it has played an important and pivotal role in achieving many achievements and successes, as it demonstrated during this crisis that it deserves the confidence of good leadership and good government.
Elaborating the Chamber’s achievements during the last year, he said that the year 2019 was an eventful year in the Qatar Chamber. During the past year, the Chamber has successfully organised more than 200 events including seminars, conferences, meetings, and exhibitions. It also participated in a significant number of activities and events that were held inside or outside the country.
It also continued its cooperation with all ministries and authorities concerned in the State to overcome all obstacles facing the private sector and solve all the problems facing its employees, and organised a number of meetings and seminars with these authorities to identify laws and services offered by these bodies.
The Chamber strived to develop the services provided to its members by launching the ‘Qatar Commercial & Industrial Directory 2019’, which can be accessed online. The directory provides a list of commercial and industrial companies operating in the country and registered at the Chamber.
Qatar Chamber also launched an electronic system to assess customer satisfaction, specifically of its members. The system helps in conducting daily reports, which contribute to improving the level of work and qualitative measurement of staff performance.
The meeting also reviewed obstacles facing the private sector under the precautionary measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. Many businessmen presented many issues related to many sectors including contracting, retail and private medical sector.
