Cabinet approves draft law issuing unified system for volunteering work in GCC countries
DOHA: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani has chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting held at the Amiri Diwan.
Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi stated the following:
The Cabinet reviewed the topics on its agenda. It approved - in principle - a draft law issuing a unified system (law) for volunteering work in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and a draft of its executive regulations. The two drafts' preparation comes within the framework of the Ministry of Social Development and Family's strategy, which aims to enhance social responsibility, spread the culture of volunteering in society, organize volunteering work, ensure its practice with freedom and choice, preserve the rights of volunteers and volunteering organizations, and define the duties of each of them.
The Cabinet also approved the draft Cabinet Decision to add a member to the Steering Committee of the Qatar Internet Exchange Point project, established by Decision No. (24) of 2018. Prepared by the Communications Regulatory Authority, this draft aims to connect financial institutions subject to the supervision of the Qatar Central Bank to the Internet Exchange Point, in a way that ensures business continuity in the financial sector and supports its vital requirements.
The Cabinet approved a draft agreement between the Government of the State of Qatar and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) regarding the establishment and financing of a regional office for UNITAR in the State of Qatar; a draft core contribution agreement between the Qatar Fund for Development of the State of Qatar and the United Nations World Food Program for multilateral funding for the years 2025-2026; a draft letter of intent between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar and the Federal Departmentآ of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation in the field of mediation and facilitation; a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic affairs between the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of the State of Qatar and the International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; and a draft air services agreement between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Republic of Nauru.
The Cabinet concluded the weekly meeting by reviewing a report on the outcomes of the participation of Qatar's delegation, headed by the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, in the 16th International Economic Forum 'Russia-Islamic World: Kazan Forum'(Republic of Tatarstan - May 2025), regarding which it took the appropriate decision.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Putin says Russian recession must not happen ‘under any circumstances'
Russia's economy must not slide into recession, President Vladimir Putin said, after economists warned for months of a slowdown in growth. Putin told attendees, including government ministers and central bankers, at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday that some specialists and experts were 'pointing to the risks of stagnation and even a recession'. 'This must not be allowed to happen under any circumstances,' he said. 'We need to pursue a competent, well-thought-out budgetary, tax and monetary policy,' he added. Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said on Thursday that the economy was on the verge of slipping into a recession, and monetary policy decisions would determine whether it falls into one or not. In October, the Bank of Russia increased its key interest rate to the highest level since the early 2000s to curb high inflation, only to cut it by one percentage point to 20 percent earlier this month. Moreover, economists warned for months of a slowdown in the economy, with the country posting its slowest quarterly expansion in two years during the first quarter of 2025. However, the Kremlin said it expected the slowdown due to two years of rapid expansion as it increased military expenditure to fund its war against Ukraine. Yet, Putin denied that the defence industry was solely driving the economy. 'Yes, of course, the defence industry played its part in this regard, but so did the financial and IT industries,' he said. He added that the economy needed 'balanced growth', calling on officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Sign up for Al Jazeera Breaking News Alert Get real-time breaking news alerts and stay up-to-date with the most important headlines from around the globe. Subscribe Your subscription failed. Please try again. Please check your email to confirm your subscription By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy protected by reCAPTCHA Advertisement At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that it was time to 'cut the [interest] rate and start heating up the economy'. German Gref, CEO of Russia's largest lender Sberbank also called for faster rate cuts to incentivise companies to invest. Growth of military industries Putin has used the annual economic forum to highlight Russia's economic prowess and encourage foreign investment, but Western executives shunned it since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The economy, hit with a slew of Western sanctions, has so far outperformed predictions. High defence spending has propelled growth and kept unemployment low despite fuelling inflation. Large recruiting bonuses for military enlistees and death benefits for those killed in Ukraine have also put more income into the country's poorer regions. But over the long term, inflation and a lack of foreign investments pose threats to the economy. Economists have warned of mounting pressure on the economy and the likelihood that it would stagnate due to a lack of investment in sectors other than the military. Putin said the growth of military industries helped develop new technologies that have become available to the civilian sector. He pledged to continue military modernisation, relying on lessons learned during the fighting in Ukraine. 'We will harness new technology to improve the combat capabilities of the Russian armed forces, modernise military infrastructure facilities, [and] equip them with the latest technology and weapons and equipment,' he said. 'At the same time, we intend to develop military-technical co-operation with friendly countries. And we are talking not only about supplies or the modernisation of equipment and weapons, but also about joint development, personnel training, and the creation of turn-key enterprises and production facilities,' he added.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,212
This is how things stand on Friday, June 20: At least 14 people were injured when Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa overnight, damaging high-rise buildings and railway infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Hennadiy Shapovalov as commander of Ukraine's land forces, replacing Mykhailo Drapatyi, who resigned over a deadly attack on a training area carried out by Russia. Drapatyi was reassigned to the post of commander of the joint forces as part of a military shake-up. Major-General Christian Freuding, who is in charge of coordinating German military aid to Kyiv, dismissed as 'nonsense' repeated warnings by Russian President Vladimir Putin that delivering Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine might make Berlin party to the war. Ukraine and Russia exchanged more prisoners of war, officials from both countries said, the latest round of swaps under an agreement struck in Istanbul. Zelenskyy said Russia's defence of Iranian authorities amid the Israel-Iran conflict had underscored the need for intensified sanctions against Moscow. Zelenskyy added that Russia's deployment of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and North Korean munitions showed that Kyiv's allies were applying insufficient pressure against Moscow. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine cannot resume operations until challenges related to the availability of cooling water and off-site power are fully resolved. Foreign direct investment into Russia has fallen sharply, the latest United Nations data showed, and Russia's premier economic forum in Saint Petersburg this week is offering scant hope of a revival, with Western investors largely absent. Soaring defence spending has propped up Russia's $2 trillion economy since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Iraqi pro-Iran leader threatens US with attacks
An Iraqi pro-Iranian leader on Thursday threatened the United States that its citizens and interests would be attacked if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is targeted. 'If you touched a hair of the guardian of the nation, Imam Khamenei, you, your allies and filthy stooges would be the target of our hunt and fire across our Islamic region,' Akram al-Kaabi, the chief of Iraq's militant Harakat al-Nujaba (Movement of the Noble Ones) militia, said on the social media platform X. He vowed that neither the US military nor diplomats would be then safe. 'Actually, everyone holding your nationality in our region and all your direct and indirect interests would be legitimate targets for us,' al-Kabee added, addressing US President Donald Trump. In 2019, the US designated Harakat al-Nujaba and al-Kaabi as global terrorists. (DPA)
