Qatar stresses importance of demographic factor in its national project to build advanced society

The State of Qatar underlined that it attaches special importance to the demographic factor in its project and its continuous approach to building an advanced society, which is reflected in Qatar National Vision 2030 which aims to bring about quantitative and qualitative change in population variables and related issues, through a set of operational plans and programs that aim to achieve a balance between population growth and the requirements of sustainable development, in order to ensure a better life for the residents of the State of Qatar. This came in the statement of the State of Qatar, made by HE President of the Planning and Statistics Authority Dr. Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit, before the 55th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development (CPD55), which is held from April 25 to 29 under the theme "Population and sustainable development, in particular sustained and inclusive economic growth". His Excellency stated that this approach has contributed to making important achievements in the fields of economy, urbanization, infrastructure, digital, health and education, and other vital fields, which enabled the State of Qatar to rank 45 out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index 2022 issued by the United Nations Development Program. He reviewed the achievements of the State of Qatar in the field of population and development, where the labor force participation rate reached 88.2%, which is one of the highest rates in the world. The unemployment rate did not exceed 0.1%, which is also one of the lowest rates in the world. HE the President of the Planning and Statistics Authority highlighted the State of Qatar's continuous endeavor to improve the conditions of more than two million expatriate workers with their families and provide them with a decent life, by reforming labor laws and practices related to it, such as abolishing the sponsorship system, allowing the employer to change job without a no-objection request from the employer, setting a minimum wage, and establishing centers for issuing entry visas to the country in a number of countries in order to ensure that workers are not exploited, as well as establishing a fund to support and secure workers. His Excellency also pointed to the great progress witnessed by the health sector in the State of Qatar in a short period of time, which contributed to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that this improvement in the health system has been reflected positively on the average life expectancy at birth, which has increased from 75.7 years in 2008 to 80.2 years in 2020. Meanwhile, HE President of the Planning and Statistics Authority Dr. Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit highlighted the Qatari educational system which, in recent years, has continued its path to meet the renewed educational needs of citizens and residents alike, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that the expected number of years of study, which according to the latest statistical data amounted to (12) years, and the average years of study, which reached (9.7) years, is an important indicator of Qatar's achievements in the field of education. He praised the educational reality of women and girls in Qatar, whose number at Qatar University exceeds the number of male students, explaining that this reality reflects the State of Qatar's growing interest in ensuring women's rights in education. He also stressed that the State of Qatar pays great attention to promoting women's participation in the formal and informal economy, and supporting their right to participate in candidacy and election, which has led to a significant increase in women's representation in the political process and public life. His Excellency considered that the economic recovery that the State of Qatar has witnessed in recent decades has allowed achieving high levels of economic growth, improving individuals' incomes, eliminating all forms of poverty, and at the same time contributing to improving the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of families in various countries of the world, through the transfers of expatriate workers who contribute effectively to the implementation of the country's ambitious development plans. His Excellency expressed Qatar's aspiration and desire to continue working with the UN Commission on Population and Development in establishing partnership frameworks in various areas related to population and development.