Cabinet approves draft water law to conserve water resources

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting held at its seat at the Amiri Diwan on Wednesday morning.

After the meeting, HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi issued a statement indicating that the Cabinet discussed a number of local, regional, and international issues during the meeting, discussed the efforts made to address them, and took appropriate decisions regarding them.

At the outset of the meeting, the Cabinet praised the important contents of the speech of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the opening of the 3rd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit, held in Doha under the title "Sports Diplomacy," with the participation of a number of Their Highnesses and Excellencies, heads of states and governments and delegations of fraternal and friendly countries, where His Highness reiterated the State of Qatar's firm stance toward the killing and destruction to which the Palestinian brothers are being subjected and toward the dangerous Israeli escalation in Lebanon.

His Highness the Amir's speech also reflected the extent of the State of Qatar's interest in Asia, its keenness to strengthen ties between its countries, and to make the most of its economic potential, enormous human resources, and great political weight for the sake of development and the well-being of its peoples, and to maintain security, stability, and peace in Asia and the world, emphasizing the role of sports in achieving these lofty goals and spreading the values of tolerance, cooperation, and mutual respect.

The Cabinet approved the draft water law and referred it to the Shura Council.

The draft law, which was prepared by the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation, comes in an effort to achieve water security; preserve water resources; protect them from depletion, waste, or pollution; raise the efficiency of water services and their uses; ensure their quality; and ensure proper maintenance and operation of their facilities.

The Cabinet also approved the draft decision of the Minister of Commerce and Industry to issue the executive regulations of Law No. (10) of 2020 regarding the protection of industrial designs and models. This draft decision comes within the framework of strengthening the legal system for the protection of intellectual property and innovation.

The Cabinet also approved the draft Cabinet Decision amending some provisions of Decision No. (29) of 2013 establishing the grievances committee related to the expropriation of real estate for public benefit and specifying its powers, and the draft Cabinet Decision regarding the rules and procedures to be followed before the Real Estate Development Dispute Resolution Committees.

This comes in the implementation of the provisions of Law No. (6) of 2014 regulating real estate development, and aims to establish the rules and procedures for requests submitted to the Real Estate Development Dispute Resolution Committees, organize the work of these committees, and expedite the settlement of disputes, to keep pace with the real estate boom witnessed by the country.

The Cabinet reviewed the proposals of desire raised by the Shura Council regarding the rainwater accumulation and directed that the Shura Council be informed of an explanatory memorandum to explain what the relevant government agencies are doing in this regard.

The Cabinet also issued directives to the Ministry of Municipality, the Public Works Authority, and other concerned authorities to take the necessary measures to prepare for the rainy season.

The Cabinet decided to approve taking the necessary measures to ratify an agreement on cooperation in the field of combating crime between the government of the State of Qatar and the government of the Hellenic Republic.

The Cabinet also approved a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fields of tourism and business events with the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation and joint news exchange between the Qatar News Agency (QNA) and the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA), in addition to approving the draft executive program in the fields of sports and youth between the State of Qatar and the People's Republic of Bangladesh for 2024-2025.

The Cabinet concluded its meeting by reviewing three reports and taking appropriate decisions regarding them, including the 14th annual report on the work of the Qatari Committee for the Alliance of Civilizations for 2023, the report on the results of the participation of the State of Qatar's delegation, headed by HE the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs in the9th Conference of Ministers of Awqaf (Endowments) and Islamic Affairs in Islamic Countries, and the report on the results of the participation of the State of Qatar's delegation, headed by HE the Minister of Justice in the 12th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum (SPILF).