Qatar’s improved ranking in WB report follows SJC’s recent measures

Qatar’s improved ranking in the contract enforcement and litigation quality indexes of the World Bank Group’s annual Ease of Doing Business Report 2020 follows several measures taken recently by the Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC).The rating indicates that Qatar scored 4.5 on the litigation quality index compared to 3.5 last year, and 54.60 in the contract enforcement index compared to 52.7 last year. This brings the contract enforcement index from 122th to 115th this year.The SJC has developed an ambitious plan for the development of judicial services, which will reflect positively on the country’s ranking in future global indicators.The most prominent of these actions is the organisation of a series of workshops and meetings this year with the Ease of Doing Business team of the World Bank Group, in order to answer the questions of the evaluation team, as well as a meeting between the World Bank and a number of judges supervising the commission on e-justice and supervisors of the operation of the Investment Court.The development measures of the SJC, based on justice development initiatives, have also contributed to a better international image, with the enforcement of the contract index rising from 122 to 115 for this year, and the improvement in the litigation process index.Among the most prominent actions taken recently by the Supreme Judiciary Council is the allocation of the investment and trade court, the development of an electronic system for the benefit of judges, in addition to the electronic development in the council, as well as publishing periodic statistics on litigation rates, transparency and clarity in data declaration, and the existence of legal principles and provisions published on the website.A delegation of judges will meet with representatives of the World Bank in Washington next November to familiarise with the development reforms that the Supreme Judiciary Council is working on, and its action plan in co-ordination with the competent authorities to achieve better progress in the enforcement of contracts. Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC), Faisal bin Rashid al-Sahouti, has said that Qatar’s progress in the indicators of enforcing contracts and the quality of litigation procedures in the 2020 Ease of Doing Business report issued by the World Bank Group, is the result of the integrated work of all relevant institutions and bodies in Qatar and direct follow-up from HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.Al-Sahouti explained in a statement in this regard that the new classification of the contract enforcement index and the quality of litigation procedures is a sign of the commitment of Qatar to work on the continuous development of its legal and judicial services.