Expert and consultant in therapeutic and community nutrition Modhi al-Hajri has called for a unified national platform to issue and transmit sick-leave certificates electronically, arguing that the system would strengthen document security, streamline administration and support Qatar’s wider digital transformation.In an interview with *Gulf Times, al-Hajri said that sick leave should be treated as an official record tied to employees’ rights, workplace discipline and the protection of public funds.“With Qatar’s continuing digital transformation, an important question arises: why do some organisations still rely on paper certificates when electronic systems have proved successful elsewhere in the public health sector?” she asked.Employees of the Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation already have sick-leave certificates transmitted directly to human-resources systems, eliminating paper submission and manual review.Other government bodies and schools, however, continue to process certificates by hand, creating inconsistent procedures and greater exposure to document fraud.Al-Hajri noted that sick leave may only be issued by an authorised physician, including a family doctor, emergency physician or specialist.Protecting the certificate after it is issued is therefore as important as verifying its source, particularly as artificial intelligence (AI) tools make document manipulation easier.She proposed a national electronic platform linked to each person’s identification number.Sick leave certificates QatarHealth institutions would send certificates directly to employers’ human-resources departments or, in the case of students, to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the relevant school, removing the need for employees, students or guardians to carry paper copies.Beyond curbing fraud, al-Hajri said, the system could speed up processing, standardise government services, reduce paper use and ease administrative workloads.A secure national database, she added, could also support health and workforce planning while preserving the confidentiality of medical information.Periodic, anonymised reporting could help authorities track sick-leave trends, plan services and identify unusual patterns for review.Al-Hajri said that any use of AI should be governed by safeguards that protect employees’ rights and personal data.The proposed platform could later expand to other types of official leave, including maternity and paternity leave, leave to accompany a patient, and absences related to workplace injuries, creating an integrated national system for managing government leave.“True digital transformation is not simply about putting services online; it is about building connected systems that prevent tampering, protect official records, save time and strengthen public confidence,” al-Hajri said. “A government document should not be carried by hand when it can be transmitted securely through a digital system.”

As the working day winds down, another side of Doha’s economy begins to gather pace. Across established commercial areas such as Al Sadd, Salwa Road, Najma and Old Airport, as well as newer destinations including Msheireb Downtown, The Pearl and Lusail, restaurants, cafés, retailers and leisure businesses are increasingly drawing customers after work. The shift is turning the evening from simply the final few hours of the business day into an important trading period, shaped by when customers are free, where they choose to spend their time and how long they stay. “Business has been great in the evening in Qatar. Our restaurant in Msheireb, as well as Korean retail outlets, attract more customers during this time,” Doha-based Korean businessman Jewan Park told Gulf Times. He attributed the pattern partly to Qatar’s social culture, where people gather with family, friends and colleagues after work. “I think it is more about the culture. People like to dine, have meetings, and chat with friends, and they tend to stay longer in the evening,” he said. “They prefer to spend more time over dinner or a cup of coffee.” Park said evening activity is also particularly noticeable during summer, when customers seek to avoid the daytime heat and spend more time in air-conditioned commercial areas.His business operates until midnight to meet demand, although longer hours also incur additional costs. “We operate until 12 midnight, but the longer hours also add to our operational costs, including salaries, electricity and water bills,” Park said. For some businesses, however, the additional operating costs are offset by the volume of customers arriving after work. A barista at a popular coffee shop along Old Airport Road said the evening hours have become an important part of the business, with customer traffic increasing noticeably after 5pm. “Evening hours are very important for us. We see a noticeable increase in customers, particularly people coming after work, families and groups of friends,” the barista said, noting that the proportion of the coffee shop’s daily customer traffic at night time varies by day. Thursday and Friday evenings are typically the strongest, the barista said, as people have more free time to meet friends and spend time with their families. Demand also increases during the cooler months, when residents are more comfortable spending time outdoors and travelling between destinations. “In areas like Old Airport, people already live and work nearby, so cafés can attract both residents and customers who are stopping by after work. The evening becomes a natural time for people to meet and spend time in these areas,” the barista said. The evening economy is developing alongside Qatar’s broader expansion of tourism, leisure and experience-led retail. Qatar welcomed 5.1mn international visitors in 2025, up 3.7% from the previous year, while hotel room nights sold rose 8.6% to 10.84mn, according to Qatar Tourism’s 2025 annual performance report. The authority also recorded more than 600 events during the year, supporting activity across hospitality, retail and leisure. Knight Frank’s Qatar real estate research points to a retail market increasingly shaped by lifestyle and experience. In the third quarter of 2025, average monthly rents at lifestyle-oriented retail destinations rose 11% year-on-year to QR268 per square metre. The consultancy said events and activations were generating spikes in footfall at destinations including Doha Festival City, Place Vendôme and Msheireb Downtown, while food and beverage rents remained resilient at about QR228 per square metre despite tighter margins. The development of lifestyle-oriented destinations is also changing what businesses want from their customers. Instead of simply completing a transaction and leaving, visitors are increasingly encouraged to spend more time at a destination by combining shopping with dining, coffee, entertainment and socialising. Knight Frank’s research highlights the growing importance of dwell time, with events, entertainment, dining and public spaces being used to increase footfall and encourage visitors to stay longer. That model is visible across Doha. Traditional commercial areas such as Al Sadd, Salwa Road, Najma and Old Airport continue to serve neighbourhood demand. In contrast, newer destinations such as Msheireb Downtown, The Pearl and Lusail offer a broader mix of retail, dining, leisure and public spaces. For businesses, the distinction is significant. A customer who spends two or three hours in a commercial destination represents a different opportunity from someone who enters a shop for 20 minutes. Longer visits can generate spending across several businesses and make the surrounding area more attractive to retailers, restaurants and leisure operators. The evening is therefore becoming an important part of that equation. The pattern is not limited to restaurants and cafés. Supermarkets, retail outlets, salons, automotive businesses and entertainment venues also operate beyond standard office hours, allowing residents to combine errands and leisure after work. For many residents, the evening is when the city becomes more convenient for everyday activities. “The heat is much more bearable at night compared with the daytime, so it’s easier to commute or drive my own car without worrying too much about the temperatures,” Doha resident Phoebe Salvador said. Among the city’s evening destinations, she said Souq Waqif remains a favourite, offering a combination of traditional atmosphere, outdoor spaces and local food. “Souq Waqif has always been my favourite. Somehow, it transports me back to the olden days,” Salvador said, adding that the availability of outdoor air-conditioning and traditional Qatari food such as ragag made the destination particularly appealing. Unlike some consumers who combine shopping, dining and entertainment in a single outing, she prefers making evening trips for a specific purpose. “I usually prefer a single-purpose trip. I like to go out for one particular reason rather than trying to fit several activities into one evening,” Salvador pointed out. She said she would nevertheless like to spend more time outside in the future as more retail and leisure options become available, particularly for purchases that are difficult to make online. “I’d definitely like to spend more time out, especially when it comes to buying gadgets or furniture,” she added. Dining out remains another reason to go out in the evening, with Salvador saying she enjoys exploring new restaurants from time to time. Qatar Tourism’s events calendar also highlights the breadth of evening activity, spanning food and beverage, lifestyle, exhibitions, festivals, music, sports and family events. Meanwhile, the barista said improving parking and pedestrian access around busy commercial areas could further support evening businesses by encouraging customers to visit multiple establishments in a single outing. “When customers can park easily or walk safely between cafés, restaurants and shops, they are more likely to stay longer and visit more than one business,” the barista said, adding that more evening events and activities could also help increase footfall. The trend is expected to remain important as Doha’s retail, dining and leisure landscape expands. “People’s routines are changing, and there is a strong culture of meeting for coffee or food after work. As Doha develops more restaurants, retail outlets and leisure destinations, people have more reasons to stay out in the evening,” the barista said. For businesses, the evening is no longer simply the final few hours of the working day. It is becoming a distinct trading period, shaped by when customers are free, where they choose to spend their time and how long they stay.

Between 1995 and 2013, Qatar emerged as an influential diplomatic, economic and strategic actor under the leadership of HH the late Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.The defining feature of this transformation was the pursuit of an independent foreign policy built on diversified international partnerships, mediation in regional conflicts, close security co-operation with major powers, strong relations with Arab and Islamic countries and expanding ties with Europe and Asia.Qatar also deployed its growing economic resources in support of its diplomatic objectives. Together, these policies established Doha as a centre of international diplomacy capable of maintaining channels between adversaries and bringing conflicting parties to the negotiating table.The expansion of Qatar’s natural-gas industry provided the economic foundation for this strategy. Development of the North Field and the rapid growth of liquefied natural gas exports generated the resources to invest internationally, expand the country’s diplomatic presence and support development, reconstruction and humanitarian initiatives.Qatar’s growing economic importance also gave governments around the world a stronger incentive to build relations with Doha.At the same time, the country developed instruments of influence extending well beyond conventional diplomacy. The establishment of Al Jazeera in 1996 gave Qatar an unprecedented media presence in the Arab world. The network became one of the region’s most influential sources of news and political debate, dramatically expanding Qatar’s international visibility.This combination of energy resources, international investment, media influence, humanitarian engagement and active diplomacy created what became widely known as Qatar’s soft-power model. Mediation as statecraftUnder the late Father Amir, peaceful mediation became a central instrument of Qatari foreign policy.Doha offered a secure venue for negotiations, maintained communication with competing parties and used its political and financial resources to keep talks alive. Qatar’s ability to engage actors across ideological and geopolitical divides often enabled it to reach parties that other governments could not — or would not — approach directly.During the 2000s, Qatar became involved in mediation concerning Palestinian factions, Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan and Chad, Darfur, and the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea. It also began facilitating talks involving Afghan parties in 2013.The Lebanese crisis of 2008 provided one of the clearest demonstrations of this emerging diplomatic role.After months of political confrontation culminating in armed clashes, Lebanon’s rival factions travelled to Doha for negotiations. Six days of intensive Qatari and Arab mediation produced the Doha Agreement on May 21, 2008.The agreement paved the way for the election of Michel Suleiman as president, the formation of a national unity government and agreement on elements of a new electoral framework. It helped pull Lebanon back from the danger of renewed civil conflict.The United Nations recognised the intensive efforts of the late Father Amir, then prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani and Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa in helping the Lebanese parties reach an understanding.The achievement demonstrated that Qatar could convert access, persistence and political credibility into concrete diplomatic results.Darfur represented another significant chapter in the development of Qatar’s international profile.In September 2008, the Arab League mandated Qatar to mediate peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur’s armed movements. Doha subsequently hosted more than two years of negotiations involving the African Union, the United Nations and other international stakeholders.The process produced the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011. The agreement addressed power and wealth sharing, human rights, justice and reconciliation, compensation and the return of displaced people.Although it did not bring every armed group into the peace process or end all violence in Darfur, the document established an important framework for addressing the conflict and its consequences.Qatar complemented its mediation with commitments to development and reconstruction. This combination of negotiation, financial support and post-conflict assistance became a recurring feature of its diplomatic approach.The United Nations publicly acknowledged Qatar’s diplomatic, political and material contribution to the process, while then UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon praised the country’s role under the leadership of the late Father Amir. A carefully constructed balanceQatar’s relationship with the United States also developed substantially during HH Sheikh Hamad’s rule.The two countries had signed a defence co-operation agreement in 1992, before he assumed power, but security co-operation expanded considerably during his tenure. Qatar invested heavily in developing Al Udeid Air Base, which became a major hub for US military operations in the region.The partnership gradually developed into a broader strategic relationship and became an important element of Qatar’s national-security architecture.Yet Qatar combined its close relationship with Washington with an independent approach towards other regional actors. It preserved channels with Iran, maintained contact with Palestinian groups and cultivated relations with European and Asian powers.This balancing strategy enabled Doha to speak to parties that often refused direct contact with one another. Rather than defining its partnerships in exclusively ideological terms, Qatar sought to maintain sufficient access across opposing political camps to remain relevant during periods of crisis.Relations with European countries, particularly France and the United Kingdom, also expanded. French companies increased their involvement in Qatar’s energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors, while a visit by then French president Nicolas Sarkozy to Doha in 2008 produced agreements and memoranda spanning electricity, energy and other areas of co-operation.These relationships were not limited to commerce. European governments increasingly regarded Doha as a potentially valuable interlocutor in the Middle East because of its access to political actors who were difficult for Western governments to approach.Qatar’s engagement with multilateral institutions grew simultaneously. It served a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2006-07, gaining a formal role in deliberations on international peace and security.The country’s growing participation in international organisations reinforced the diplomatic standing being built through mediation, economic partnerships and humanitarian initiatives. Palestine and the Arab SpringThe Palestinian cause remained a central component of Qatar’s foreign policy during the late Father Amir’s tenure.Qatar maintained relations with both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, enabling Doha to act as an intermediary between rival Palestinian factions. Its efforts included mediation between Fatah and Hamas in 2006 and the Doha Agreement of 2012, although the latter was never fully implemented.Following the 2008-09 Gaza war, Qatar called for stronger Arab diplomatic action and sought an emergency summit in Doha. The late Father Amir spoke forcefully about the human cost of the conflict and pressed for more concerted Arab engagement.In October 2012, he made a historic visit to the Gaza Strip, becoming the first head of state to visit the territory under Hamas rule. He inaugurated reconstruction projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars, combining a highly visible political gesture with support for housing and infrastructure.That fusion of political access, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction support became another defining feature of Qatari diplomacy.The Arab Spring of 2011 brought a more activist phase in Qatar’s foreign policy. Doha backed political movements challenging established governments in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria.In Libya, Qatar supported anti-Gaddafi forces and participated in the international coalition enforcing the no-fly zone. It consequently became an active participant, rather than a mediator, in one of the region’s most consequential conflicts.Qatar said its position reflected support for the aspirations of Arab peoples for dignity, political participation and better lives. Its approach increased the country’s influence but also generated controversy and demonstrated that Qatari policy was not uniformly neutral across every regional crisis.Nevertheless, the broader diplomatic architecture remained consistent: a strong security relationship with Washington, open channels with Iran and Palestinian movements, extensive European and Asian partnerships and a preference for preserving communication wherever possible.The modern Qatari mediation system — which would later play a central role in negotiations involving Afghanistan, the United States and the Taliban — was built on foundations established during the Father Amir’s rule. Influence beyond geographyQatar’s diplomatic rise cannot be separated from its economic transformation.The growth of the LNG industry supplied the resources needed to finance international investment, humanitarian assistance, reconstruction programmes and diplomatic initiatives. It also made Qatar increasingly important to the energy security of countries across Asia and Europe.Humanitarian action strengthened this international approach. In conflict-affected countries, particularly Sudan and Palestine, Qatar frequently combined political engagement with development and reconstruction commitments.By the end of the late Father Amir’s tenure, Qatar had assembled several mutually reinforcing sources of influence: energy, international investment, strategic partnerships, media, humanitarian engagement and access to competing political actors.This model enabled the country to exercise an influence far greater than its geographical or demographic size might have suggested.The international response following the death of the Father Amir on July 12, 2026, offered a revealing measure of the standing he had acquired beyond Qatar.Condolences came from presidents, monarchs, prime ministers, international organisations and diplomatic missions. Senior leaders and representatives from across the Arab and Islamic worlds, Europe, Africa, Asia and Central Asia travelled to Doha to offer their condolences to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the ruling family, the government and the people of Qatar.The scale and diversity of those tributes reflected the multidirectional foreign policy that had become one of the defining characteristics of modern Qatar.Among diplomats in Doha, attention repeatedly turned to the late Father Amir’s standing as both a nation-builder and an international statesman.Türkiye’s ambassador to Qatar Dr Mustafa Göksu said he had left an “enduring legacy of nation-building and achievement”, describing him as an exceptional figure whose leadership had left an indelible mark on the modern history of the region.Pakistan’s ambassador to Qatar Muhammad Aamer described him as “the architect of modern Qatar”, saying his wisdom, courage and foresight had transformed the nation and laid the foundations for its prosperity and international standing.Aamer said the late leader’s legacy lived on through the institutions he established, the generations he empowered and the respect Qatar commanded around the world.India’s ambassador to Qatar Vipul similarly highlighted the international dimension of that legacy. He recalled the late Father Amir’s transformational leadership and the enduring friendship he helped build between Qatar and India. The ambassador said HH Sheikh Hamad’s foresight had laid the foundations for a prosperous and globally respected Qatar, while his official and personal visits to India had helped deepen bilateral relations and people-to-people ties.These tributes were rooted in decades of diplomatic engagement. During his years in power, the late Father Amir dealt directly with world leaders, senior international officials and negotiators as Qatar moved from the margins of international diplomacy to become an increasingly sought-after interlocutor.What emerged between 1995 and 2013 was more than a successful foreign-policy brand. It was a durable system of international influence founded on economic strength, strategic partnerships, political access and the ability to keep dialogue alive during periods of conflict.Under HH the late Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatar’s geography no longer defined the limits of its influence.Doha became a place where adversaries could meet, difficult messages could be delivered and agreements once considered improbable could be pursued. That diplomatic role remains one of the most enduring dimensions of his legacy — and one of the foundations of Qatar’s place in the world today.