Cabinet welcomes ICJ ruling

The Cabinet’s regular meeting, held Wednesday via video conference and chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani, welcomed the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejecting two appeals by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the jurisdiction of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) over Qatari claims.
Giving details of the meeting, HE the Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Ccabinet Affairs, Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi said the cabinet considered that the ICJ ruling reaffirms the integrity of the legal position of Qatar on the issue of the unjust blockade imposed by the four countries in clear violation of international law, and international agreements and the foundations and rules of solidarity and regional c-ooperation.
The cabinet also praised the achievement of Qatar, as it continues to lead the list of the safest and most crime-free countries worldwide, during the first half of 2020, according to global database Numbeo which included 133 countries in the assessment.
The cabinet stressed that this important global achievement, which builds on the high rankings achieved by Qatar from 2015 to 2019, is thanks to the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and his wise policy, and is based on the Qatar National Vision 2030, and the comprehensive security strategy of the Ministry of Interior.
Furthermore, Wednesday’s cabinet meeting heard a presentation by HE the Minister of Public Health on the latest efforts to contain the coronavirus (Covid-19).
The cabinet affirmed continued implementation of the precautionary measures taken to combat the epidemic.
As part of cabinet's follow-up action on issues related to development plans and implementation of the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, improving performance and services provided to citizens and investors, and facilitating procedures for obtaining them, Wednesday's meeting reviewed the report of HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment on building permits and the mechanism for its issuance, and potential challenges, whether related to engineering consulting offices or to owners or to the requirements of government service agencies.
The cabinet approved the solutions proposed in the report to address these difficulties, and mandated the Ministry of Municipality and Environment to take the necessary measures and co-ordinate with all the authorities concerned to put these solutions into practice within a period not exceeding six months, and to ensure the speedy issuance of building permits and the facilitation of their extraction procedures.
Afterwards, the cabinet considered the topics on the agenda as follows:
*First, approving a draft law on registration of trademarks and filing of copyrights and related rights of FIFA.
The draft law included provisions on registering FIFA trademarks, copyrights, and related rights as well as the mechanisms of registration and filing.
*Second, approving a draft cabinet decision to form a committee for auditors' affairs.
The draft decision stipulates that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry forms the committee that will be chaired by Assistant Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs, and three representatives from the ministry including a vice chair.
The committee would also have members from the Ministry of Finance, State Audit Bureau, Qatar Central Bank, General Tax Authority, and well-experienced auditors.
The committee is charged with exercising the powers stated in Law no 8 of 2020 regulating the profession of auditing.
*Third, approving a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of enhancing integrity and transparency signed between Administrative Control and Transparency Authority in Qatar and Office of the Ombudsman in Rwanda.