HE President of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority (GRSIA) Turki bin Mohamed al-Khater said the National Day is an occasion that brings together all who live in Qatar to recall the renaissance and refinement offered by the beloved nation, and to honour everyone who contributed to building, establishing and serving this dear country with dedication and sincerity.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of Qatar National Day, HE al-Khater said: "This day is dear to the hearts of Qataris, because it reflects the values of unity and harmony between all who live on the beloved land of Qatar, and evokes the path of a country full of pride and dignity, founded by Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani when he assumed power on this glorious day in 1878. The march of development and prosperity of modern Qatar has been extended under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in pursuit of the ambitious Qatar National Vision 2030 and assuming the global lead in achieving comprehensive sustainable development."
HE al-Khater, in his name and on behalf of the employees of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority, congratulated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, renewing the pledge of loyalty to the wise leadership and stressing keenness to exert every effort to serve and elevate Qatar and its citizens.
On this occasion, the president of GRSIA pointed that that the authority has taken the Qatar National Vision 2030 as a guideline for the development process of retirement and social insurance systems and developed a five-year strategic plan concurrent with the country's national development strategy 2018-2022, based on three main strategic objectives, namely financial sustainability of the retirement fund, the development of institutional performance, and the strengthening of relations with external parties.
He explained that in order to achieve these objectives, (80) projects included in that strategy should be completed, confirming the completion of (42) projects. "There are (10) ongoing projects that will be completed by the end of this year; and thus only (35 percent) of the authority's strategic projects are to be completed during the period 2021-2022," he said.
In this context, HE al-Khater referred to the steps being taken to expand the insurance umbrella in order to cover all citizens working in all sectors of the state in line with the social protection goals that the state seeks to achieve. In addition, the solvency of the pension funds is being strengthened in the long run, to meet their future financial obligations for future generations, he said explaining that GRSIA has worked to complete its march in developing its electronic services provided to its beneficiaries, as part of the country's digital transformation policy. He pointed out that the authority raised the percentage of Qatarisation of jobs to 80% of the total number of employees.
The president of the General Retirement and Social Security Authority indicated that this year was exceptional at an international level due to the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating its impact specifically on pension and social insurance funds as well as on the performance of financial markets.
He went on saying: "The State of Qatar is considered a global model in the efforts to contain the pandemic, which made it receive international praise. Our health system also deserved the praise of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who insured that Qatar remained one of the least countries affected by the pandemic. On our part, the Authority has committed itself to the directives of the wise leadership and to the strategic plan of state institutions to deal with the pandemic. Among the most important precautionary measures we have taken was the activation of tele-work systems and the development of electronic services, allowing the public to receive many services without the need to physical presence. Meetings, activities and training programs have also been held virtually. Moreover, office workers adhered to the social distancing and other precautionary measures."
As for the challenges that faced Qatar, HE al-Khater noted that the country has overcome the challenges it faced, owing to the insight of the wise leadership. He stressed the challenges turned into opportunities for development and prosperity, indicating that among the lessons learned was the people's solidarity behind their wise leadership, which made the Qatari society an impregnable barricade in the face of challenges to preserve the independence of the decision and protect the nation's wealth and capabilities.
Concluding his statement, HE President of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority (GRSIA) Turki bin Mohamed al-Khater affirmed that the national renaissance march under the wise leadership has proceeded with confident steps to implement development plans in accordance with national strategies, indicating that the leadership has paid attention and direct follow-up to the development of retirement and social insurance systems, because of their fundamental impact on the human and economic development goals of the state.
HE al-Khater, in his name and on behalf of the employees of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority, congratulated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, renewing the pledge of loyalty to the wise leadership and stressing keenness to exert every effort to serve and elevate Qatar and its citizens.
On this occasion, the president of GRSIA pointed that that the authority has taken the Qatar National Vision 2030 as a guideline for the development process of retirement and social insurance systems and developed a five-year strategic plan concurrent with the country's national development strategy 2018-2022, based on three main strategic objectives, namely financial sustainability of the retirement fund, the development of institutional performance, and the strengthening of relations with external parties.
He explained that in order to achieve these objectives, (80) projects included in that strategy should be completed, confirming the completion of (42) projects. "There are (10) ongoing projects that will be completed by the end of this year; and thus only (35 percent) of the authority's strategic projects are to be completed during the period 2021-2022," he said.
In this context, HE al-Khater referred to the steps being taken to expand the insurance umbrella in order to cover all citizens working in all sectors of the state in line with the social protection goals that the state seeks to achieve. In addition, the solvency of the pension funds is being strengthened in the long run, to meet their future financial obligations for future generations, he said explaining that GRSIA has worked to complete its march in developing its electronic services provided to its beneficiaries, as part of the country's digital transformation policy. He pointed out that the authority raised the percentage of Qatarisation of jobs to 80% of the total number of employees.
The president of the General Retirement and Social Security Authority indicated that this year was exceptional at an international level due to the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating its impact specifically on pension and social insurance funds as well as on the performance of financial markets.
He went on saying: "The State of Qatar is considered a global model in the efforts to contain the pandemic, which made it receive international praise. Our health system also deserved the praise of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who insured that Qatar remained one of the least countries affected by the pandemic. On our part, the Authority has committed itself to the directives of the wise leadership and to the strategic plan of state institutions to deal with the pandemic. Among the most important precautionary measures we have taken was the activation of tele-work systems and the development of electronic services, allowing the public to receive many services without the need to physical presence. Meetings, activities and training programs have also been held virtually. Moreover, office workers adhered to the social distancing and other precautionary measures."
As for the challenges that faced Qatar, HE al-Khater noted that the country has overcome the challenges it faced, owing to the insight of the wise leadership. He stressed the challenges turned into opportunities for development and prosperity, indicating that among the lessons learned was the people's solidarity behind their wise leadership, which made the Qatari society an impregnable barricade in the face of challenges to preserve the independence of the decision and protect the nation's wealth and capabilities.
Concluding his statement, HE President of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority (GRSIA) Turki bin Mohamed al-Khater affirmed that the national renaissance march under the wise leadership has proceeded with confident steps to implement development plans in accordance with national strategies, indicating that the leadership has paid attention and direct follow-up to the development of retirement and social insurance systems, because of their fundamental impact on the human and economic development goals of the state.