HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting today at the Amiri Diwan.
Following the meeting, HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, said that the Cabinet began their session by lauding the agreement between the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel, which established a ceasefire in Gaza Strip and enabled the exchange of prisoners and detainees. This agreement was achieved through joint mediation efforts led by the State of Qatar, in cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America.
The Cabinet further commended HH the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, noting that his guidance and direct, continuous oversight of the mediation process proved instrumental in reaching the agreement, which took effect on Sunday.
The Cabinet went on to express its optimism for the complete implementation of the agreement and its provisions, emphasising that it will protect civilian lives, bring an end to the suffering endured by the people of Gaza, ensure consistent aid delivery to the Strip, enable reconstruction efforts and promote regional stability. These steps, grounded in international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, are viewed as crucial toward establishing a genuine peace process, with the ultimate goal of establishing an independent Palestinian state within the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem serving as its capital.
As part of the session’s proceedings, the Cabinet granted preliminary approval of a draft law on veterinary practice along with its draft executive regulations. The draft law comes to replace Law No. (8) of 1995 on practising veterinary medicine; aiming to restructure veterinary practices, support services and facilities to protect and strengthen livestock resources while simultaneously enhancing food security, ensuring food supply safety and safeguarding public health.
The Cabinet also granted preliminary approval to a draft law to amend select provisions of Law No. (19) of 2004 on the conservation of wildlife and their natural habitats and a draft law to amend selection provisions of Law No. (5) of 2006 on the Regulation of Trade in Endangered Wildlife Fauna and Flora and their Products. These draft laws aim to regulate wildlife conservation efforts, protect natural habitats and establish comprehensive guidelines for wildlife ownership, as part of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change's strategy.
In addition, the Cabinet granted preliminary approval on draft decisions by the Minister of Commerce and Industry to adopt regional technical regulations as Qatari technical regulations, Qatari national standards, and regional standards as Qatari standards. These draft decisions aim to address national manufacturing demands, elevate consumer product quality standards in domestic markets, and maintain alignment with evolving industry standards and technical specifications.
From there, the Cabinet granted preliminary approval on a draft decision by the Chairman of Qatar Tourism (QT) to issue QT’s organisational structure.
The meeting also saw the Cabinet take the necessary measures to ratify a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a port cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Colombia.
Additionally, the Cabinet approved a draft MoU on cooperation and expertise exchange in various strategic development planning areas between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkyie; a draft MoU on a youth and sports cooperation framework between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Uganda; a draft MoU on a partnership between the State of Qatar’s Public Prosecution and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Prosecutor-General's Office; a draft MoU for academic cooperation between the University of Doha for Science and Technology, Qatar Airways and the French Republic’s Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space (ISAE SUPAERO) and Airbus S.A.S. The Cabinet also approved a draft executive program for cooperation in endowments and Islamic affairs between the State of Qatar and the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.
At the meeting’s conclusion, the Cabinet reviewed four reports, taking the appropriate decisions thereon. These included annual reports on the Permanent Committee for Penal and Correctional Institutions’ activities; the Permanent Water Resources Committee’s reports on activities through 31 December 2024 and its recommendations in this regard; a report on the State of Qatar's participation in the 40th Ministerial Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), which was led by the Minister of Commerce and Industry and a report on the State of Qatar’s complete induction to the Global Privacy Assembly, including the outcomes of hosting the International Common Criteria Conference.