Spring Meetings

REPORT

Blurb:

How is Qatar managing fiscal cycles and anchoring fiscal management into a medium-term framework while creating space for the economic diversification? What is Qatar’s role in international development financing and how is it contributing to multilateral cooperation?

Key Points:

• Managing fiscal cycles post-World Cup investment. Hosting the World Cup accelerated Qatar’s plans to diversify its economy away from oil and gas revenues, especially by increasing investment into human capital, infrastructure, and logistics. Post World Cup, the fiscal space generated from oil and gas revenues will be channeled towards investments in human capital, R&D, and the private sector to further diversify the economy. The Medium-Term Fiscal Policy Framework is key to setting long-term investment objectives.
  
  
• Role in international development. Qatar has played an active role in international development and cooperation, including by contributing to the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) and the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST). Qatar can also play an important role as a mediator and help build bridges between countries.

Quotes:

“Qatar is on a journey as diversification towards Qatar Vision 2030 which is something we started many years ago as part of our diversification efforts. The oil and gas revenues are used to diversify the economy and invest in other sectors, invest in the human capital and build a diversified economy, not fully dependent on the oil and gas revenues”. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari

“Human capital is what it is all about for any country; human capital is everything. And we believe in building responsible, reliable citizens for the future. This is what will carry us forward”. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari

Contributor: Najla Nakhle

OVERVIEW

A conversation between IMF’s Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department Jihad Azour and Minister of Finance of Qatar Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari.

The discussion will center on these three issues:
• Managing the post-World Cup fiscal cycle.
• Qatar’s medium-term strategy to achieve National Vision 2030
• Qatar’s more active global role in international development financing