Doha: The development concept has undergone significant transformations globally, said HE President of the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CSGDB) and Secretary-General of the National Planning Council (NPC), Dr. Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa. Dr. Al Khalifa added that at the early stage, the State of Qatar has pursued the concept of comprehensive development through Qatar National Vision 2030, which is based on four core pillars, namely human development; social development; economic development; and environmental development, with humans being placed at the center of development.
According to Qatar News Agency, Dr. Al Khalifa was speaking during a panel discussion held on the main stage of the 35th Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), which revolved around the strategic development between ambition and reality. It was attended by HE Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Thani, top echelon officials alongside the audience.
Addressing the panel that was hosted by the "Qatar Speaks" platform, Dr. Al Khalifa underlined that the true challenges don't lie in policy crafting, but in the ability to enforce these policies to be materialized into concrete results on the ground. The State of Qatar has pursued a constant performance-evaluation-based approach through the consecutive national development strategies to ensure plans are always developed and their outputs are optimized, Dr. Al Khalifa outlined.
His Excellency further clarified that the development path in Qatar has passed through stages culminating in the current stage that literally focuses on accelerating economic diversity and building a sustainable economy that reduces dependence on hydrocarbon resources. Flexibility has become a sine qua non component in the operation of the Qatari government given the rapid global changes, Dr. Al Khalifa suggested, asserting that governments that are capable of adapting rapidly and modernizing their laws and strategies are the ones that are best capable of competing and moving forward.
Qatar's Third National Development Strategy (NDS3) reflects a clear shift toward results-driven governance, placing greater emphasis on measurable outcomes while allowing space for innovation in execution rather than administrative rigidity or reliance on traditional procedural approaches, Dr. Al Khalifa said. His Excellency stressed that accelerating global change requires nations to continuously strengthen their competitiveness and avoid complacency.
He stressed the importance of rapidly diversifying the economy and empowering Qatari young people to compete in the private sector and on the global stage, rather than relying solely on traditional public-sector employment. Job security can become a "false sense of security" if it leads to dependency and reduced ambition, Dr. Al Khalifa warned, indicating that Qatari talent has already demonstrated the ability to compete globally across institutions and companies.
Dr. Al Khalifa went on to emphasize that empowering government staffers starts with giving them a space for expression and engagement in the decision-making process. He pointed out that the State of Qatar has been among the first countries in the region to enforce the upward feedback system, which helps staffers evaluate managerial leadership, thereby strengthening mutual trust and reinforcing an institutional work culture based on partnership and persistent improvement.
Regarding technological transformations, Dr. Al Khalifa recalled that artificial intelligence doesn't cancel jobs but rather shores up productivity and employees' aptitude if it is properly handled. The State of Qatar possesses a national strategy for AI and leverages these technologies inside the public sector so as to develop performance, accelerate accomplishment and mitigate operational burdens in consistency with the nation's ambitions in global competition, he underscored.
Dr. Al Khalifa noted that quality of life has become one of the key outcomes in NDS3, elucidating that it comprises lifelong learning, healthcare services, cultural and tourism activities, and the provision of a safe and stable environment for citizens and residents. He pointed out that there is cross-sectoral integration between culture, tourism, education, and health sectors to achieve this objective.
Addressing the government administration, Dr. Al Khalifa stressed that balance between rapid achievement and decision quality poses a continuous challenge; however, Qatar has managed to achieve that balance. The civil service chief cited the experience of hosting the World Cup along with ensuing extraordinary challenges, noting that the nation had succeeded in accomplishing projects in a more efficient manner within the determined financial and time frames.
Today, data have become a major component in crafting modern policies and the decision-making process, he underlined, revealing the NPC's efforts to advance central data and unify national definitions and indicators to ensure accurate and open data are in place to support researchers and decision-makers. The State of Qatar ranked first among the Gulf nations in terms of open data, Dr. Al Khalifa noted, highlighting that data sharing has no longer become an option, but rather an institutional imperative with the existence of clear classifications of data and regulated sharing mechanisms, which ultimately help build accurate decisions based on reliable information.
In terms of future jobs, Dr. Al Khalifa emphasized that the next phase requires efforts to be laser-focused on skills rather than overreliance on academic certificates. There is collaboration between the Ministry of Labour, CSGDB, and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) to align education outcomes with labor market needs, alongside providing training platforms and professional certifications that contribute to advancing national talent for leadership roles, he pointed out.
His Excellency assured that the nation has provided wide opportunities through digital and training platforms to advance staffers, asserting that reaching leadership roles hinges on individuals' assiduous work and strive to relentlessly pursue advancing their skills and acquiring knowledge. The government strives to make the public sector the key driver of the economy stemming from the nation's pivot toward undertaking an organizational and legislative role that offers an environment conducive to investment and innovation, Dr. Al Khalifa asserted, adding that this move will ultimately boost the knowledge-based economy and elevate the state's competitive capability on the regional and global stages.
Dr. Al Khalifa went on to affirm that the economy has been created to serve humans and not vice versa, indicating that investment in the human element, education, and national identity preservation constitutes the foundation of sustainable development. The State of Qatar has tremendously succeeded in achieving a balance between openness to the world and preserving its cultural, religious, and linguistic tenets, he noted, citing the experience of hosting the World Cup and the projection of Qatari and Arab identity that ensued from this sporting event.
He outlined that maintaining national identity is focused on religion, the Arabic language, education, and mores. He recalled the role undertaken by a variety of state institutions, namely the Ministry of Culture, MoEHE, and the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, to buttress these tenets for generations to come. Concluding his remarks on a positive note, Dr. Al Khalifa underlined that converting Qatar National Vision 2030 into a daily societal culture is contingent upon connecting national strategies with operational plans and individual indicators inside enterprises. What matters most, he said, is to protect national identity, support the Qatari family and women's empowerment, which ultimately achieves a balance between institutional performance, as well as the social and cultural values of the nation.