Doha: The National Planning Council (NPC), represented by the National Statistics Center, has launched the National Workshop on Circular Economy Indicators, in cooperation with the GCC Statistical Center. The four-day workshop is being held on January 26-29, bringing together 80 experts and specialists representing more than 18 national entities concerned with environmental, economic, and development affairs.
According to Qatar News Agency, the workshop was inaugurated by the Director of the Social and Environmental Statistics Department at the National Statistics Center, Ibrahim Hamad Al Mohannadi. In his opening remarks, he emphasized the importance of integrating environmental, economic, and social statistics to support the transformation towards a circular economy. He stated that the workshop is a practical step toward developing an integrated statistical system that supports policy assessment. The success of creating circular economy indicators hinges on data quality, integration, and collaboration among national entities.
The circular economy concept aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy, both aiming to balance economic and social development with environmental protection. It also aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, where circular economy indicators form a core component.
The workshop aims to enhance institutional awareness of the circular economy and its role in reducing emissions, minimizing waste, and improving production and consumption efficiency, thereby supporting the sustainability of Qatar's natural resources. It also seeks to build national capacities in measuring and analyzing circular economy data, developing national indicators based on methodologies from the OECD and UNECE.
Throughout the four days, the workshop will discuss key themes, including the global framework for circular economy indicators, national policies and measures, technical cooperation with international organizations, data sources, and approaches to enhance technical capacities in data collection and analysis. These discussions aim to improve integration across environmental, economic, and social data and support the production of indicators required for international reports.
The workshop features a panel discussion on mechanisms for implementing the circular economy in Qatar, with participation from the Ministry of Municipality, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and the Public Works Authority. The session will address waste management from infrastructure projects, associated challenges, and the role of national policies and incentives in encouraging investment in recycling-based industries.
This workshop is part of the NPC's ongoing efforts to enhance institutional awareness of circular economy concepts and empower national institutions to use indicators in analyzing policies related to sustainable consumption and resource management. It also aims to foster innovation in resource management, contributing to the development of national policies that support the transformation to a prosperous circular economy in alignment with the Third National Development Strategy (2024-2030).