New York: The Shura Council participated in the Annual Parliamentary Hearings held at the United Nations headquarters in New York over two days, focusing on “Scaling Up Action for the Sustainable Development Goals: Financing, Institutions, and Policy.” The session was attended by HE Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti and HE Member of the Shura Council Omair bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi.
According to Qatar News Agency, the session deliberated on enhancing parliamentary work to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and the role of parliaments in supporting and addressing challenges through financial and institutional reforms. It included exchanging views on strengthening international cooperation to achieve the 2030 Goals.
During the session, HE Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti emphasized the necessity of strong political commitment and integration of efforts between governments, parliaments, civil society, and the private sector for achieving sustainable development. Her Excellency highlighted the importance of legislation that promotes sustainability, environmental protection, and the encouragement of renewable energy use, along with launching awareness campaigns to foster a culture of sustainable development at the community level.
She stressed the need to enhance accountability and transparency, and to activate parliamentary committees to monitor the implementation of sustainable development policies. Supportive legislation was noted as a crucial tool for parliamentary oversight to ensure the achievement of these goals.
In a related context, Her Excellency underscored the importance of strengthening parliamentary oversight over budgets and international financial operations, ensuring aid is directed towards real development in beneficiary countries. She pointed out that enhancing coordination between donor and beneficiary countries will contribute to maximizing the benefits of international cooperation programs, highlighting Qatar’s contributions in developmental assistance.
Her Excellency noted that encouraging responsible and sustainable investment by the private sector is a key element in achieving sustainable development, stressing the importance of public-private sector partnerships to ensure the sustainability of economic projects and create new job opportunities.
During his intervention themed “Raising domestic resources for the SDGs: a case for tax reforms,” HE Omair bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi emphasized that achieving tax justice requires simplifying tax laws, enhancing tax collection efficiency, and reducing corruption through modern technology. He pointed out that Qatar has enacted tax reforms aimed at achieving tax justice and increasing national revenues in line with international standards.
His Excellency stressed that trade is a major driver of economic growth and poverty eradication, calling for enhancing the capacity of developing countries to engage in global value chains, diversifying their products, and achieving greater integration in the global trading system.
The Shura Council delegation also participated in the 3rd meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament and the meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, held in New York last Tuesday.
On the sidelines of these meetings, HE Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti met with HE Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives Dr. Shakhawan Abdullah, HE Vice-President of the National People’s Assembly of Algeria Monder Bouden, and HE Vice Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Rachmat Gobel. They discussed ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation and coordinate efforts to support Arab and Islamic issues on the international stage.
Her Excellency also met with HE Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta Anglu Farrugia, HE Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia Nelly Butete, and HE Speaker of the Senate of Canada Raymonde Gagne and HE Leader of the British House of Commons delegation Fabian Hamilton, discussing ways to strengthen parliamentary cooperation.
In addition, HE Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti met with HE Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Martin Chungong, and a number of officials from the Union, discussing priorities for international parliamentary work and ways to enhance coordination between national parliaments and the Union on various issues of common interest.