Building on the success of last year when more than 1,000 global leaders convened in Doha, the 4^th edition of the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) returned from 14-16 May 2024 under the theme “A World Remade: Navigating the Year of Uncertainty”.

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, heads of state, CEOs, and business leaders explored ways to tackle some of the most important challenges of our time, and how such an unpredictable year might affect the global economy.

Over the course of three days, the forum saw a number of speeches, panels and discussions take place addressing the pillars of ‘Geopolitics, Globalization & Trade’, ‘Business & Investment Outlook’, and ‘The Energy Transition’. Notable international speakers included HE Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, and HE Prabowo Subianto, Minister of Defense & President-Elect of Indonesia.

“Our policies and support of the Palestinian people will never change.”

QEF 2024 was opened by His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, who touched on the period of instability in which the world finds itself following the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts.

His Excellency pointed to the continuing repercussions of the war in Gaza and the impacts such situations have on efforts to maintain economic stability. The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also spoke of Qatar National Vision 2030, which now moves into its final phase, and the various initiatives which Qatar has undertaken to achieve its goals, including an expansion of the North Field to increase LNG production to 142 million tonnes per year.

In a fireside discussion, His Excellency further discussed the conflict in Gaza and reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to act as mediator despite misinterpretation of Qatar’s role throughout negotiations, saying: “As long as we have the capability to be helpful, we will do it… There are countries or people who might not like it, but we don’t ask everyone to like it, just to understand it.”

His Excellency also spoke of Qatar’s investment in emerging markets in Central Asia and Africa as well as collaboration with states in the region in growing sectors such as AI. The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister highlighted Qatar’s ambition to rank in the top 10 countries for its business environment, the state’s digital transformation, and ongoing diversification plans.

In a panel titled “Reshaping Middle East Economies”, His Excellency the Minister of Finance, Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, discussed Qatar’s economic journey and its ambitious plans beyond the FIFA World Cup 2022. His Excellency said: “You can think about it from a perspective where Qatar in the last 25 years was focused on building energy infrastructure. Then the hard infrastructure preparation for the World Cup. Now is the moment to capitalise on all of what has been built.” His Excellency remarked that crucial to Qatar’s economic success was continuing investment in human capital and education.

As Qatar transforms and expands its energy production and capacity, His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Eng. Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, spoke on a panel about the next stage of the global energy transition. His Excellency said that Qatar was more than doubling capacity, anticipating growing demand, and that since last year Qatar has already secured 25 million tonnes of long-term LNG sales, with more to be signed this year.

Other QEF speakers from the State of Qatar included Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Group CEO, Qatar Airways, HE Saad Bin Ali Al Kharji, Chairman, Qatar Tourism, HE Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai, Minister of Communications & Information Technology, HE Mansoor Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, CEO, Qatar Investment Authority, HE Eng. Khalid Al-Obaidli, President, Public Authority for Regulating Real Estate, Eng. Omar Ali Al-Ansari, Secretary-General, Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council, Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al-Thani, Governor, Qatar Central Bank, and HE Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General at Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.

Once again, the Qatar Economic Forum helped cement Qatar’s leading role as a positive force for international cooperation and discussion. More than 70 renowned speakers addressed prestigious global leaders, bringing the world together in dialogue to tackle the vital issues driving global boardroom and cabinet conversations.