Qatar Cabinet backs Amir’s address and passes child rights, digital protection laws

Cabinet backs Amir’s address and sets work priorities

Qatar’s Cabinet met in Doha on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. The meeting took place a day after the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, addressed the Shura Council at the opening of its new legislative session, outlining national priorities. The Cabinet urged all government ministries and institutions to treat the Amir’s speech as a guiding framework for their work in the coming period. It also approved draft legislation concerning children’s rights and digital protection.

Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ibrahim Al Mohannadi said the Cabinet welcomed the Amir’s address, noting that it reviewed the challenges Qatar had faced in recent months and highlighted the country’s resilience, institutional preparedness and priorities for the next phase of national development. The speech stressed the need for economic diversification, efficient government institutions and social solidarity, while urging stronger commitment to public service, safeguarding of public funds and the national interest. The Prime Minister, expressing appreciation for the Amir’s prudent policies at regional and global levels, directed ministers to develop plans and programmes to implement the address’s objectives.

The Cabinet restated its foreign policy priorities, namely cooperation with Gulf states, backing for the Palestinian cause and the pursuit of dialogue and peaceful solutions to regional crises. It commended the cooperation between the Shura Council and the executive branch, emphasizing that legislation supporting the private sector and improving the investment environment is essential.

Legislation on children’s rights, digital protection and radiation safety

The Cabinet’s agenda included the endorsement of draft laws on children’s rights and digital protection, plus additional steps to bolster child safeguards and to oversee radiation‑related practices. The proposed child rights law, prepared by the Ministry of Social Development and Family as part of its plan for 2025‑2030, aims to create a comprehensive legal framework for the care and protection of children, ensuring they grow up in a safe and stable environment. The Cabinet said the draft will be published for 10 days on Qatar’s Al Meezan legal portal and the Sharek platform to collect public feedback before it proceeds to legislative review.

In addition, the Cabinet backed a draft law concerning the digital protection of children, which came after a study led by the Cabinet’s General Secretariat together with the relevant authorities. The Ministry of Social Development and Family was assigned to take further steps based on a separate study into digital safety among children and young people in Qatar.

The Cabinet further sanctioned a draft decision from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to establish a radiation practice code for nuclear gauges and well logging. The rules, prepared jointly with QatarEnergy, set out safety requirements for the possession, use, transport and storage of radioactive sources, aligning with standards issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency. These steps aim to boost supervision and shield workers, the general public and the surrounding environment from exposure to radiation. The draft will be made available for seven days of public consultation before it undergoes legislative review.

Regional solidarity and bilateral agreements

Turning to regional developments, the Cabinet strongly condemned the repeated Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, describing them as a grave violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional security, civilians and civil aviation. It reaffirmed Qatar’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for the steps taken by the kingdom to protect its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. The Cabinet stressed that Saudi Arabia’s security is inseparable from Qatar’s security and from the collective security of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

At the close of the session, the Cabinet gave its approval to two draft memorandums of understanding: one concerning cooperation between the Qatari and Armenian justice ministries, and another covering transport and supporting logistics services linking Qatar with Bahrain.

Other subjects examined during the session included reports on government service fees, civil aviation security, labour cooperation with the Republic of North Macedonia and agricultural cooperation and food security among the GCC states.