NEW QATARI MINISTRY OF LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

UNCLAS DOHA 000999 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (FIXED HYPERLINK IN PARA 6) STATE FOR NEA/ARP, DRL/ILCSR, INR/B LABOR FOR ILAB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ELAB QA SUBJECT: NEW QATARI MINISTRY OF LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS INCREASES EMPHASIS ON LABOR REF: A. 06 DOHA 1043 ¶B. DOHA 000922 ¶1. (U) Summary. As of October 1, the Qatari ministry formerly known as the Ministry of Civil Service Affairs and Housing officially became the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Dr. Sultan bin Hassan Al-Dhabit Al-Dousari remained Minister during the transition. Most of the functions of the transformed Ministry will remain the same, with the exception of the creation of three undersecretary positions, a new National Manpower Development Department, and a separate Private Organizations and Establishments Department. The functions of the Labor Department remain virtually unchanged. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Emiri Decree Number 23 for the year 2007, issued May 8, established the creation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The ministry was formerly known as the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing. The decree took effect October 1. Dr. Sultan bin Hassan Al-Dhabit Al-Dousari, who has been Minister of Civil Service Affairs and Housing since July 2006 (ref A),has retained his position in the new ministry. ¶3. (SBU) The functions of the new ministry remain basically unchanged. There will be three new assistant undersecretary positions, a new Private Societies and Establishments Department, and a new National Labor Force Development Department. According to local press reports, many employees of the former Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing will not be retained in the new ministry and are worried about finding new positions in the public sector. (Note: The former ministry was considered to have an overabundance of welfare positions, i.e. nonfunctional positions created solely to keep selected Qataris in the workforce until new public opportunities arose. Many of these personnel had been sent by other ministries. Employees in these postitions are unsure if they will be tranferred to the new ministry, and many anticipate early retirement in lieu of continued employment.) ¶4. (U) The new National Manpower Development Department will focus primarily on the growing need for the nationalization ("Qatarization") of the private sector. (Comment: Fewer public sector jobs are or will be available for the large numbers of Qatari youth entering the workforce. The creation of this department indicates the growing concern by the GOQ in this regard and the need to address it.) ¶5. (U) Dr. Sultan Hassan Al-Dhabit Al-Dousari holds a PhD in finance from Damascus University, a Master's Degree in Accounting and Data Systems from Arab Gulf University in Bahrain, and a BS in Administration and Economics from Qatar University. He served in the Qatari Armed Forces from 1982 to 1988; in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture as Director of Al-Rayyan Municipality from 1988 to 1992; as Director of Administration Affairs at the Amiri Diwan (Amir's Office) from 1992 to 2004; as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture from 2004 to 2006; and as Minister of Social Affairs and Housing since 2006. Dr. Al-Dousari also currently serves as the Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs. ¶6. (U) See http://qatar.usembassy.gov/new_ministy_of_lab or.html (Internet) or http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/w/images/c/cd/MO L.ppt and http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/w/images/2/20/De cree.doc (SIPRNet/ClassNet) for the organizational structure and detailed responsibilities of the new Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. ¶7. (SBU) Comment. Al-Dousari is well-respected by the ruling family. Establishing and reorganizing the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs with Al-Dousari as the Minister indicates an increased emphasis on labor issues in Qatar. The creation of a new department charged with studying and acting on the "Qatarization" of the private sector shows that the GOQ realizes the urgency of taking such action. The fact that the new ministry has streamlined "excess baggage" in the personnel area may indicate that the GOQ is becoming less tolerant in carrying non-qualified citizens on the payroll in the public workforce. RATNEY