The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council held its regular weekly meeting at Tamim bin Hamad Hall on Monday, under the chairpersonship of HE Speaker of the Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.

At the outset of the meeting, HE Secretary-General of Shura Council Nayef bin Mohammed Al Mahmoud read out the session's agenda, and the minutes of the previous session were approved.

During the session, the Council reviewed the report of the Cultural Affairs and Media Committee on the request for general discussion submitted by a number of Their Excellencies Council members related to the 'disadvantages of using technology'.

In the context of discussing the report, HE Speaker of the Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim pointed out that technology has become an integral part of the lives of individuals in society. Therefore, rationalizing and controlling its use have become inevitable as technology has taken on a global dimension in the face of open space, making the task of supervising it difficult.

His Excellency stressed that the lack of control over modern technological means or weakness of these means leads to health, psychological and social damage that casts a shadow on society, pointing in this context to what is mentioned in the country's constitution that it is necessary to care for the younger generation, protect it from the causes of corruption and protect it from exploitation, as well as to what is mentioned in the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030 in one of its pillars in relation to keenness on creating a cohesive society in terms of preserving authentic values and strong family ties and promoting responsible citizenship.

During his review of the report, HE Chairman of the Cultural Affairs and Media Committee Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Kuwari referred to the meetings held by the committee to discuss the issue by inviting a number of officials and specialists from the relevant authorities and taking note of the experiences of countries in dealing with the openness of cyberspace along with their measures to protect young people from the negatives resulting from the misuse of modern technology.

His Excellency stressed the need to unify and integrate the efforts of the concerned authorities related to issuing licenses, operating and monitoring technology means and programs, preserving societal values and national identity, protecting society and young people from the misuse of technology, ensuring its proper use in the correct ways and continuous awareness of the disadvantages of its use.

HE the Chairman of the Committee pointed out that the rapid development of modern technology requires continuous awareness of the disadvantages of its use, pointing out in this context the centrality of the family role as family control represents an important axis in efforts to rationalize the use of modern technology, which requires continuous awareness of this important role.

After extensive discussions of the report's findings and exchanging views and opinions about it, the Council decided to submit a proposal in the desire to the esteemed government on the 'disadvantages of using technology'.

The proposal in the desire offered a number of views that would contribute to reducing the negative effects of modern technology, ensuring its proper use and raising awareness of the dangers of mishandling it, including: forming a joint committee of concerned parties to monitor and review applications and digital platforms used by young people, evaluating the content of these applications and platforms and ensuring their compliance with safety, security and privacy protection standards.

The proposal in the desire also called on the concerned authorities to increase and enhance awareness and education about the dangers of misuse of technology and to provide educational and informational sources about digital privacy and Internet safety, including the measures and precautions that must be taken to protect users from potential risks.

The proposal in the desire on the disadvantages of using technology emphasized the need to support investment in research and development to understand the risks of using technology and develop effective tools and solutions that can include financing initiatives, research and studies and innovation encouragement in the field of safe technology and incorporating school curricula with educational content on the optimal use of technology and the risks of misusing it.

The proposal in the desire pointed to the importance of strengthening cooperation with the private sector through cooperation with companies, technical institutions and digital platforms to develop policies and tools to enhance the safety of young people on the Internet, encourage companies to develop purposeful educational games and improve safety and security standards, options and settings for young people.

During the session, the Council reviewed a draft law amending some provisions of the Tenders and Auctions Regulation Law promulgated by Law No. 24 of 2015 referred to it by the esteemed government, and decided to refer it to the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee to study it and submit its report to the Council.

The Council reviewed a report on the participation of its delegation members of the Arab Parliament in the second session of the fourth session of the third legislative term of the Arab Parliament, which was held last January in Cairo.

During the presentation of the report, members of the Arab Parliament indicated that the session discussed all Arab developments and issues, the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and the ongoing aggression against Gaza and the brotherly Palestinian people.

In this regard, members of the Arab Parliament stated that, in their remarks during the session, they emphasized the position of the State of Qatar in support of the brotherly Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and all the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Council also reviewed the report of the visit of HE Council Member Badi bin Ali Al Badi to the Federal Republic of Germany last January.

During the review of the report, HE Member Badi bin Ali Al Badi indicated that the visit came within the framework of parliamentary cooperation relations between Qatar and Germany, indicating that he had held a number of meetings with members of the German Parliament (Bundestag), during which issues related to the existing bilateral relations between the Shura Council and the German Parliament and ways to strengthen them.

The session was attended by a number of those enrolled in the programs of the Joaan Bin Jassim Academy for Defense Studies, including senior employees of ministries, state institutions and various security agencies.