The State of Qatar participated in the Fourth Competition Forum for the Arab Region, which was held in Riyadh and organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in partnership with the General Authority for Competition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The country’s delegation participating in the forum was headed by HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber and Chairman of the Competition Protection and Prevention of Monopolistic Practices Committee.
Ministers and high-level officials from 28 Arab and international competition authorities, a group of experts and academics, and representatives of the private sector participated in the forum, which aims to support decision-makers in their efforts to enhance competition policies at the national level and stimulate regional cooperation between competition authorities.
The forum focused on discussing mergers and acquisitions, enhancing the efficiency of competition authorities in developing and least developed countries, in addition to discussing best practices in planning and conducting market studies, and concerns arising from exploiting dominance in digital markets.
HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani stressed the importance of the forum in spreading the culture of competition among Arab countries, enhancing cooperation and coordination between competition committees and authorities in ESCWA member states, and contributing to the promotion of governance and sustainable development.
In a press statement on the sidelines of the forum, His Excellency said that the State of Qatar is keen to promote competition and prevent monopoly in commercial activity. For nearly two decades, the state issued the Law to Protect Competition and Prevent Monopolistic Practices in 2006, and during the past years, the state issued a set of supportive legislation and laws. The environment and business climate that stimulate investment and openness to the global market.
HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani indicated that promoting competition and preventing monopoly is an important factor in liberalizing trade and promoting a free market economy, as well as contributing to development, innovation, attention to quality and improving the level of prices of goods and services.
