inside this issue January 2017 / Vol. 43 / Issue 1
COVER STORY
34 ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK?
While headlines like "Kafala system abolished" were used to describe Qatar’s latest labour law, not many have actually figured out what the changes are.
18 MANAGE TIME LIKE MONEY
Time and money are two valuable and scarce resources that individuals try to manage optimally in their everyday decisions. But important differences distinguish the two attributes. It turns out that people seem not to manage their time like they manage their money.
22 A CHERISHED LEGACY
“It’s a daily ambition to improve that gives us the reason to continue,” says AbdulSalam Abu Issa, Deputy CEO of Salam International, speaking to Qatar Today about the company’s journey and his passion for rare collections that speak about the history of his country.
42 BANKING ON SECURITY
After a serious cyber attack on the biggest bank in Qatar, has the financial sector woken up to the risks? Qatar Today finds out where the pitfalls lie and how they can be filled.
48 “THERE CAN BE NO DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT CLIMATE ACTION”
Qatar Today sat down with the World Bank’s senior executives who explained how climate change is deeply linked with the bank’s goals to ensure poverty alleviation and sustainable development.
58 FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD
A new generation of entrepreneurs are evolving in Doha; the kinds who make brands and stand by them and take ownership of their dreams.
inside this issue January 2017 / Vol. 43 / Issue 1
28 AN UNORDINARY LIFE
The European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport, Violeta Bulc, is anything but an average European politician. In an exclusive interview for Qatar Today, she reveals her views on current European challenges, GCC-EU relations and also her personal experience at the helm of Europe’s transport sector.
70 THE POWER OF WORDS
54 A DREAM PARTLY FULFILLED
Masdar City tries to live up to its initial Utopian ideals,.
61 HOME-GROWN RACING
Walter Lechner, owner of Lechner Racing and Founder/Manager of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, writes about how the series has helped popularise motor racing in the region.
Ahead of Words & Strings’ second anniversary, we drop in at one of their events and discover the secret to their success.
40 STAY MOTIVATED AT WORK THIS YEAR
If you are struggling to make sure that your energy and commitment are keeping up with your job requirements, then you need to read the following eight ways to help you maintain your motivation in 2017.
and regulars 08
NEWS BITES
12
BANK NOTES
14
OIL & GAS REVIEW
15
REALTY CHECK
64
A UTO NEWS
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from the desk I remember that morning in May, 2014 when a room full of journalists and other officials gathered to hear from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The whole exercise was branded; from press identification cards and mupis, to the backdrop of the conference hall clearly shouting out its purpose: the introduction of wide-ranging labour market reforms by the Qatari government. We journalists were ready to jot down history when it was being announced, and this time there was a general sense of anticipation that Qatar would be the first to break the anathema of the Middle East employer-driven market, being the pursuers of “kafala”, or bonded labour. And when the changes were finally announced, an hour later than intended, it shocked everyone present. “Was this the wide-ranging reform that were promised? Did we miss any important Arabic announcement?” the journalists asked each other. Two years and seven months later, when the law has finally been put into practice, we still have the same reservation: have we really missed something vital, or will this be all that is parted with? There is no denying that there have been sufficient reforms to cheer about like the definite term contracts drawn between the employee and the employer and which will shall not exceed a period of five years, workers with definite term job contracts can change their employment and sign new contracts if they wish so at the end of the contract period without any NOC but after approvals from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The best of the reforms is the repeal of the two-year ban. Qatar Today tries to looks deep into the law and pick out the positives and ponders the roadblocks that prevent the country from having a labour market that is free from the perils of bonded labour, for it is always the human resource markets that reflect the health of a country’s economy. We need to reflect on what Adam Smith highlighted many years ago, “Labour was the first price, the original purchase, money that was paid for all things. It was not by gold or silver but by labour that all things of wealth was originally purchased.” And is it this wealth that we have left behind in the pursuit of other sources of affluence? Happy Reading.
SINDHU NAIR Managing Editor
affairs > local
ALEPPO ON THE AGENDA This handout picture released on December 18 in Trabzon by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcoming HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for the second meeting of the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee. HH the Emir said that the State of Qatar always supports Turkey against any terrorist challenges, stressing that what affects Turkey affects Qatar as well. He also expressed satisfaction with the continued growth of the fraternal relations between the two countries. AFP / KAYHAN OZER / TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE
A FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD A handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on December 5 shows Saudi King Salman and HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a ceremony in Doha. King Salman was on a regional tour of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. AFP / BANDAR AL-JALOUD / SAUDI ROYAL PALACE
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QATAR RAIL ON TRACK
Qatar Metro project will achieve 70% “project progress rate” next year, according to Qatar Rail.
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s many as 37 stations of the Doha Metro project are under construction with more than 41,000 workers onsite. The metro project has so far worked a total of 202 million man hours and achieved one of the lowest accident frequency rates (AFR) in construction in the world, Qatar Rail said at its third all-staff town hall meeting attended by management and employees. Qatar Rail cited the completion of viaducts on the Doha Metro Project as one of the significant milestones achieved in 2016. A few months earlier the company celebrated the completion of all tunneling works. Next year’s other milestones expected for the Doha Metro project are the arrival of the first four trains in Doha,
dynamic testing of the first train in Japan, and awarding the rail and “FM operator” contracts, as well as advancement of operational readiness preparations and the development of revenue-generating capabilities. Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, Qatar Rail Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee, said, “We are about to embark on the most critical phase of the Rail Development Programme; we will be soon transitioning from a rail developer to a rail operator. We have launched a Business Transformation Programme that rests on four pillars: delivery of the programme on time, budget and quality, financial and operational sustainability, organisational efficiency and building Qatari capabilities.”
QATAR SUPPORTS PEACE QATAR WELCOMED PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD BY US SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY ON A PERMANENT SETTLEMENT FOR THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT. IN A STATEMENT, THE FOREIGN MINISTRY SAID THE PROPOSALS ARE IN LINE WITH THE MAJORITY OF INTERNATIONAL RESOLUTIONS AS WELL AS THE ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE AND STRESSED QATAR’S SUPPORT FOR EFFORTS AIMED AT REVIVING THE PEACE PROCESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THE MINISTRY REAFFIRMED THE NEED TO END THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION AND ESTABLISH AN INDEPENDENT PALESTINIAN STATE WITH JERUSALEM AS ITS CAPITAL ACCORDING TO THE REFERENCES OF THE ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE AND SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS.
TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS INCREASE As more traffic radars are installed around Qatar, more motorists are being caught and fined for bad driving behaviour. ACCORDING TO NEWLY RELEASED GOVERNMENT FIGURES, TRAFFIC RADARS TICKETED MORE THAN
122,967 54% 79,852
PEOPLE IN QATAR IN NOVEMBER. THAT’S
MORE THAN THE
WHO WERE FINED DURING THE SAME PERIOD IN 2015. THE NUMBER OF FINES ALSO WENT UP SOME
22%
FROM OCTOBER, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST EDITION OF THE MINISTRY OF DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND STATISTICS MONTHLY REPORT. THE INCREASE COMES AFTER THE INSTALLATION OF NEW HIGH-TECH RADARS AT MORE THAN
60
INTERSECTIONS ACROSS THE CAPITAL AND ALONG THE DOHA EXPRESSWAY OVER THE SUMMER.
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affairs > local
DEFENCE DEALS LOCKHEED MARTIN HAS BEEN AWARDED A AFP / STRINGER
$29.5 MILLION
LANDMARK REFORM? Brigadier General Mohammad Atiq (left) and Labour Minister Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi hold a press conference on reforming Qatar’s labour laws and practices on December 12 in Doha.
THE E-GATE SOLUTION
Easing the entry and exit process for resident expatriates through Hamad International Airport, the Ministry of Interior has activated e-gate services on ID cards and passports free of charge.
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his service can be accessed by resident expatriates with ID cards and their children above 18 years without the need for prior registration. “The use of the ID card does not need any prior registration or payment of any fees, and a resident expatriate only needs to have a valid ID card,” explained Colonel Mohamed Rashid Al Mazroui, Director of the Airport Passports Department. There are 19 e-gates in the departure lounge and 16 e-gates in the arrival lounge. “The activation of this service comes as part of the smart passenger project, inaugurated by HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister at the beginning of this year,” the official recalled. The objective of the smart passenger project is to facilitate passengers to complete the entry or exit process through self-service devices, depending on smart technology without the need to approach the counter staff.
CONTRACT MODIFICATION TO MAKE PATRIOT ADVANCED CAPABILITY (PAC-3) MISSILES FOR QATAR. IT’S IN SUPPORT OF QATAR’S ORDER FOR THE MISSILES, PLACED IN 2012. THE MODIFICATION ALSO ALLOWS FOR A QATARI FLIGHT TEST. THE PATRIOT IS AN ADVANCED AIR AND MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM OPERATED BY THE US AND TEN OTHER COUNTRIES.
GLOBAL OIL PRICES DIP; YET QATAR’S FUEL PRICES SURGE FUEL PRICES, INCLUDING THAT OF DIESEL, WENT UP IN JANUARY AS PER THE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND INDUSTRY. THE MINISTRY SAID THAT 91-OCTANE PREMIUM GASOLINE WILL COST
QR1.50 QR1.55 QR1.45
A LITRE AND 95 SUPER
MADA MEETS QU
Q
atar Assistive Technology Center (Mada), a non-profit organisation dedicated to connecting Persons With Disabilities (PWD) to the world of information and communication technology, has joined hands with Qatar University to provide assistive technology to disabled students on campus. “Education is one of the three key pillars of our mission at Mada, and many of our services revolve around this area,” said
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CEO Maha Al Mansouri. “We believe that education has the potential to positively impact the PWD community in many ways. It is where the groundwork for social integration is laid, and it makes PWD and their communities aware that disabilities do not subtract from capabilities. We are honoured to have made a meaningful imprint on the campus of Qatar University and to facilitate educational opportunities for students with disabilities.”
IN JANUARY. DIESEL WILL COST
A LITRE. SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MONTHLY FUEL PRICE FLUCTUATION, THE DIESEL PRICE HAD REMAINED AT
QR1.40
A LITRE. FUEL PRICES IN QATAR WERE ALLOWED TO FLUCTUATE IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN THE GLOBAL MARKET FROM MAY 1.
BIOMETRIC BANKING CUSTOMERS OF QATAR NATIONAL BANK CAN NOW ACCESS ATMS VIA IRIS SCAN. TO ENROL, CUSTOMERS SIMPLY NEED TO REGISTER THEIR IRIS BIOMETRICS AT A BRANCH, WHICH ENTAILS TAKING A DIGITAL PHOTO OF THE IRIS. THAT INFORMATION IS CONVERTED INTO A BIOMETRIC TEMPLATE AGAINST WHICH THE CUSTOMER’S IRISES ARE MATCHED WHENEVER THEY APPROACH A QNB ATM EQUIPPED WITH IRISSCANNING TECHNOLOGY.
OVERHEATING ECONOMY THROUGH INVESTMENTS: IMF
Qatar’s ongoing public investments could overheat the economy in near term, and the prospects of a further rise in US interest rates may “complicate” efforts to bolster real economic growth, which is expected to be 3.4% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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“
omestic risks are related to the ongoing public investment programme. While crucial for further economic development and diversification, it could bring about overheating in the near term, potential resource misallocation and reduced expenditure efficiency in the medium term,” the IMF said in its Article IV consultation with Qatar. Although fiscal adjustment planned in 2017 by the authorities is moving in the right direction, the report said fiscal and external balances are “projected to persist in the near term,” though improvements are projected for the medium term, as hydrocarbon prices recover slightly and fiscal adjustment advances.
The pace and the composition of the adjustment should strike a balance between revenue increases and expenditure restraint in the medium term, it said. Containing the wage bill, public service benefits, subsidies, and goods and services expenditure are some avenues to rein in public spending, while preserving growthpromoting public investment, according to the IMF. “The prospects of further rises in the US interest rates may complicate efforts to bolster economic growth,” it said, adding that spillovers to the non-oil sector would be transmitted through slower government spending and declining liquidity in the banking system.
IOT SOLUTIONS ON THE QMIC AGENDA
Q
atar Mobility Innovations Centre (QMIC) and Belgiumbased SmartEnds have announced a new partnership to explore delivery of joint innovative low-power IoT solutions in Qatar and the broader MENA region. The partnership brings together "a unique blend" of Qatari and Belgian innovation enterprises in the same IoT space. This will generate great possibilities for new market verticals and businesses in Qatar and the MENA region. In addition, this confluence is expected to spark innovation and accelerate additional research and development in the IoT technologies and solutions space in the MENA region.
NO CONTRACT RENEWAL AFTER 60 The decision of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) to stop the renewal of the employment contract of expatriate workers aged 60 and above will be implemented soon, local Arabic daily Al Watan has reported. According to a report, the decision stipulates the exit of the expatriate worker after reaching the age of 60 years and accordingly, his residency permit would not be renewed. "He would have to exit the country for good after receiving all his dues; the step aims at opening up the door for recruiting young talents who could serve the development plans of the country," the report said. Quoting sources, the daily said MADLSA is set to enforce the decision in both the private and the public sectors, "as it had been reviewed and studies conducted throughout the previous period".
HIA RECEIVES 5-STAR STATUS Hamad International Airport joined the top tier of global airports, becoming the sixth airport in the world to receive the "5-Star Airport" designation by Skytrax. This makes HIA the first-ever airport in the Middle East to earn this acclaimed title. This highest rating has previously only been awarded to five other airports worldwide: Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo-Haneda and Munich. 13 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
business > bank notes FIVE-YEAR PLAN
Commercial Bank of Qatar launched a five-year strategy that aims at cutting real estate exposure to 16% from the current 23%, and raising lending to the public sector from 8% to a minimum of 16%. The bank also seeks to lower the bad loan ratio from 5.3% to 2%.
QATAR BANKS TALK MERGER Masraf Al Rayan, Barwa Bank and International Bank of Qatar announced that they are in initial talks about a possible merger that will create a single Shariah-compliant lender with more than QR160 billion ($44 billion) in assets.
WORLD’S OLDEST BANK TO BE NATIONALISED Italy’s Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which survived the Inquisition, the unification of Italy, fascism and two world wars, is in dire straits after years of mismanagement. The bank emerged as the worst performer in European stress tests that showed its capital would be entirely wiped out in a severe economic downturn. Monte Paschi’s shares were down more than 80% in 2016 and after it failed to attract funds for a $5.2 billion capital increase, the Italian government is expected to step in to bail it out. Qatar Investment Authority had expressed a preliminary interest in backing the bank’s emergency cash call but in the end didn’t come through.
Khaleeji institutions in a cash crunch are increasingly taking the merger route – in 2016 severals sovereign funds, banks, national oil companies in the region have consolidated their assets – and this makes perfect sense for Qatar where more than 18 banks are serving a small population of 2.8 million. If this merger comes through, the resulting entity will be the country’s largest Sharia-compliant lender and its secondlargest overall, it’s combined assets placing it ahead of Qatar Islamic Bank (QR153 billion) but still way behind Qatar National Bank (QR713 billion). The news buoyed up Masraf Al Rayan’s share by more than 7.5%.
LOAN DEMAND TO REMAIN STRONG: BMI Despite the weaker macroeconomic environment, the demand for loans will remain strong in Qatar, driven by the government’s financing need in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a new report by BMI research has shown.
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espite the slowdown in loan growth since the second half of 2014, Qatar’s commercial banks will “remain resilient” to the low-price environment and will outperform their Gulf Cooperation Council peers over the coming years, the report said. Though loan growth has shown signs of weakness, with growth slowing from 34.0% year-onyear in January 2016 to 9.2% in October, net claims on the public sector expanded
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by an average of 43.2% year-on-year in the first 10 months of 2016, pointing to rising borrowing needs to finance public investment. However, it also mentions that the growing importance of the public sector in total demand for credit, combined with the ongoing liquidity squeeze and the low interest rate environment, will continue to weigh on profitability. On the other hand, demand for credit from semi-government
institutions has sharply declined, reflecting cuts on secondary projects and the government’s efforts to delegate some services to the private sector, BMI noted. Also, with deposits growing at a slower pace Qatar’s high loan-to-deposit ratio compared to the rest of the Middle East will raise refinancing risks. This will not, however, threaten overall sector stability, given banks’ success in raising money from abroad.
business> oil&gas NO MORE DRILLING HERE: OBAMA
President Obama, in a move to solidify his environmental legacy, withdrew hundreds of millions of acres of federally owned land in the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean from new offshore oil and gas drilling. Obama used a little-known law called the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect large portions of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in the Arctic and a string of canyons in the Atlantic stretching from Massachusetts to Virginia. In addition to a five-year moratorium already in place in the Atlantic, removing the canyons from drilling puts much of the eastern seaboard off limits to oil exploration.
PATH TO OIL PRICE RECOVERY
Speculation is rife that the oil price could reach $60 per barrel in 2017 and $70 in the subsequent year, but a price of more than $50 would trigger additional output from US shale producers, pushing market “rebalancing” to late 2017, according to a study.
A
ccording to the two output cut agreements within the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and with non-OPEC members, a total of 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) of crude oil are to be curtailed, starting next month. “An oil price of over $50 would trigger additional output from US shale producers as seen in the past few weeks of rising rig count and would partly offset the expected impact of the OPEC agreement,” said a Kamco research paper, adding that this would push market rebalancing to late 2017 as against a more optimistic forecast from some agencies.
EGYPT EFFORTS
Egyptian Oil Minister Tarek El Molla has signed three offshore oil and gas exploration and production deals worth a total of at least $220 million with France’s Total, Britain’s BP, and Italian oil major ENI’s Egyptian subsidiary IEOC, said the ministry on December 28.
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he first deal, with a consortium of BP and IEOC, is worth $75 million for an exploration block in the North Ras El Esh block; the second, with a consortium of all three companies, is in the North El Hammad block and is worth $80 million, and the third, with BP alone, is in the North Tabia block and worth $65 million. Egypt has gone from exporting energy to being a net importer as domestic output has failed to keep pace with rising demand. Saudi Arabia informed Egypt last month that shipments of oil products expected under a $23 billion aid deal had been halted indefinitely.
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THE CONSOLIDATION GAME
THE MORE-THAN-TWO-YEAR SLUMP IN OIL PRICES HAS FORCED GULF COUNTRIES TO REDUCE STATE SPENDING AND CONSIDER CONSOLIDATIONS AS A WAY TO CUT COSTS: AMONG THE BIGGEST BEING ABU DHABI’S MERGING OF MUBADALA PETROLEUM AND INTERNATIONAL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT CO.
QATARGAS AND RASGAS TO MERGE Qatar will merge state-owned liquefied natural gas producers Qatargas and RasGas Co. Ltd according to Saad Al Kaabi, CEO of Qatar Petroleum.
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he tie-up of Qatargas and RasGas, Qatar’s number one and two LNG producers respectively, has been talked about for a number of years stretching back before the oil price reduction. “Of course as an outcome of this cost reduction will be realised, it will make us more competitive in the market,” said Al Kaabi, adding that the move would save “hundreds of millions of dollars”. The transition, which will result in a single company called Qatargas, will take around 12 months to complete and will begin before the end of this year. Once the new structure is in place, some areas of the business could see job cuts, although the operational side of the plants will not be affected, said Al Kaabi. Qatargas is the largest LNG-producing company in the world, with an annual output capacity of 42 million tonnes a year, according to its website. While QP owns a majority stake, global energy firms including Total, Mitsui & Co. and ConocoPhillips also possess small stakeholdings. RasGas has a production capacity of about 37 million tonnes a year. It is a 70/30% joint venture between QP and ExxonMobil.
business > realty check "Rent-free periods are being offered by property owners at The Pearl-Qatar to attract tenants." MISNAD AL MISNAD Director, Coreo Real Estate
GULF CONTRACTING HOLDS CEREMONY FOR LUSAIL DEVELOPMENT
UDC SIGNS DEAL WORTH QR730 MILLION WITH CBQ
A
I
ceremony was held by Gulf Contracting Company (GCC) in December to mark the commencement of the structural concrete works on the new tower in Lusail City for Al Majed Real Estate, a member of the Al Majed Group. The function was attended by Ahmed Al Majed, Chairman of Al Majed Group; Yousuf Al Darwish, Chairman of GCC; Ibrahim Al Jaidah, Group CEO of AEB Consultants; and Grahame McCaig, General Manager of GCC. The ceremony coincided with the commencement of the first phase of the tower’s 14,000 cubic metre raft foundation concrete pouring. “On behalf of Gulf Contracting Company, I am very
pleased to be here today to witness the initial pouring of concrete for the Al Majed Real Estate tower. This landmark tower will not only become an icon of Lusail City, but also signifies the start of what I hope will become a long and mutually beneficial relationship between Ahmed and my organisations,” said Al Darwish. Darwish’s sentiment was echoed by McCaig. “GCC has a long and proud 40year history in the State of Qatar. Over the past four decades we have compiled an impressive portfolio of projects in Qatar and in doing so have established a solid reputation for delivering excellence. The Al Majed Tower will without doubt compliment that portfolio,” said McCaig.
EZDAN HOLDING GETS $460 MILLION SYNDICATED LOAN Qatar-based shareholding company Ezdan Holding Group (EHG) received a syndicated loan of $460 million in December from Mashreq Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank and HSBC ME for a period of eight years. The news was confirmed by EHG. “The recent achievements of the group demonstrate the confidence we have gained from the international and regional investors in our ambitious vision and in our strategy to maximize the group’s investment portfolio, and profitability, and to achieve diversification into various economic sectors in order to achieve sustained positive returns,” said HE Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani, Chairman, Ezdan Holding Group. The proceeds of the facility are aimed at refinancing other maturing obligations and concurrently extending the maturity of Ezdan’s liability profile.
n yet another move aimed at its flagship project, United Development Company (UDC) inked a financial agreement worth QR730 million with the Commercial Bank of Qatar for the construction of Al Mutahidah Towers at The Pearl-Qatar. The deal was signed by UDC President and CEO Ibrahim Al Othman and Commercial Bank CEO Joseph Abraham. “The signing of this financing agreement is aligned with the company’s strategy of supporting its investment projects through adequate funding. I’m extremely delighted with the continuous fruitful cooperation we have with Commercial Bank for its integrated banking services that are beneficial to both parties,” said Al Othman. Al Mutahidah Towers are made up of connected towers offering 480 residential units which include studios, luxury apartments and retail stores designed to meet the needs of residents. The unique features of the towers are panoramic sea views and direct access to the beach, in addition to upscale services and recreational amenities. The project is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019.
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green scene > viewpoint
STAYING THE COURSE
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies vow to adhere to Paris Agreement pledges, irrespective of how the Trump administration will move on climate action.
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pull the US out of the Paris Agreement. However, the world leaders at COP22 and across the globe doubled up on their commitments to address climate change and major fossil fuel exporter countries in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia and UAE have been among those vocal groups of countries insisting that the US election outcome will not affect their plans to curb greenhouse gases under the Paris deal. Global impact Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election reverberated around AFP PHOTO / FADEL SENNA
American students protest outside the UN climate talks during the COP22 international climate conference in Marrakesh in reaction to Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
epresentatives from almost 200 countries met in Marrakech over two weeks for the latest annual climate change conference, COP22, which was viewed as an opportunity to showcase progress and commence the important process of turning the COP21 Paris Agreement into a detailed plan of action. But the election of Donald Trump as the future president of the United States cast a long shadow over progress made at the conference and a huge question mark hung over whether he would
18 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
the world. The political uncertainty surrounding a Trump administration added confusion to a task that was already extraordinarily difficult. Global warming is a near-perfect example of the tragedy of the commons, as it is a problem that no individual action, no single country can resolve on its own. On the one hand, this suggests the great danger of a Trump presidency’s reversal of climate change policies could bring about a global knock-on effect, pushing the world toward harsh nationalism and reduced international environmental cooperation. On the other hand, there is a veiled hope that the negative impacts of US climate policy under Trump will be limited by the current momentum in technological advancement and other factors. But these steps have been complicated because the Paris deal requires billions of dollars in public and private climate finance to be channelled from rich to poor countries and President-elect Trump vowed during the election campaign to end US funds to UN climate programmes. Ahead of the next conference under the presidency of Fiji, which will be hosting COP23 in Bonn, Germany, the one issue that will be closely monitored by the participating nations will be the new President Trump’s pledge to scrap President Obama’s Clean Power Plan and the COP21 agreement. That said, if Trump was not to honour commitments under the Paris Agreement, it is likely that this will negatively impact his ability to get the cooperation of world leaders on other issues. Gulf countries vowed to adhere to the Paris Agreement In the wake of the Trump victory, Saudi Arabia, by far the world’s largest oil exporter, has publicly vowed to adhere to its Paris Agreement pledges. Saudi Arabia
says it will press ahead with pledges it made under the Paris climate change accord, even if president-elect Donald Trump pulls the US out of the global deal after he is sworn in. It further added it had “no intention of watering down” its commitments to the deal. Other key Gulf countries like UAE, the first Gulf nation to ratify the Paris Agreement, echoed similar words of support to adhere to and go ahead with economic diversification and implementing the accord. This is a promising indication of how isolated the United States may be if it abandons the climate agreement that virtually every country in the world struck last December in Paris, as the world’s largest oil exporter said that the commitment of other economies such as China and France underlined the accord’s strength.
NEESHAD V S Co-Founder & National Coordinator, Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCM-Q) Middle East Manager, CliMates Focal Point, CAN Arab World
After COP22 As the curtain fell in Marrakech, the delegates leaving COP22 gave a resounding message to the world that the COP21 Climate Agreement is here to stay and would be driven forward regardless of what America decides. We can only hope that, in the event that America does withdraw its support, the Agreement really is bigger than any one country as has been claimed. However, the US, being the most powerful economy in the world and the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, must respect the commitments that were made. It’s not simply its duty, it’s in the common interest of humanity. We need to recognize that the climate issue is a global issue. At the end of the day, this process is resilient enough to move forward with global cooperation and commitment. We haven’t won the battle yet, we need to get more of a movement going. We need to get more people to engage 19 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
business > viewpoint
MANAGE TIME LIKE MONEY
Time and money are two valuable and scarce resources that individuals try to manage optimally in their everyday decisions. But important differences distinguish the two attributes. It turns out that people seem not to manage their time like they manage their money.
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ost empirical studies in decision science focus on choices involving money. In contrast, important everyday decisions can also involve non-monetary attributes, such as time. Classical economic models usually convert consequences measured in time units into their monetary equivalents, hence assuming that “time is money”. The assumption that people manage their time like their money has, however, not yet been investigated empirically within the framework of rational choice models. In a series of experiments, we set out to do
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exactly that, observing how people make decisions involving gains and losses of time and how these choices differ from those involving money. Their results reveal that, at least in the laboratory, subjects take radically different decisions when time is involved as compared to money. The difficulty of evaluating time Despite the old saying that “time is money,” several important differences distinguish the two attributes. The main one is probably fungibility: unlike money, time cannot be stored or saved, and the value of time is highly context-dependent. While a loss of money can be compensated by a gain of
money, the same is often not true for time. Furthermore, contrarily to money, the value of time is not necessarily monotonic. Having more money is always better, but the pleasure of time dedicated to an enjoyable activity can decrease at some point. Given these characteristics, the perception of time can give rise to paradoxical behaviour. Past research has highlighted that people tend to systematically underestimate the duration of past episodes (duration neglect), or the time needed to complete a given task (planning fallacy). Misperception of time can also lead to inconsistent behaviour when people and organizations decide about the future (dynamic inconsistency).
Standardised definitions of time In a recent series of laboratory experiments, we studied how people make choices when possible consequences are expressed in terms of gains and losses of time. Since the value of time can vary largely with the context, one of the challenges of the project was to design a standardised definition of time. This was achieved by the construction of concrete scenarios. In a first experiment, the time considered was the number of minutes that subjects spent in the
SEVERAL ASPECTS OF DECISIONS ARE SYSTEMATICALLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN TIME AND MONEY. ONE OF THEM RELATES TO RISK-TAKING.
experiment. Losses and gains of time were defined as the possibility to respectively increase or decrease the duration of the experiment (up to one hour) so that subjects could have to spend more or less time in the laboratory. Time thus referred to the same context for all subjects and the gains and losses of time could be implemented for real (i.e., subjects could really leave the experiment earlier than expected, or spend more time than expected on the experiment.) In another experiment, the scenario consisted of a job contract of two sessions of four hours each, at a sooner and a later period, for a given salary. Choices
involved variations of working time. For instance, the experimenters observed whether subjects preferred to enjoy a 1-hour reduction of working time at a sooner or later period. The experiments also involved similar choices with monetary consequences that were used as a baseline treatment (or benchmark). Deciding about time versus money Results show that several aspects of decisions are systematically different between time and money. One of them relates to risk-taking. Subjects take fewer risks when deciding about losses of time than when deciding about losses of money. This may be because losses of time are harder to compensate than losses of money. Another striking difference relates to how people perceive future losses of time as compared to future losses of money. For money, rationality recommends delaying losses as far as possible in the future. In regard to time, however, most subjects are indifferent to postponing time losses. A sizable share of subjects even exhibits a preference for expediting such losses. While it stands in opposition to financial rationality, such behaviour is consistent with the popular wisdom: “never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” As for money, subjects take different decisions whether consequences are framed in terms of gains or losses. This so-called “framing effect” has been largely documented for monetary choices, and is often used in marketing or public policy as a way to influence decisions. The researchers observed that asymmetries between gains and losses at the origin of the framing effect are more pronounced for time than for money. This suggests that framing can be an efficient tool to influence the way people manage their time. The results offer a better understanding of how people manage their time. In particular, they highlight particular choice patterns that can be specific to such decisions. For instance, this research shows a large heterogeneity in choices involving time, suggesting that managers can expect a large diversity of behaviour in the way people organize their time. It also shows that people are more vulnerable to decision biases, such as procrastination, when choices involve time. These findings can be used to develop management strategies that aim at improving time management in decision-making situations
MOHAMMED ABDELLAOUI, Professor of Decision Science at HEC Paris and Director of Research at CNRS, and EMMANUEL KEMEL, CNRS Research Professor and Affiliate Professor at HEC Paris
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affairs > arab snippets
22 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
A DANCE TO HARMONY A handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on December 7 shows Saudi King Salman (left) standing in front Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during a traditional ceremony on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in the Bahraini capital Manama. AFP / BANDAR AL-JALOUD / Saudi Royal Palace 23 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
leaders > listening post
A CHERISHED
LEGACY
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“IT’S OUR DAILY AMBITION TO IMPROVE THAT GIVES US THE REASON TO CONTINUE TO STRIVE HARD,” SAYS ABDULSALAM ABU ISSA, DEPUTY CEO OF SALAM INTERNATIONAL, SPEAKING TO QATAR TODAY ABOUT THE COMPANY’S JOURNEY AND HIS PASSION FOR RARE COLLECTIONS THAT SPEAK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF HIS COUNTRY. BY KEERTANA KODURU 25 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
leaders > listening post
T
he journey of the third generation of entrepreneurs taking forward the legacy of the family business that has transformed itself into a global publicly-listed company has been quite an exciting one for AbdulSalam Abu Issa, Deputy CEO and Board member of Salam International. “I joined the Salam legacy almost five years ago, and this journey has been interesting. I started my career by working outside the firm to gain exposure. I always knew that Salam would be my final destination where I would grow personally and professionally. What is more important is that we are a publicly-listed company, which means that we don’t run like a family-owned business and are governed by strict corporate laws
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with rules and regulations. With these challenges you have to be mindful of every action and decision,” says Abu Issa. In such challenging times, Abu Issa realized that there are daily trials and the pressure on the younger generation is much higher. “The pressure of being part of the generation that will take this legacy forward in these tough times makes the pressure even higher. One small effort yields results and that is an encouragement in itself.” Abu Issa reminisces about his life, the initial difficulties and the final euphoria. “When we started, it wasn’t easy and my grandmother was of great help who worked day and night to get us to this point. My grandfather, the late Abdul Salam Mohamed Abu Issa, used to travel a lot to explore opportunities, brands and partners. We are very proud of some of the partnerships we’ve built over the years including brands like Canon who have been with us for over 55 years.” The second generation of the Salam legacy diversified from a retail-based family business to a publicly-listed company that dabbles in international brands. Speaking about his own choices, he says, “When I graduated, there was an agreement with my father that it wouldn’t be wise to join the business immediately but to explore and experience what the real world had to offer. Working in the oil and gas, banking and contracting sectors, gave me an all-round exposure. When you’re coming from diverse industries, you have a different perspective; everyone should have a taste of the real world, absorb and understand different cultures and use all
this to understand the universe and the people in it." If you have the opportunity, the younger generation needs to use it to explore the world, advises this young businessman. “The opportunity you get here as a Qatari is much more progressive than anywhere else around the world. There are people to support you and invest in training and development needed to build exposure in the talent available,” he says. Salam Studio developed and diversified into a fashion and technology store and eventually became a one-stop departmental store. “Working in the head office, my job is to support all the business structures and get involved in problem-solving.” Developing local capacity Qatarisation is a misconstrued term for most expats in a country whose population comprises 90% expats. He feels that the whole concept of Qatarisation has not been clearly understood by expats and locals living in the country. “There is a great need to develop local talent as we are a minority in our own country,” says Abu Issa while he also believes that Qataris should take measures to make the expats feel secure in the country so that they in turn feel and treat this place like home. “The idea behind Qatarisation is right but the approach may be wrong in some organisations. Companies feel the threat of being Qatarised and they should find a way to develop expats and Qataris alike by giving them more incentives and job security for a longer period. Even if all
Qataris are employed today, we will still need about 80% expats to be working to fill the gaps in the labour market. Qatarisation is not and should not be seen as a threat to expats,” says Abu Issa. Oil and gas price decline With the drop in oil and gas prices across the region, businesses have been affected and the economic situation has taken a downturn. “Obviously, the situation hurts. It has put pressure on our financial results but we are taking it in a positive spirit. This also presents a good opportunity to revise costs, structures and the business as a whole and we’ve found more areas to improve on in terms of efficiency and productivity.
"EVEN IF ALL QATARIS ARE EMPLOYED TODAY, WE WILL STILL NEED ABOUT 80% EXPATS TO BE WORKING TO FILL THE GAPS IN THE LABOUR MARKET. QATARISATION IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE SEEN AS A THREAT TO EXPATS."
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leaders > listening post
We realised that due to the downturn, some businesses were not performing as expected while some were solid. We aimed at strengthening the weaker ones and investing in the stronger ones. We learnt a lot in the process.” Speaking of the future, he believes in hoping for a better tomorrow. “What we hope for is for the downturn to recover but of course it’ll take years. People think that after the summer of 2017, we will see an upturn or this low may even extend to 2022. If we are able to readjust ourselves successfully in the worst market conditions then eventually we can work better in the recovery and upside of the oil market,” hopes Abu Issa.
"WHEN SHEIKH KHALIFA PASSED AWAY, MY FATHER WANTED TO LOOK INTO OUR PERSONAL COLLECTION, AND WE FOUND A LOT OF INTERESTING MOMENTS FROM HIS TIME AS THE RULER." 28 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
'Qatar My Country' and 'Moments' Following a two-year-long project with meticulous preparation, the conglomerate of Salam International Investment Ltd. (SIIL) inaugurated “Qatar My Country,” a photographic archival exhibition that reveals previously unseen, rare collections of the state that we now live in. The exhibition reveals some of the personal collection from the archives of Salam founder, the late Abdul Salam Mohamed Abu Issa, who brought the first camera into
the country to start his own studio. “Our legacy started with photography and our founder’s passion for this art started in the late ’40s. This was a start of our family’s roots in Doha. He took a lot of pictures that are today considered very rare and every time we show people unseen pictures of Qatar, we are able to share a part of the history through our grandfather’s vision,” says Abu Issa. The images show not just Qatar’s dramatic transformation as a nation that rose from the desert but they also celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship that was alive in its people. The main collection is from the ’50s and covers about rulers, landmarks, and visits by ambassadors and global leaders. Recently launched at The Gate Mall’s Maysaloun Hall, the exhibition titled "Moments" in memory of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, pays tribute to the nation’s grandfather Emir and recognises his contribution to Qatar’s progress. It is drawn from the private collection of the Abu Issa family. The collection on display offers a fascinating glimpse of the Grandfather Emir, making it a must-see event for Qatar’s nationals, expatriates, students and photography enthusiasts. “We are very happy that the Qatar National Museum is working with us to have a part of the collection displayed there. This definitely cements our relationship with the country. This particular exhibition got the highest traffic among all our collections, showing us that
Some images from the "Moments" exhibition
people are hungry to know more about Qatar. It is a new country but the collection is interesting to see. Everyone is talking about it,” says an ecstatic Abu Issa. Abu Issa says that they’ve always heard great things about the man who lifted up the nation to become the new Qatar. “When he passed away, my father wanted to look into our personal collection and we found a lot of interesting moments from his time as the ruler, hence the name – Moments. Members from the royal family appreciated the collection, called us to wish and congratulate us on the exhibition’s success. We were trying to find pictures that were more sentimental rather than just going for the typical portraits to show a bit of his character and add a personal touch to it. Our aim is to share the history of the country that contributed to our success; this is where we built and grew our business and we are trying to give back through our culture and photography.”
THE LATE ABDUL SALAM MOHAMED ABU ISSA BROUGHT THE FIRST CAMERA INTO THE COUNTRY TO START HIS OWN STUDIO.
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leaders > listening post
AN UNORDINARY LIFE
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR MOBILITY AND TRANSPORT, VIOLETA BULC, IS ANYTHING BUT AN AVERAGE EUROPEAN POLITICIAN. IN EVERYTHING SHE DOES, SHE ACHIEVES EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS, WHETHER IT IS SPORTS, SPIRITUAL GROWTH, BUSINESS OR POLITICS. SHE IS CERTAINLY A TRUE HOMO UNIVERSALIS. IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FOR QATAR TODAY, SHE REVEALS HER VIEWS ON CURRENT EUROPEAN CHALLENGES, GCCEU RELATIONS AND ALSO HER PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AT THE HELM OF EUROPE’S TRANSPORT SECTOR. BY SASA ZUZMAHOWSKY
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leaders > listening post
V
ioleta Bulc comes from a tiny but picturesque state of Slovenia, located in the middle of Europe, where the Alps meet the Mediterranean and the Pannonian Plain meets the Karst. With its size comparable to Kuwait and population almost the same as Qatar’s, this jewel is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Central Europe. From professional basketball player to European Commissioner She was born in 1964 in Novo Mesto, when Slovenia was still a part of Yugoslavia, and studied computer science and informatics at the University of Ljubljana, the country’s capital city. Her passion for new technologies and IT research led her to the US, where she received a Master’s degree in Information Technology from the Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California. She worked in Silicon Valley for four years at DHL Systems, Burlingame, California, before moving back to Slovenia in 1994 after it gained its independence. She became a successful manager at Slovenian Telecom, and shortly after founded several of her own successful telecoms firms. But it was her colourful additional interests that caught the attention of local and European media. In her youth she was a top athlete. She was a Slovenian champion in javelin throw and later tried her hand at basketball. In no time she entered the Yugoslav national team and played professionally for six years. Additionally, she holds a black belt in taekwondo, and for some time even taught in a martial arts school. On top of this, her spiritual inquisitiveness has lead her into New Age practices – she is a trained shaman who teaches fire-walking courses! Considering her non-political but nevertheless impressive background as an entrepreneur, a professional sportswoman and a spiritual leader, many have wondered how difficult it was to enter the “big politics” as an outsider and face the challenges her current position holds? “I entered politics in 2014,” she recalls. “First I was appointed Minister responsible for Development, Strategic Projects and Cohesion in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Miro Cerar, and only a month later I was already the EU Commissioner for
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Transport.” Although she was not the first pick of the Brussels Eurocrats considering she was seen as a relatively unknown politician who entered local Slovenian politics only a month earlier, she easily turned the sceptics. “My job as European Commissioner is full of challenges but I truly love it. I’m a convinced European and I truly believe in the concept of the European Union. And when I believe in something, I fully engage in it. To me, the EU is a structure which is still developing, but it offers solutions for global coexistence. It is difficult to manage, but it has the potential to ensure its fundamental principle: peace – over the last 66 years, we have been living in peace. Unfortunately, Europe is facing many challenges. My
"Particularly during challenging political times, it is important to foster cooperation and develop predictable legal frameworks for the transport relations between the European Union and the GCC countries." VIOLETA BULC European Commissioner Mobility and Transport
vision is to coexist and co-create. Transport serves as a basis for connecting people. Everything I have learned in my life – from telecommunications, computer science to eco systems and a systematic way of thinking – I use all of this in my job,” Bulc explains. Observe and respect Many wondered whether she can benefit from her “unconventional” life and past experiences in her current position when dealing with EU officials and foreign leaders and politicians. Bulc herself believes she can. “In my role as a Commissioner, I have had the opportunity to meet many politicians and influential leaders. My first meeting with the German Chancellor, Mrs Merkel, was very interesting. We met at the Automobile Exhibition in Frankfurt. On the one hand, she represents a powerful authority in her country, but on the other hand, she is a very simple lady when you interact with her. Mr Juncker is an extraordinary politician; I am amazed by his in-depth knowledge of politics. Meeting with China’s Prime Minister, Mr Li Keqiang, was also very interesting, in particular in the sense of China’s culture and philosophy as well as their approach to protocol and ceremonies. I was also able to experience our planet’s diversity when I visited the Gulf States which are ruled by monarchies and royal families. I observe people, their energies, how they treat people and their employees. But if you are respectful to them, they will be respectful to you as well, and this is where my hope for humanity lies. I am happy to say I was able to have constructive dialogues with every counterpart so far, and we were able to find solutions to our problems, maybe not all, but at least some.” Gender equality Violeta Bulc holds a position which makes her one of the most influential female officials in the EU. Has the fact that she is a woman brought her any difficulties in her professional life? “Thanks to my character, I have never experienced any obstacles in my career due to my gender. But I am aware of the issues women face in their jobs, and that gender inequality continues to exist in our society. I am a strong supporter of gender quotas that would enable balance not only in male-dominated jobs, but also
in sectors lacking male labour. Equality between women and men is one of the European Union’s founding values. It goes back to 1957 when the principle of equal pay for equal work became part of the Treaty of Rome. In its strategic engagement for gender equality 2016-2019, the Commission stressed the need to integrate a genderequality perspective into all EU activities and sectors. But transport is not a genderbalanced sector. According to European statistics only around 22% of workers in the transport sector are women. This figure is well below the figure for the overall economy (around 46%). Even though women are generally well represented in human resources and administrative departments, their proportion is extremely low in more technical professions such as drivers (e.g., they account for only around 3% of rail drivers). So, the pool of women in the transport labour market needs to be used more efficiently and extensively.” EU-Gulf relations Indeed, the world we are living in is rapidly changing. Nowadays, the European Union is facing some of the hardest challenges since its foundation. The latest course of events following Brexit and the rise of the populist movements all across the continent have raised many questions regarding the future of the EU, which at the moment does not look very bright. Many therefore wonder whether the EU will be able to respond efficiently to new threats and also how these uncertainties may affect future relations with the GCC countries. Bulc approaches this pertinent issue from her field of expertise when saying that transport is a key enabler of economic development and growth, job creation and connectivity and therefore of strategic importance for both Europe and the Gulf region. “Particularly during challenging political times it is important to foster cooperation and develop predictable legal frameworks for our transport relations. In the transport area, the EU and the GCC have a lot in common, a lot to learn from each other and joint interest that both sides benefit from modern transport solutions. This is why we launched transport dialogues on the various transport modes which provide us with unique fora for discussion and cooperation on a wide range of issues. I am certain that we are on the right track
"Our aim is to reach air transport agreements that are mutually beneficial and will create a solid basis and modern legal framework for the EU’s aviation partnerships with key partners."
and will continue our successful dialogue meetings as a solid basis for developing transport relations. They will – I am sure – yield further results and help build stronger partnerships between the EU and the GCC States,” she says. Aviation dialogue This is especially true for the aviation sector, and Commissioner Bulc will be one of the key persons responsible for the ongoing open skies negotiations between the EU and the Gulf States. So far both sides had opposite views on this matter, but after the EU Transport Ministers authorized the European Commission to
start negotiations on EU-level aviation agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the long-lasting dispute over Open Skies and level of liberalization of the European market could finally move from a standstill. Bulc underlines that the EU’s Aviation Strategy recognises the huge potential of the EU-GCC aviation markets, and that the already established aviation relationships merit to be further developed into true aviation partnerships. In June 2016, the Commission was authorised to launch negotiations with Qatar and the UAE along with ASEAN and Turkey. “Our aim is to reach air transport agreements that are mutually beneficial and will create a solid basis and modern legal framework for the EU’s aviation partnerships with key partners. We want to put in place conditions for more passengers, routes and consumer benefits. Talks already started with Qatar, ASEAN and Turkey and we look forward to launching negotiations with the UAE too. The EU-GCC Aviation Dialogue – the successful backbone of our aviation relations – will continue in parallel with a focus on technical cooperation.” While it is too early to speculate what the final deal will bring, it is certain that Qatari and UAE negotiators are going to face a tough but innovative negotiator in Commissioner Violeta Bulc 33 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
affairs > worldview
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LANDMARK RESOLUTION In this image released by the UN, members of the Security Council vote on December 23, on a resolution to stop Israeli settlements. The Council demanded that Israel halt its settlement activities in Palestinian territory, in a resolution adopted after the US refrained from vetoing the measure condemning its closest Middle East ally. In a rare step, the US instead abstained, allowing the measure to pass by a vote of 14 in favour in the 15-member council. 35 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
COVER STORY
WHILE HEADLINES LIKE "KAFALA SYSTEM ABOLISHED" WERE USED TO DESCRIBE QATAR’S LATEST LABOUR LAW, NOT MANY HAVE ACTUALLY FIGURED OUT WHAT THE CHANGES ARE. BY UDAYAN NAG 36 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
AMBIGUOUS; old wine in a new bottle; an eyewash. Everybody seems to have an opinion about Qatar’s latest labour law which came into effect on December 14, 2016. The absurdity of the situation is heightened by the fact that either people don’t want to talk about it, or are least interested in exploring it further. Many feel that the only thing in favour of the employees which did not exist before is that the maximum time required to spend in a company is five years, after which he/she can move on without a No Objection Certificate (NOC). But some feel that there are many riders attached to that. One gets a number of versions of particular facets of the law. But on what basis is the public, mainly the expatriates, adding its two cents' worth? Is it more hearsay than anything? Have things actually changed on the ground? Are the blue-collared workers any better off now than before? Or does the new law simply raise more questions than it actually answers?
SOME MAJOR POINTS REGARDING THE NEW SPONSORSHIP LAW EMPLOYEES CAN USE METRASH, AN ELECTRONIC SERVICE SYSTEM, TO EXIT THE COUNTRY EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONS WILL BE REGULATED BY A CONTRACT SIGNED BY BOTH PARTIES BEFORE THE EMPLOYEE ENTERS QATAR DEFINITE-TERM CONTRACTS SHALL NOT EXCEED A PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS, AND EMPLOYEES WITH INDEFINITE-TERM CONTRACTS CAN MOVE TO ANOTHER COMPANY AFTER WORKING FOR A MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS WITH THE FIRST EMPLOYER NOC NOT REQUIRED BUT APPROVAL FROM THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR (MOI) AND THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (MOLSA) NEEDED TO CHANGE JOB AFTER END OF CONTRACT WITH THE PREVIOUS EMPLOYER THE TWO-YEAR BAN ON WORKERS WHO LEAVE THE COUNTRY AFTER RESIGNING FROM THEIR JOB OR AT THE END OF THEIR CONTRACT DOES NOT APPLY ANY MORE EXPATS CAN ALSO MOVE TO ANOTHER SPONSOR WITH THE APPROVAL OF MOI AND MOLSA IF THEIR SPONSOR IS DEAD OR THE COMPANY NO LONGER EXISTS A FINE OF UP TO QR25,000 FOR KEEPING PASSPORTS OF EXPATRIATE EMPLOYEES, BUT IF THEY GIVE PERMISSION IN WRITING THEN THE SPONSOR CAN KEEP THEIR PASSPORT A DISPUTE RESOLUTION COMMITTEE WILL BE SET UP TO RESOLVE LABOUR-RELATED CONFLICTS WITHIN A MAXIMUM OF THREE WEEKS
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COVER STORY
According to the latest development, Law No. 1 of 2017 on January 4 reinstated the exit permit system. Expatriates will now need to seek permission from their employers to leave the country. Earlier, under the new law which was announced in December 2016, employees would only need to inform the employer about their desire to exit the country, but apply directly to the ministry. James Lynch, Deputy Director, Global Issues Programme at Amnesty International, has plenty to say on a wide range of issues regarding Qatar’s latest labour law. However, isn’t laying the blame solely on Qatar exercising the easier option? “In recent years, Amnesty has published reports calling on the governments of India, Indonesia and Nepal to do much more to protect their citizens who are travelling to other countries for work,” says Lynch. “The governments of all countries sending migrant labour have an important role in preventing exploitation of their citizens. In particular, they should regulate recruitment agencies much more effectively, to prevent migrant workers being charged recruitment fees and being deceived about the nature and terms of their work in Qatar.” Lynch adds that embassies should do everything possible to assist their nationals in distress, in particular to help them leave abusive employment relationships and to help them seek justice. “Most workers do seek help from their embassies at the same time as they lodge complaints with the Qatari authorities. Embassies sometimes face bureaucratic obstacles in labour cases, but many workers have also complained about the unwillingness of embassy staff to challenge exploitative employers. Ultimately, the most important thing that countries could do to protect the rights of their migrant labour abroad would be to advocate a fundamental and meaningful reform of Qatar’s labour
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system.” Amnesty International has talked about counter criminal cases being filed by employers as a retaliatory move against employees who seek legal help. According to Lynch, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants found that in Qatar “often when a migrant reports abuse by their sponsor, the sponsor retaliates by filing criminal charges against him or her.” Amnesty International has also documented cases of employers filing, or threatening to file, spurious criminal charges against workers when they have wanted to leave the country, which include accusations of "absconding", theft and physical assault. To check this kind of vendetta, Lynch suggests that “one immediate step the authorities could take would be to disregard any ‘absconding’ charges filed by employers against workers who have lodged complaints”. He adds, “Additionally, when considering whether to press criminal charges against workers accused by the employers, prosecuting authorities should ensure that they take into account any ongoing dispute between the two parties as part of their deliberations into the circumstances of the case, in particular when assessing the reliability of testimonies. Employers found to have filed spurious charges against workers in order to prevent them from proceeding with labour cases should be held accountable.” The removal of the two-year ban on employees wishing to return to Qatar after resigning from their previous job has been deemed by many as a much-needed amendment. This, to a certain extent, is also acknowledged by Lynch. “The removal of the ‘two-year ban rule’ could potentially have a positive impact, as the rule facilitated coercion and exploitation, with workers feeling unable to leave exploitative jobs, knowing that they would be prevented from securing a new job in Qatar and would therefore be
unable to pay off debts they had taken to migrate." Lynch, however, is not jumping the gun. “It’s not clear how the new law will be implemented. In October 2016 a government statement suggested that workers who terminate their job contracts and leave the country before the end of the stipulated duration will not be allowed to return to the country before the end of the contract period.” As far as the new Dispute Resolution Committee – formed to resolve conflicts between employers and employees within a maximum of three weeks – is concerned, Lynch feels that there is little detail on these plans at this stage, in particular on the time frame for the committee’s operationalisation. “There is an urgent need to speed up and make more effective the process for workers to secure compensation and redress when employers abuse their rights. Quite often, employees are forced to drop their cases and go home as they cannot wait for the labour cases to reach a judgment. In such cases, workers return home without months of unpaid salaries which their employers owe them. The current Labour Court system also imposes a hefty fee on every worker in order to have an expert report commissioned in their case, which prevents many people from accessing justice. If the Dispute Resolution Committee which has been proposed by the government can address these issues, it would certainly be welcome.” The GCC countries signed an extradition treaty in 2015. The Philippines and Saudi Arabia are also in the process of negotiating an extradition treaty. Knowing that foreign nationals who have indulged in unlawful activities will be returned to them might be one less reason to have the exit permit. Lynch has mixed views on this and is of the opinion that instances of unlawful activity by foreign nationals cannot justify the retention of a blanket restriction on migrant workers’ fundamental human right to return to their country. “While extradition can – if conducted in a manner which does not violate the individual’s human rights or return them to a country where their human rights are at risk – provide a legitimate means to hold accountable those accused of criminal activity, raising the signing of extradition treaties as an alternative to the exit permit risks legitimising the misleading view that the exit permit is designed to act as a crime prevention measure.” “Instances of unlawful activity by foreign nationals cannot justify the retention of a blanket restriction on migrant workers’ fundamental human right to return to their country. Qatari courts frequently issue travel bans to prevent individuals – citizens and foreign nationals – from leaving the country while they are involved in ongoing civil or criminal cases. The exit permit provides no additional value in preventing crime; it serves little purpose other than to award employers an additional tool with which to control or coerce their migrant workforce.” Lynch also feels that Qatar has made almost no progress in protecting the rights of domestic workers despite promising to do so formally at the United Nations. “Domestic workers in Qatar are particularly at risk of abuse for a number of reasons. In addition to being subject to the sponsorship system, their exclusion from existing
KHALIFA SALEH AL HAROON
FOUNDER & CEO ILOVEQATAR.NET
labour protections and complaint mechanisms implies that they are entirely dependent upon the goodwill of their employers with almost no means of complaining or changing their circumstances if they are in an abusive situation. The fact that domestic workers’ workplace and accommodation is the private home of their employer means that they are at risk of being isolated and trapped in exploitative situations and of being subjected to serious abuses including physical and sexual violence.” He adds, “Priority of the authorities should be bringing domestic workers, and other excluded professions, under the protections provided in Qatar’s 2005 labour law, and ensuring that these protections are enforced. The implications of Law No. 21 of 2015 for domestic workers are not yet clear, but it can be said with certainty that the new law will not achieve this." And finally, the fine for confiscating someone’s passport
SHURA SPEAKS THE SHURA COUNCIL HAS RECOMMENDED: “IF AN EXPATRIATE WORKER DELIBERATELY CREATES PROBLEMS FOR THE EMPLOYER AND DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE CONTRACT TO FORCE THE LATTER TO END THE CONTRACT OR TRANSFER HIS SPONSORSHIP TO ANOTHER EMPLOYER, HE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO CHANGE JOBS EVEN IF HE RUNS AWAY. ON THE CONTRARY, AS COMPENSATION, HE SHOULD BE FORCED TO WORK WITH THE EMPLOYER FOR DOUBLE THE PERIOD SPECIFIED IN THE CONTRACT.” 39 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
COVER STORY
JAMES LYNCH
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, GLOBAL ISSUES PROGRAMME AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
has been increased from QR10,000 to QR25,000. In a strange development though, unlike in the previous law, workers can now request their employers to keep their passports. Lynch comes down hard on this alteration of the law. “Until now, it has simply been illegal for employers to hold workers’ passports. This prohibition has rarely been enforced though and almost all employers have flouted the ban. The new legislation effectively legalizes the current practice by allowing employers to keep passports
THE LAW IN POINTS ACCORDING TO THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT, QATAR HAS REINSTATED THE EXIT PERMIT SYSTEM. EARLIER, UNDER THE NEW RULES RELEASED IN DECEMBER 2016, WORKERS WOULD INFORM THE EMPLOYER ABOUT THEIR DESIRE TO EXIT THE COUNTRY BUT APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE MINISTRY. EMPLOYING DOMESTIC MAIDS ON AN HOURLY OR MONTHLY SHORT-TERM BASIS IS ILLEGAL. IT CARRIES A PUNISHMENT OF THREE YEARS' IMPRISONMENT AND A PENALTY OF QR50,000. A QR50,000 FINE AND JAIL TERMS OF UP TO THREE YEARS FOR EMPLOYERS WHO ALLOW THEIR EMPLOYEES TO WORK FOR OTHER PARTIES WITHOUT PRIOR OFFICIAL APPROVAL. 40 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
of workers if the employee has provided permission. It is not clear why Law No. 21 of 2005 introduces this regressive loophole on passports.” “Employers in Qatar enjoy a disproportionate level of influence and control over their employees. It will be impossible to ascertain whether employees who have asked for their passports to be retained did so freely. It is important that the Qatari law contains robust punishments to prevent abusive treatment by employers, and to that extent the increased fine for employers found guilty of passport confiscation is welcome. However, the introduction of this loophole undermines the potency of the increased fine. The authorities should rethink their approach and enforce an unambiguous prohibition on passport confiscation, requiring that all employers provide each worker with a safe, lockable space to individually store his passport.” Moving on to the flip side of the coin, what do employers feel about the latest labour law? While the human resource departments of some of the companies in Qatar opted to stay mum on being contacted, Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon, Founder & CEO of the iloveqatar.net website, tried to give a balanced point of view. Haroon defends the contract system, saying, “As a business owner myself I have to think about people who may accept a job, get the benefits, get a free flight to Qatar, have me pay for training and then job-hunt somewhere else. So basically I’ve paid for someone to find a job in Qatar. Of course what protects me is the contract. At the end of the day, what protects both the employee and the employer is a solid and fair contract." Having said that, he also opens up on the problems faced by him while dealing with the Labour Department. “They make it so difficult that as a business owner I am better off sticking to a terrible employee than finding someone new just because the processes are tedious and sometimes complicated. In one case I was denied permission to hire a female Canadian and a female South Korean and no reason was given for it. It should be the law that official organisations must provide a satisfactory reason for rejecting a candidate." Haroon adds that right now recruitment is one of the biggest reasons which is holding Qatar back. “The startup landscape is limited and people are less likely to invest in Qatar if things don’t change. Setting up a business should give people independence and encourage growth within the country. Some rules and systems seem to discourage that.” Professor Mohammed Ramzan Ali Miya, Community Representative & Consultant, National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), talks about the importance of understanding the amendments to the law. Miya addresses the problems of the Nepalese as well as Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi workers. He says that the labour law needs to be translated into different languages and that it’s the duty of the community heads of the respective countries to do so. “Nobody makes the effort to try and understand the new law. There is not enough awareness about Metrash, the electronic service system, which can be used to exit
the country. I have been involved in 2-3 cases where the sponsor has been messaged using Metrash and the concerned person has got the permission to leave the country within 10 minutes.” He further says, “In case there is an emergency because of which an employee has to leave for their home country the same day and they have messaged the sponsor or informed the administration about it and there is no response from their side. In that scenario the grievance committee comes into play; they will intimate the sponsor from their side. They will repeat the process the next day, and if there is still no response then your exit will be arranged for within a maximum of 72 hours. You will also be guaranteed reentry. Your employer cannot block your entry back to Qatar. In fact, action will be taken against the sponsor for not approving his employee’s exit from the country.” Miya points out that an important aspect of the latest law is that the contract which is signed by an employee in their home country is the one which will be valid. “This actually existed before as well but, under the new law, a copy of the contract will have to be shown at the immigration department before the candidate can enter Qatar. The visa will be issued on the conditions which have been mentioned in the contract, and it has to be attested by the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.” Miya also goes into the details of the procedure required to acquire a visa in case someone is looking to change their job under a different profession. According to the latest rules, a company looking to hire an individual has to have the visa for that person’s gender, nationality and expertise. “Let’s say a person is working as a labourer and he acquires a driving licence during his stay in Qatar. If he now wants to upgrade himself as a driver, he needs to present his licence, along with other documents which prove the fact that he is competent enough to be hired as a driver. A fee has to be paid for switching to another profession. One also needs to fill in a form which is available at the Ministry of Interior Qatar and provide bank statements for the last six months.” There has been another interesting development lately which has put employees in a bit of a fix. The old law will continue in force till mid-January 2017. Miya mentions this particular case where a person was looking to take advantage of the new law but was unable to do so because of the extension of the old labour law. He was hindered by the fact that he required an NOC. So it seems that job-hunters within Qatar who have been sponsored by their companies are caught between a rock and a hard place. They are feeling the ill-effects of the old as well as the new rules. But then is that the major issue facing the vast majority of employees? Miya gives examples of workers whose sponsor is demanding QR5,000 to issue a residence permit (RP), and another who is charging money to provide the required attestations for attaining an NOC. It goes without saying that they are not in cushy, white-collared jobs. Does it even matter to people like Surendra Thakur, Lakshmi Mahara and Bhajoshyam Harijan, who have been working
MOHAMMED RAMZAN ALI MIYA
COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE & CONSULTANT NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
as foremen in Qatar for the last ten years, that there has been a "change" in Qatar’s sponsorship law? Their RPs have not been renewed for almost a year. “We don’t care about the changes in Qatar’s labour law. We have had enough. We just want to go back to Nepal but our gratuities have been held up,” say all three of them in unison
NOTES FROM OUR NEIGHBOURS ACCORDING TO UAE’S NEW LABOUR RULES ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY 2016, A NEW WORK PERMIT CAN BE GRANTED TO AN EMPLOYEE WHEN BOTH WORKER AND EMPLOYER MUTUALLY AGREE TO TERMINATE THE CONTRACT DURING THE TERM, PROVIDED THE WORKER HAS COMPLETED AT LEAST SIX MONTHS' EMPLOYMENT OR IF HE/SHE IS ELIGIBLE UNDER THE SKILLS LISTED BY THE MINISTRY. A NEW PERMIT CAN BE ISSUED FOR A WORKER WHOSE EMPLOYER TERMINATED HIM OR HER WITHOUT REASON, PROVIDED THE EMPLOYEE HAS COMPLETED SIX MONTHS WITH THE COMPANY. SAUDI ARABIA’S LATEST LABOUR LAWS ANNOUNCED IN APRIL 2016, INCREASE THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HOURS THAT AN EMPLOYEE WAS ALLOWED TO WORK IN A DAY FROM 11 TO 12. ALSO THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD OF EMPLOYEES CAN NOW BE EXTENDED TO UP TO 180 DAYS. 41 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
business > bottomline
STAY MOTIVATED AT WORK THIS YEAR
IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR ENERGY AND COMMITMENT ARE KEEPING UP WITH YOUR JOB REQUIREMENTS, THEN YOU NEED TO READ THE FOLLOWING EIGHT WAYS TO HELP YOU MAINTAIN YOUR MOTIVATION IN 2017.
A
s the days, weeks and months quickly pass by at work, it is easy to feel a bit drained at the start of another year. Even those who are highly driven and motivated may go through phases of energy slumps. Keeping in mind that success is the result of hard work and resilience rather than taking shortcuts, investing more effort is always a key requirement at work.
REVISIT YOUR CAREER GOALS To be able to keep your motivation level up and constant, you need to always have a clear idea of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Having an understanding of what your ultimate goals are will transform 42 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
your tasks into a series of steps towards the desirable outcome. According to the Bayt. com Infographic: Secrets of Career Success in the Middle East, 34.4% of professionals have the vision of being an innovator at work. Such visions are a recipe for motivation.
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE Motivation doesn’t start at the office; it is a lifestyle and it begins in your own household. Finishing a quick workout before you enter the office, or eating an energy-boosting and healthy meal will put your foot on the right track and give you the necessary energy to accomplish more. Motivation is contagious and is much easier
psychological wealth and give you a daily intake of positive energy.
SEEK FEEDBACK Feedback is a motivating force because it encourages others to observe your work and recognize it. Feedback is also a constructive tool to improve your work and make the end goal clearer and more accessible. Feedback, even if not positive and celebratory, will add to your knowledge and skills. If you are not receiving sufficient feedback, Bayt.com offers you an option to conduct self-assessment and discover more about yourself.
Visit www.bayt.com today and download the white paper to know more about the skills gap crisis in the Middle East.
EMBRACE DISCOMFORT AND CHANGE If your work is comfortable, that is fine. But you should know that comfort is often a killer of motivation. Sometimes pushing yourself outside your comfort zone can be inspiring. Think of it as a mental exercise that will make your outcome even better and your personal gain even richer. You can ask for new types of projects that you haven’t worked on extensively before. You can also take up some online courses and training opportunities such as the ones offered by Bayt.com.
REWARD YOURSELF Sometimes you’ll have to trick yourself into doing more work – especially if you find it really tiresome or tedious. Set yourself rewards: an action, activity or object that you’ll gain depending on the outcome of your work. Rewards can be a weekend trip, a fancy meal, or whatever satisfies your palate.
SLEEP to maintain at work if you also embody it throughout your day.
CREATE DAILY VARIETY Certain projects or tasks can be repetitive and tedious. Try to structure your work schedule in a creative manner that ensures variety. Switch around between tasks that use a number of different skills so that you don’t lose your focus or your interest.
FIND INSPIRATION IN MUSIC AND VIDEOS Some people are able to focus more on their work if they listen to music at the same time. A few moments of inspirational videos, such as the thought leadership series from Bayt.com, can build up your personal and
Make sure your body receives the rest it needs to be able to regenerate the next day. Do not exhaust yourself or work at the cost of your own health, especially if it’s not an urgent matter. Sleeping well and taking care of your health in general can function as an anti-depressant and a key to maintaining the energy for achieving success. In the end, all of these suggested exercises tap into different factors of motivation. What motivates someone might not do anything for someone else. Keep in mind that the tools are varied and available for you to use. Start the year with a list of goals and rewards, try out the aforementioned techniques and find the equilibrium that suits you best
ABOUT BAYT.COM Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East with more than 40,000 employers and over 26,750,000 registered job seekers from across the Middle East, North Africa and the globe, representing all industries, nationalities and career levels. Post a job or find jobs on www.bayt.com today and access the leading resource for job seekers and employers in the region.
43 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
technology > tag this
BANKING ON SECURITY
AFTER A SERIOUS CYBER ATTACK ON THE BIGGEST BANK IN QATAR, HAS THE FINANCIAL SECTOR WOKEN UP TO THE RISKS? QATAR TODAY FINDS OUT WHERE THE PITFALLS LIE AND HOW THEY CAN BE AVOIDED. BY AYSWARYA MURTHY 44 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
I
n April last year, a major cyberattack on Qatar’s largest lender sent reverberations around the globe. A group of unknown hackers had claimed to have hacked into the servers of Qatar National Bank (QNB) and leaked 1.4 GB of data from the database containing personal data of its customers. The massive data dump contained hundreds of thousands of financial records including credit card numbers and their PIN codes and customer transaction logs. Moreover, the hackers also claim to have leaked banking details of some members of the Al Thani family, Al Jazeera journalists, officials from the Ministry of Defence, the State Security Bureau “Mukhabarat” and several other intelligence agencies. What was truly frightening was that it contained personal information collected from several nonQNB sources like social media, put together with the aim of creating a complete profile of certain customers. The breach was massive, it was public and it shocked people and institutions into action. What until then was thought of as something that happens to someone somewhere else, had hit home hard. The Governor of Qatar Central Bank, HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud Al Thani, noted that cybercrime is now considered the second most common economic crime in the Middle East. Speaking at a Dean’s Lecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, he emphasised the importance of strong cyber governance, continuous monitoring, step-by-step detection and a well-designed contingency plan to mitigate any vulnerability on account of cyber risks to Qatar’s financial sector. “Both attackers and their motivations are becoming more diverse – from financial gains to disrupting activity to causing political and financial instability,” he remarked, noting that cybercrime in Qatar increased by 52% in 2015 over the previous year. The wake-up call Security analysts are understandably on the edge. “Firms are coming under attack daily. It is well known that financial institutions across the region have prevented a number of attacks and also that a number of cyberattacks have succeeded in penetrating organisational defences. However, there is also a perception that the region is next in line for a major/sustained cyberattack, following large-scale strikes in other parts of the world,” says David Cafferty, Risk
Consulting Director at Crowe Horwath UAE, and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). And exasperating this challenge is the shortage of highly skilled people in this field in the region which is also geographically far from major technology centres, making the availability of quality support, implementation expertise, and the reliability of the providers even more important, according to Soubhi Chebib, General Manager at GBM Qatar. Also, consumers in the region are doubly vulnerable to attack on financial institutions because they are somewhat less protected than their counterparts in, say, Europe. “In Europe, a consumer is protected by the European Union legislation for consumer protection, which means that a consumer can only be held liable for a very small amount of damage in case of a data breach or theft. Here it is different and the consumer is more or less liable for any misuse of electronic accounts, or at least the legal process is hard and cumbersome,” says Nicolai Solling, Chief Technical Officer at Help AG. “For the same reason, the banks in the European Union are very focused on minimising risks as they hold the liability. One of the ways this affects the way the banks operate is that
in Europe you will not find many banks without a proper two-factor authentication solution for users, whereas here in the Middle East this is something that has only recently been applied by the large portion of banks.” Under these circumstances, it has become increasingly important to understand the drivers of these cyber risks to help boost policies and strengthen risk governance, according to Cafferty. “Regional governments are very aware of the threat, and the formation of Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and the development of national strategies, is indicative of that,” he says. This is substantiated by HE Al Thani who spoke encouragingly about the work the Qatar government has taken to combat cybercrime, including establishing the National Cyber Security Strategy. “Going forward, in order to benefit from the resiliency efforts of the financial institutions, Qatar Central Bank is preparing the Qatar Financial Sector Information Security Strategy, which will enhance and maintain information security and create a more resilient and secure cyberspace to safeguard the financial sector in Qatar,” he said. As a result of this, there is an increasing
"QCB is preparing the Qatar Financial Sector Information Security Strategy, which will enhance and maintain information security and create a more resilient and secure cyberspace to safeguard the financial sector in Qatar." HIS EXCELLENCY SHEIKH ABDULLA BIN SAOUD AL THANI Governor Qatar Central Bank
45 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
technology > tag this
"The first of its kind in the GCC, Qatar's Law No. 13 of 2016 concerning Privacy and Protection of Personal Data places new restrictions on how personal data of an individual is to be processed." NICOLAI SOLLING Chief Technical Officer Help AG
The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) frequently organises cybercrime events, including workshops, conferences, targeted seminars and roundtable events for members, as well as clients.
awareness of cybersecurity. Solling says this emphasis on cybersecurity in Qatar will only increase in the coming months with Qatar’s recent promulgation of Law No. 13 of 2016 concerning Privacy and Protection of Personal Data. “The first of its kind in the GCC, the law places new restrictions on how personal data of an individual is to be processed in accordance with principles including those of transparency, integrity and respect for human dignity and acceptable practices,” he says. To comply with this, financial institutions, which handle large volumes of sensitive personal information about their customers, will no doubt have to rethink their operations and protocols, if need be, and also conduct regular training of their staff. But the government can always do more, as Cafferty illustrates. “Governments receive information on individual attacks but they could do more to assist organisations by sharing this information and using it to create threat assessments, and typologies/case studies, for dissemination to a wider audience. But again, there is a cultural issue around scaring people – perhaps unnecessarily. However, not only should organisations be scared, they need to be scared into taking a more robust, strategic and holistic
approach to cyber-risk.” Chebib agrees. “IT security is not something that can be implemented and then forgotten; it requires constant monitoring and periodic updates that keep it up to date with the latest batch of threats and malware on the scene,” he says. “In addition to this, IT security should not be taken alone to ensure the protection of systems; it should be woven into the overall security strategy of organisation. In fact, many organisations have established a designated Chief Security Officer position, thus assigning the maintenance of the overall security of the company to a single person who reports directly to the CEO of the organisation.”
The Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA), in partnership with CISI, recently organised a cybercrime workshop to educate professionals and technical employees in cybersecurity in the finance sector. Professional bodies like the CISI, have been thrust into the spotlight as market pressures for constant technical evolution and persistent IT security threats require professionals to provide and seek IT and information security assurance, Cafferty says.
senior management and board members. Attendees also came from across industrial groups and from the public and private sectors.
“At the workshop, attendees encompassed a wide variety of functional specialists from IT/ IS professionals; compliance staff; internal and external auditors; college lecturers and lawyers; accountants; project managers – in fact, everyone except the people who need to accept and understand the problem the most, and that is, 46 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
Patching up vulnerabilities Globally, the financial services industry is under a barrage of ransomware and spearphishing attacks, according to a new survey conducted by the SANS Institute, gauging the state of risk and security in the financial sector. For the first time, ransomware, identified by 55% of respondents, has eclipsed spearphishing (50%) as the top attack vector. Such attacks have caused considerable damage, with 32% of survey respondents citing losses between $100,001 and $500,000 as a result
“The focus of these workshops is on highlighting the threats that organisations are facing; that it is a local as well as an international problem; that cybersecurity is the major threat facing financial institutions today and that as a result, this is a Board-level issue; and that a new integrated response is necessary to counter the cyber-threats that organisations are facing. We also address how we should respond to growing innovation that comes with new risks. As technological innovation continues to transform industries, the role of cybersecurity professionals, risk and compliance teams is crucial as they help in identifying and managing emerging risks.”
cause to the organisation such as denial of service, theft of customer data, whaling and large-scale extortion.” “Management, working under Board direction, needs to develop focused education, training and awareness programmes for their organisations. Utilising government statistics and typologies, supported by internal research, management should ensure that all
staff are aware of the full range of risks the organisation is exposed to and that education programmes are put in place so as to ensure that cyber risk management is embedded in daily activities. Finally, specific/ongoing training should be given to key individuals, and teams, so as to provide the skills and knowledge the organisation needs to effectively prevent, detect and respond to the cyber-threat,” he says.
SOCIAL ENGINEERING ATTACKS
Machine learning will accelerate social engineering attacks
1
Data collection Data breaches, social media, public disclosures
5
2
Attack
Extract, transform, and load; feature selection and gereration Traning machine learning mode
4
3
Initial contact
Target acquisition Prediction with machine learning
Employ well-known social engineering techniques
Data exposed in 2016 for machine learning training
Medical records
Email and social media records
Customer records
Business financial filings
Stolen data warehouses
Courtesy: Intel
of their breaches. While the sample size of Middle East-headquartered organisations in the survey is reasonably small, as Chebib says, “Cybersecurity has no physical borders. Wherever you are or the system is around the world, attacks can be mounted from and to anywhere. Certainly, cyberattacks are politically motivated and we witness this from time to time. Qatar has taken strong measures to employ very sophisticatedly cybersecurity solutions and continues to update this in order for the services to be provided reliably and uninterrupted.” While Qatar, together with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, leads the IT market in the GCC, spend alone will not ensure security. “Cybersecurity spending now accounts for a significant portion of IT budgets in the Middle East. What remains unclear is whether they are sufficiently equipped to defend against these attacks,” said Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East & Africa at SANS. Just over half of surveyed organisations claim to have felt prepared or very prepared to fend off attacks. “And even this readiness will stand to be tested when alternative payment systems come online,” he added. Managing human vulnerabilities is sometimes more of a challenge than the technical aspects, though it ought to be the easiest and most effective way to combat cyber-risk. For example, both ransomware and phishing attacks (the two largest kinds of cyberattacks on financial institutions) prey on the vulnerabilities associated with users, who often unwittingly click on links that unleash vicious attacks on their organisation’s assets. For that reason, organisations are going beyond techniques like employing perimeter defences, endpoint protections and log management techniques to identify, stop and remediate threats, and are focusing on controls such as email monitoring and security awareness training to reduce the potential for employee actions that unleash malware on their devices. But there is still much left to be desired in this area. “Organisations are still taking an ‘old school’ approach to cybersecurity with a narrow focus on ‘IT security’ – a simple, easy-to-deal with threat with guidance given to members of staff, such as on the usage of USBs, unauthorised downloads, theft of data and small-scale phishing,” says Cafferty. “The impression that staff members get is that IT matters are very personal localised issues, rather than highlighting the bigger risks they may
47 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
technology > tag this
"IT security should not be taken alone to ensure the protection of systems; it should be woven into the overall security strategy of organisation." SOUBHI CHEBIB Genaral Manager GBM Qatar
From end to end Thanks to technology, everything is interlinked, such as a business’s core operations with its vendors, customers and supply-chain networks. As such, failure to understand and address the systemic cascading effects of cyber risks could have far-reaching consequences across the network, according to Cafferty. "Customer education is more commonplace in this region, but again the fear factor gets in the way. Organisations don’t want to give customers the impression that they don’t have the systems in place to protect them,” he says. Initiatives like ‘customer training’ may be unlikely due to the logistic challenges they pose, says Solling. “Financial institutions could, however, regularly share information about the latest cyber-threats and trends. They could also share best practice for online security. For example, many customers reuse weak passwords across multiple Internet accounts and even their online banking accounts. With data breaches of even large social media and other Internet services now commonplace, such behaviour could easily jeopardize users’ security,” he says.
CYBERSECURITY TRENDS IN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TOP VECTORS
55% Ran somware attack (e.g., CrypotLocker)
50%
But he also goes on to emphasise that financial institutions must be wary of the partners they work with, particularly those that are SMBs. “Cyber-criminals often use these as gateways into the networks of larger organizations,” he says. "In the UAE we have seen such an attack successfully carried out against RAKBANK. In this particular case, RAKBANK’s business partner in India, which prints their credit cards, had a data breach where information on credit card numbers and CVC codes were lost. This allowed attackers to replicate card information, which again was used to deduct money from these cards. RAKBANK was reported to have been facing damages of approximately $5 million (QR18.2 million) associated with this. Although they were not directly at fault, of course such incidents have a negative brand impact,” he points out. Training partners and ensuring that they have the right cybersecurity measures in place will increase the security posture of the financial institutions themselves. By taking a broader focus that is aimed at the operations of the business, its supplychain networks and customers, cyber-
SECURITY AS A PERCENTAGE OF IT BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEARS 2016 AND 2017 What percentage of your organization's IT budget was allocated security in FY2016? What percentage of the IT budget will be devoted to security in the FY2017? % of budget
Unknown/ Unsure
Less than 1%
1%
2%-3.9%
4%-6.9%
7%-8.9%
9%-10.9%
11%-25%
More than 25%
FY2016
31.8%
7.5%
5.6%
14.0%
7.5%
9.3%
13.1%
9.3%
1.9%
FY2017
38.2%
4.9%
4.9%
5.9%
16.7%
4.9%
8.8%
12.7%
2.9%
Spearphishing or whaling
IMPACT OF/RESPONSE TO CYBERATTACKS
32%
50%
32%
40% DoS attacks
30%
Ran somware attack (e.g., CrypotLocker)
Spearphishing or whaling
93%
93%
Advanced attacks/Advanced persistent threats (APTs)
DoS attacks
Au g
48 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
er
0% th
95
10%
%
De pl oy e m hi n e re ta no nt o s, tio ad n tp fn In ve di of tio IT rev ew st m na se iou tec (im en sl h l t cu y no ra r pl t in bu l em im Br nin ity dg og t r a g e es n en pr a et ie s a d u t e ov nd am ed l r t e xi ing of p c s st re uta ert kills in us po tio ifi g e fe of r t n cat (ne in d w at c g am ion ur ur th a ) es re e g no nt Lo e i n c as t te st of pre chn ide a nt v E x do bus iou ica l p s c Le w in ga no enc nti e ss ly u on l c tifi es me th tili tro z ls os ca a r ti ss or ou ed ts as on, oc una gh ) so cr iat va s e e e r or ciat dit d w ilab vic ili e fin ed p it es w rot h c ty as ith ect ust M a pro ion om ov re c em su ee , ec er lt d t en of in . tt Lo in gs o ss ci an Lo c de d lo of ss ud nt / br of s an se cu cu d s co to rit m nfi y Re e co gu rs ab de nt la us nc ro to e ea ls r by s ( po y b M ph a r SS st rea is e s -b c P) he ul re h rs t o ac wi /a f b h th tt a r co re ck and m su pl lt er ia in s nc g fi e sp ne s en a di nd ng
95
%
20%
m
Source: SANS Institute
MOST EFFECTIVE OVERALL CONTROLS
O
Advanced attacks/Advanced persistent threats (APTs)
risk education to all involved parties can provide proactive strategic and more actionable insights into the entire control system of the enterprise. New challenges of a new era Even as we are still grappling with existing challenges, a new technological era fast approaches. With advances in new technologies – such as the cloud, analytics, mobility, artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data and Internet of Things – technological vulnerabilities have expanded exponentially. In particular, the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) – a term that is used to describe anything and everything that is connected to the Internet and able to communicate with other ‘smart’ devices – has been vital to the turnaround of businesses, and in return, it has come with immeasurable challenges in the areas of privacy and security. A major issue around IoT is the vast number of devices, says Solling. “We are talking about as many as 50 billion sensors and devices by 2020. All those sensors are cheap, low-cost devices – a major factor as there are so many of them. Give this, how much security do you then think they could design into the hardware? Another problem is the software: IoT devices use software like any other device on the Internet. Some of them have generic operating systems like embedded Linux. How do you patch 50 billion devices in case of a general vulnerability?” he asks. Unfortunately we are already beginning to see the first examples of how attacks can be perpetrated in a connected ecosystem. Given these challenges, it is imperative for organizations to thoroughly assess their IoT readiness before going to market. First, the service needs to make sense. While CEOs and CIOs within organizations must focus on how they can innovate in their business, it won’t always hold true that IoT is the only way they can innovate. What is unique about IoT is that it is not necessarily trying to invent new problems, but tries to solve or optimize how we do things. Another very important aspect is the integrity and availability of the service. The minute you start to integrate with the day-to-day life of individuals, you need to ensure that the service is always available. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, security; financial institutions in particular need to think about the data they are storing, and how they are ensuring it is safe. IoT services need to be built with security in mind, as
Intel Security released its McAfee Labs 2017 Threats Predictions Report, which identifies 14 threat trends to watch in 2017. 1. Ransomware attacks will decrease in the second half of 2017 in volume and effectiveness. 2. Windows vulnerability exploits will continue to decline, while those targeting infrastructure software and virtualization software will increase. 3. Hardware and firmware will be increasingly targeted by sophisticated attackers.
"Governments could do more to assist organisations by sharing information on individual attacks and using it to create threat assessments, and typologies/case studies." DAVID CAFFERTY Risk Consulting Director Crowe Horwath UAE Member Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment
4. Hackers using software running on laptops will attempt “dronejackings” for a variety of criminal or hacktivist purposes. 5. Mobile attacks will combine mobile device locks with credential theft, allowing cyber thieves to access such things as bank accounts and credit cards. 6. IoT malware will open backdoors into the connected home that could go undetected for years. 7. Machine learning will accelerate the proliferation of and increase the sophistication of social engineering attacks. 8. Fake ads and purchased “likes” will continue to proliferate and erode trust. 9. Ad wars will escalate and new techniques used by advertisers to deliver ads will be copied by attackers to boost malware delivery capabilities.
any failure to deliver the same can cause a huge impact to the reputation of a service. On the other hand, the technological upper hand provided by Big Data and predictive analytics can’t be denied. “Predictive security analytics is a way to analyze where threats could be coming from and who is mounting these threats and relationships that they have between them with potentially the physical location of the threat,” says Chebib. “Different elements of information are correlated together to provide insight about the threat to enable security specialists to pre-empt such threats, or to stop it. Big Data concepts shed more light and additional perspective in understanding threats and ways to prevent them and/or minimise their risk.” Big Data will also have an important role to play in helping organisations to identify areas of risk, says Cafferty. “What data they have; where that data is to be found; and what levels of protection are needed. It’s a profound transformation in how man and machine interact with each other.”
10. Hacktivists will play an important role in exposing privacy issues. 11. Leveraging increased cooperation between law enforcement and industry, law enforcement takedown operations will put a dent in cybercrime. 12. Threat intelligence sharing will make great developmental strides in 2017. 13. Cyber-espionage will become as common in the private sector and criminal underworld as it is among nation-states. 14. Physical and cybersecurity industry players will collaborate to harden products against digital threats.
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development > tag this
“THERE CAN BE NO
DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT CLIMATE ACTION”
QATAR TODAY SAT DOWN WITH THE WORLD BANK’S SENIOR EXECUTIVES WHO EXPLAINED HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS DEEPLY LINKED WITH THE BANK’S GOALS TO ENSURE POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. RECENTLY THE BANK LAUNCHED A DEDICATED MENA CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT IS MEANT TO HELP ONE OF THE MOST CLIMATE-VULNERABLE REGIONS IN THE WORLD. BY AYSWARYA MURTHY 50 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
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e are beginning to see the far-reaching consequences of the historic Paris Agreement which, through trickledown effects, has spelt strategic shifts for almost every type of organization. The World Bank, as the most important development bank globally, is certainly no exception. In fact, it is becoming increasingly clear that goals of sustainable development and poverty alleviation cannot be met unless climate change is addressed simultaneously. “After COP21, we produced a climate action plan that talked about how we are going to implement our pledge to increase the share of climate benefits from 21% of our portfolio to 28%, with the objective of reaching $29 billion a year by 2020,” says John Roome, Senior Director for Climate Change at the World Bank. “The key premise of the plan was that you can’t separate climate action from development action. The kind of projects you need to combat climate change – for example, installing renewable energy or introducing climate-smart agriculture – are the same kinds that are needed in order to give people access to basic needs like electricity and food. These activities are completely intertwined.” Therefore it’s not surprising that the World Bank’s donors are seeking a commitment that their funds will be used to mainstream Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) into the overall development process. Most countries looking at expanding renewable energy are doing so in a way that will increase access to the disadvantaged. Low carbon transport will reduce greenhouse gas emissions but it also can reduce congestion in cities, improve travel times and improve quality of life. Development that doesn’t take into consideration the realities of climate change is ultimately doomed to fail; in contrast, funds that are available for development projects can be reoriented in ways that are climate-smart. “It is true that in the short term it will cost more to build
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Picture credit: The World Bank Group
development > tag this
“We have to start thinking about how we can use public money not to fully finance renewables but instead to de-risk investment in them. Cover only what is needed from public money to crowd in private sector investment.” JOHN ROOME Senior Director for Climate Change World Bank
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climate resilience into the projects. But in the longer term, the cost will be recovered.” With climate action so critical, there is no time to waste and there are too many countries that need help to make this leap sustainably. So every bit of climate financing helps. Every last million is important. How does the World Bank’s finance fit into all the other funds in operation – the Green Climate Funds and Global Environment Facility(s) of the world? Who goes where for what? “Each institution has its own procedure and process of allocating funds to different countries. We at the World Bank have capital allocations depending on the size of the country, how vulnerable or poor it is, its credit worthiness, etc.,” says Roome. “How we spend that money is determined by the dialogue between our teams and the central government in establishing priorities – called the Strategic Country Diagnosis. In developing these priorities, we take into account climate action in reference to what is in the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). GCF and GEF operate in different ways. While there is no attempt to ensure some big allocation agenda, we do work very closely with the GCF (which is also under the UN umbrella) to coordinate the money they have available
with what we have available so that we can blend financing to get as much leveraging as possible in bringing in more private sector financing,” says Roome. Leveraging is a key emphasis of the World Bank’s Climate Action Plan, Roome says. “Internally, some of the targets we have set are not around just how much of our own money we spend but how well we use that money to crowd in other investments. Energy teams are no longer judged on direct financing for renewable energy but on how successfully they bring in investment from other sources. We have to start thinking about how we can use public money not to fully finance renewables but instead to derisk investment in them. Cover only what is needed from public money to crowd in private sector investment; just small amounts to money to ensure a guarantee/ insurance mechanism that can offset risks. This will have better impact.” For Qatar, increased private sector engagement is presented as a panacea for all the interconnected challenges linked to diversification. Success has hitherto been patchy. While the Qatari situation might be unique, Roome says attracting private sector investment boils down to a few basics, irrespective of the context. “We have to ensure that there are opportunities for companies to make reasonable returns, after taking into account the risks. So it’s a case of identifying the risk factors and addressing them. Often it is just a perception of risk.” But the sheer scale of work that needs to be done could be an incentive in itself. Over the next 15 years, the world will need to invest $90 trillion in infrastructure, Roome says. That is more than double the total investment that has gone into infrastructure throughout the course of human history. “A very large chunk of that is going to go into urban infrastructure – roads, buildings, transportation. How do you ensure that these are energy efficient and constructed in a way that is consistent with a low carbon footprint?” he asks. This needs new skills, new materials called into service, offering a whole bunch of opportunities for future entrepreneurs. The Arab angle A couple of months ago, the World Bank launched a dedicated climate action plan focused on the Middle East and North Africa region, one of the world’s climatevulnerable regions. A whopping two-thirds of the population live in already waterstressed areas which will be further affected by the projected temperature increase and
Picture credit: Max Thabiso Edkins/Connect4Climate Picture credit: The World Bank Group
rainfall reductions. Apart from this, the rising sea level will also impact 25 million people across the region. “And those who will suffer through the worst of this are the poorest sections of the population who live off agriculture, a vast majority of whom depend exclusively on the monsoons,” says Hafez Ghanem, Vice President of the World Bank MENA, while highlighting the region’s vulnerability. It is to address this that the World Bank MENA has reaffirmed a series of commitments, according to Ghanem; 1. To increase the proportion of financing in the region that is going to climate change – from 18% to 30% by 2020 – that’s $1.5 billion of additional funding per year focused on climate action. 2. To focus on mitigation but also emphasise that much more needs to be done on the adaptation front, with an increased share of climate finance. For example, trying to help smallholder farmers embrace new types of climate resilient agriculture and put in place a social protection framework, like insurance programmes, to protect them. 3. To work with governments in the region on policy reform and help them implement policies that are climatefriendly through analysis and advice. 4. To bring in more financing from the private sector that supports mitigation and adaptation
ROOME with PATRICIA ESPINOSA (right), Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, at a panel during COP22 discussing Sustainable Development Goals.
“In the GCC, the World Bank’s support comes not in the form of funds but rather advice, especially on mitigation issues and water desalination technologies.” HAFEZ GHANEM Vice President World Bank MENA
5. To support regional cooperation and collective action across the Arab region, especially in the areas of water availability and creation of energy markets. In the GCC, Ghanem says, the World Bank’s support comes not in the form of funds but rather advice, especially on mitigation issues and water desalination technologies. “The Gulf countries are not looking for financing. What they are working on with international community is knowledge sharing, exchange of experiences. They already have ambitious programmes in place; now what is needed is to develop innovative approaches to financing to realise those programmes,” he says 53 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
development > tag this
A DREAM
PARTLY FULFILLED MASDAR CITY TRIES TO LIVE UP TO ITS INITIAL UTOPIAN IDEAS. BY SINDHU NAIR
56 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
T
he whole world was intrigued when Abu Dhabi proposed to do something no other nation had attempted: Build a carbonneutral, zero-waste city from the ground up on an empty piece of desert. The entire city would be an experiment, a clean-technology incubator on a grand scale, powered by renewable energy projects. A graduatelevel, sustainable-technology research university in partnership with MIT would serve as the idea factory, and a fleet of driverless electric cars would shuttle the inhabitants from place to place. Over every building, engineers would mount huge photovoltaic roofs. The initial drawings looked like a fantasy. The entire city would work as a living propaganda for sustainable
living and the fact that all this was being planned in one of the most carbon-centric cities in the Middle East made the attempt even more startling. A decade later, the dream project is a far cry from the city envisioned but it has picked other equally commendable ingenuities. Qatar Today tries to find out whether Masdar has kept to its sustainable dream city plan. The answer is a resounding yes, according to the Minister of State and Masdar chairman, Sultan Al Jaber, who has guided the project since its inception. “With the support of Masdar, Abu Dhabi is now home to a world-class research institution, host of the International Renewable Energy Agency, a major investor in clean energy and a hub for dialogue on how to drive the sustainability agenda forward.� Yousef Baselaib, Executive Director,
Masdar City is a growing community and continues to demonstrate that it is a ‘greenprint’ for sustainable urban development that embraces economic, social and environmental sustainability.
THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT WAS TO BE
M Masdar City, agrees that Masdar City can no longer be identified as a zero carbon city as it had set out to be, but zero-carbon city is a label no other city anywhere in the world has attained. “Minimising the development’s carbon footprint is an ongoing process,” he clarifies. "With each new building or phase of development, we try to push the envelope further. Masdar City is designed to consume 40% less energy and water than built-up environments of a comparable size.” While Masdar was planned and started off with enthusiasm, the 2008 economic crisis was a major setback to the developers, impeding the resources to build the city as planned. Baselaib, however, maintains, “Although challenges have arisen along the way, the city is experiencing the most rapid development in its relatively short history. Today, we have evolved from an entirely self-funded project into one primarily driven by third-party investment.” Other than the anchor tenants of GE and Siemens, Masdar City now has over 360 registered companies, from start-ups with flexi-desks who want to minimise their capital outlay while they grow, to giants like Lockheed Martin. “Masdar City is being built in phases,” explains Baselaib, “but of course real cities are never finished. This approach provides us the flexibility to embrace new technologies, apply lessons learned and make improvements moving forward. Masdar City will be transformed over the next decade. Around 35% of the planned built-up area will be completed over the
next five years, and nearly 30% has already been committed to, including private homes, schools, hotels and more office space. In April this year, Masdar City received approval from the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council of the Detailed Master Plans for Phases 2 and 5 of the city, paving the way for significant further expansion. The Phase 2 will include a residential community with a school and cafes. According to Baselaib, with the completion of each new construction project, Masdar City advances and refines sustainable design concepts that reduce the consumption of energy, water and production of waste. “The 500unit residential project currently under development at Masdar City is a case in
asdar City’s integrated transportation plan involves four initiatives, but it was the podcar system, designed by the Italian company Zagato and developed by Dutch firm 2getthere, that held the most promise. The plan proposed a driverless fleet of 3,000 free-moving, electric vehicles that could transport two to six passengers between 85 and 100 stations, tallying up to 135,000 trips a day along pre-programmed routes. This system of podcars was basically a replacement for taxis, providing privacy to passengers without the congestion common in other urban centres. A Wi-Fi network would manoeuvre the podcars through obstacles in real time as magnets along the path continuously pull the vehicle into alignment with little variance: if one is missed, the podcar continues but if two are missed, it comes to a stop. Ultimately, the podcars were to be powered by solar panel arrays on top of buildings (which was also axed from the budget) and thermal energy-storing molten salt technology allowing the vehicles to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
57 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
development > tag this
"Although challenges have arisen along the way, the city is experiencing the most rapid development in its relatively short history. Today, we have evolved from an entirely self-funded project into one primarily driven by third-party investment." YOUSEF BASELAIB Executive Director Masdar City
NEXT PHASE OF DEVELOPMENT Phase 1 amounts to more than 1 million square metres of Gross Floor Area (GFA), of which 90% is completed or under construction. Combined with Phases 2 and 5, the total GFA of the city will exceed 2 million square metres. Phase 2 of Masdar City involves a dedicated R&D cluster built around existing pilot research projects served by a residential community including 2,000 apartments, a GEMS Education school, restaurants, cafés and parkland. Phase 5 is primarily villas and townhouses surrounded by recreational amenities and green open spaces of a total of 250,000 sqm GFA. 58 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
point,” he says. “It will achieve a 60% reduction in total energy consumption compared to the industry baseline, use 40% less water, recycle more than 95% of its construction waste, and source more than 20% of its building materials locally, reducing supply chain carbon emissions and benefitting the local economy.” The architectural firm Foster+Partners had initially planned to accommodate 50,000 residents and 40,000 commuters and the city was due be completed by 2016; now the final population will probably not exceed 40,000 and the completion date has been put at 2021 or 2025. Baselaib agrees: “Masdar City is now targeting 40,000 residents and 50,000 people working in the city by 2030, based on the rate of industry investment in clean technology, mobility and our financial strategy formulated in line with Abu Dhabi’s 2030 Economic Vision.” Around 2,000 apartments are either built, under construction or in design through Masdar or third-party investors. This will lead to a significant increase in the residential population at Masdar City over the next two to three years. And the working population at the city is also growing, from around 5,000 today to more than 15,000 by 2018/2019. But other than just these numbers, there were hosts of other technological advancements that were to be put to play in the city, like driverless electric cars, shaded streets cooled by a huge wind tower and a “green policeman” monitoring energy use. What is the ground reality now? “Because Masdar City is being built in phases, development plans must be nimble and flexible,” he says. “This enables the city to embrace technological advances,
adapt to market fluctuations and deliver an environment that fosters economic opportunity, social value and creative innovation. The city is designed as a dense, mixed-use development, offering connected communities where people will find it more convenient to walk, bike or take public transportation.” A key element of Masdar City’s sustainable public transport system is the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) network. The system is based on driverless, automated, single-cabin vehicles controlled by an advanced navigation system. “Transportation technology is changing rapidly, as can be seen by the rate at which electric-vehicle technology has advanced in the last few years. In response to such changes, we revised our Master Plan in 2010 to limit the PRT system and to examine other forms of electric transportation to create a more liveable, accessible city,” says Baselaib about the most talked about PRT system that was supposed to revolutionise the transportation system. But looking at this from ground reality and from reports from technology magazines, it seems that even if the 13 initial podcars in the prototype continue to shuttle students along an 800-meter stretch between a station and the postgraduate university, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology that is at the hub of the city plan, the initial goal of the city has been shelved. The initial goal of Masdar City was to have a “street” level that was a large vehiclefree pedestrian zone. Ultimately, the cost of building the entire city on top of a platform to accommodate the podcar system was too high. Masdar City’s plan involved using the same dedicated guideways to run two-pallet
flatbed vehicles as part of a Freight Rapid Transit programme. The entire system was designed to run up to 5,000 trips per day, with each of the 810 vehicles having a maximum payload of 1,600 kg, delivering all necessities to residents and businesses. Nevertheless the PRT system remains an integral part of Masdar City’s transportation infrastructure. And according to Baselaib, “The PRT network carried approximately 33,000 passengers per month in 2015, an increase of nearly 15% compared with the previous year. In fact, we are planning to add two more stations in order to cater to the expansion, within the next three years.” So while the platform has been shelved, the prototype of the PRT is still making its impact felt at the city. Baselaib adds, “Masdar City has a range of passive architecture features that are appealing to the eye and promote energy and environmental efficiency. Moreover, existing structures use 90% recycled aluminium and low-carbon cement, in addition to other locally sourced and verified materials.” He says that the city’s orientation and pedestrian-friendly streets, based on traditional Arabic urban design concepts, help reduce the perceived temperature by at least 10 degrees Celsius compared to downtown Abu Dhabi. The city’s iconic wind tower is a modern interpretation of the traditional “Al Barjeel”, a design feature used to cool building interiors. The 45-metre-high tower in Masdar City captures upper-level
winds and channels them towards public areas at its base. Another feature that the city was lauded for was the 40-60MW solar plant and PV panels manufactured on-site, that were to be used for construction and later used to power the city. Dust storms in August 2009 were reported to have “suspended dust in the air between 1,500 to 2,000 parts per million,” and which decreased solar productivity by 40%. The panels were washed – at great expense – and productivity restored. But it was later explained by the director that “dust storms have the same impact on a PV panel’s performance as cloud cover. In Abu Dhabi, we have a number of dust storms during the year, but compared with the level of cloud
cover that European countries such as Germany receive, the performance in Abu Dhabi is far superior. In fact, on average, a solar module installed in Abu Dhabi will generate twice as much as [one installed in] a cloudy region in Europe.” We could safely say that while the city had initially planned on a utopian setting, the global financial crisis and its consequences have delayed completion of this highly environmentally friendly city, the kind of which has never ever been initiated and put into practice in the world yet. “Masdar City is continuing on its journey to become the world’s most sustainable urban development, and to be seen as the benchmark for how cities of the future will be built,” according to Baselaib. 59 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
entrepreneur > tag this
FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD A NEW GENERATION OF ENTREPRENEURS IS EVOLVING IN DOHA; THE KIND THAT MAKES BRANDS AND STANDS BY THEM, AND TAKES OWNERSHIP OF ITS DREAMS.
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ith the wind b e n e a t h their wings and passion unbridled, this new generation of businessmen comes with a sense of proprietorship and become the names behind the brands they build. Qatar Today met one such proud entrepreneurs; Nasser A. Al Zeyara,
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BY SINDHU NAIR a government employee by day and a restaurant owner by night. In addition to his time-consuming occupations, which he is equally dedicated to, Nasser also teaches at the Police College (Qatar), Ahmed Bin Mohammed Military College (Qatar), and the Qatar Mandatory National Service Training. Ask the proud owner of Arnag, artisanal bistro at Souq Wakrah, why he chose to venture into the restaurant business and Nasser says, quite unpretentiously, “Because I am a food
lover.” And no other reason can do as much justice as this simple love for the enterprise you are going to jump-start. As an entrepreneur, one criterion of a self-starter was to devote all the resources to the new business. Nasser disagrees: it is always better not to put all the eggs in one basket. “Having a job to fall back on gives the entrepreneur more confidence to pursue his dreams because then he is sure that his financials are not entirely dependent on
the success of his venture. The fact that I have another job makes me less anxious to risk everything. Having three partners also makes it easier to balance the role plays.” At some point in time, the two roles, of being a government employee and a selfstarter, gets rather demanding as both require equal amounts of commitment and hard work. “But finally, it is a matter of balance and giving priority to whichever job needs your attention at that point in time. Being a government employee is also an important part of my life and I do not shy away from any of its commitments, as that is my first priority,” says Nasser. While this does get stressful at times, Nasser thrives on pressure and uses that energy to push himself further. HEC has also taken a major lead in directing Nasser towards the path of his dreams through the business entrepreneurship course that he completed at the HEC Paris branch campus in Qatar. “I had no background in business. HEC helped me through the different cycles
involved from getting the right team, to selling ideas and to making an excellent business model,” he says. While Nasser has not taken any help for funding his dreams, he still went through some difficulties in setting the ball rolling. “It was all about finding the right business process involved and then it was much easier,” says Nasser. “The process gets much easier once you know the different rules and categories. It takes a while to understand the rules in Qatar. Getting the right information from the right people has always been difficult in Qatar and once we scaled that then it was an easier struggle.” For Nasser, the procedure was difficult as the three partners wanted to know all the paperwork and processes involved. “We went through all the process ourselves. We wanted to get the feel of the business, from the difficulties to the euphoria of setting up a business of our own.” Arnag has taken a difficult route, staying away from the much-sought after location of Qatar’s West Bay, and Nasser's reasons
are pragmatic. He says that the rents were much higher and hence they had to opt for a new location, which was slowly gaining popularity. “We also wanted a larger area to go with the concept of a Qatari house and that is almost impossible to acquire in The Pearl or any other location.” The beauty of food Nasser’s love for food is shared by his partners and that is another major game changer in his business. “My business partners were equally in love with food. One of my partners is a Qatari chef who was already popular among the locals and he is our social media influencer. He experiments with food and then puts up the recipes on social media and his Instagram posts are hugely popular.” Known to the social world as @jboor_a, Nasser’s partner wants to be known by his social persona but he comes with a mission to make the world taste good, one recipe at a time. Ask Nasser about Arnag, 61 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
entrepreneur > tag this "HAVING A JOB TO FALL BACK ON GIVES THE ENTREPRENEUR MORE CONFIDENCE TO PURSUE HIS DREAMS BECAUSE THEN HE IS SURE THAT HIS FINANCIALS ARE NOT ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON THE SUCCESS OF HIS VENTURE."
"OUR RESTAURANT IS AN AMALGAMATION OF ALL THE BEST TASTES FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHILE ADDING A NEW ANGLE TO IT THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION."
the restaurant, and the excitement in his expression is palpable. “Our restaurant is an amalgamation of all the best tastes from around the world while adding a new angle to it through experimentation. The recipes are all in house, tried and tested by Jabor and shared on social media.” To understand the variety and the dynamism in the recipes, Nasser gives us one variant that is being served at Arnag. The créme brûlée, a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel, is recreated with a new constituent, Sago, which takes the same dish to don an entirely new avatar at Arnag. Arnag serves the norm with panache: date puddings that enhances Arabic flavours, cakes with salted caramel, to give them a rush of flavours. “We also have Japanese cheese cakes, and tiramisu, all of which are our bestsellers.” 62 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
Arnag, which translates as colours, essentially is about visiting a house of flavours, reviving memories of your mother’s kitchen, teasing memories while retaining elements of surprise and mystery. The restaurant is located at Souq Wakrah and models around a Qatari house with a small patio close to the entrance, moving on to the library, “with books that have been collected from antique shops”, a kitchen which smells of brewed coffee and attracts people to enter its cozy surroundings and indulge in hot treats. The patio also opens to a lounge close to the entrance and this is where the owner, passionate foodies themselves, entertain; this room is always teeming with enthusiastic food tasters as Arnag is slowly introducing its main course or savory menu after the successful stint with the dessert menu. “We take time over the menu as everything has to be tasted and tested to get the best results. We use the best quality
ingredients and make all recipes in-house to enhance natural flavours,” says Nasser. Less than a year since the opening, Nasser says that Arnag has a good reputation which is enhanced by Jabor’s popularity. “New ideas in food and beverages are being introduced and that is a huge step for the country as I felt that we have not really expanded in this segment as much as other Middle-Eastern countries and now we are making waves with innovative brands that are being created locally.”
business > auto news
HOME-GROWN RACING
M
WALTER LECHNER, OWNER OF LECHNER RACING AND FOUNDER AND MANAGER OF THE PORSCHE GT3 CUP CHALLENGE MIDDLE EAST, WRITES ABOUT HOW THE SERIES HAS HELPED POPULARISE MOTOR RACING IN THE REGION.
otorsport fans have been treated to a thrilling opening round of the region’s most competitive and most professional racing series, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. The new season got underway on November 18 at Bahrain International Circuit as part of the wellknown World Endurance Championship. Regarded as the purest form of racing, with all drivers competing in identical fifth-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cups, the unique one-make series consists of 12 races between November 2016 and April 2017.
With the eighth season of the championship continuing with the aim of providing a platform to establish more home-grown Arab racing talent, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East also plays host to some of the leading up-and-coming drivers from Europe and around the world. Season 8: Expectations The championship is now a proud beacon for motorsport in the Middle East and I’ve no doubt that the exciting combination of new and experienced racers will see our most competitive championship yet. The race for the title is certainly wide open after the first two rounds for so many drivers to grasp.
I believe this season the championship has really come of age with more drivers from more countries than ever before. We’re accelerating towards a bright new future especially with an exciting trio of teenagers new to the grid; all making their debuts, all very talented and all from the region. The appeal The series is of a high professional standard but at the same time it’s open to anyone in the region. It’s for all backgrounds and levels of racing experience and we are able to train up drivers and work with them to ensure that required licences are achieved. They just need to have the passion, the 63 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
business > auto news
The series is now very well established. So it is regarded as a proven pathway to international motor racing but also the ultimate opportunity for passionate racers to experience professional motorsport. Since we introduced the series in 2009, we’ve been giving regional drivers the opportunity to develop their skills and balance life with a GT racing career and we will continue to do so into Season 8 and beyond.
commitment and a desire to learn. Where the drivers will find the real test is when they are competing, testing and qualifying. Then they need to work closely with their engineering teams to look at performance data and understand feedback. It is through this means that we help drivers develop, one lap at a time. 64 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
Why one-make series? A simple explanation is that one-make series gives all drivers equal conditions to race. It is the fairest form of racing and generally allows for the greatest amount of driver development, as all drivers face the same challenge and can work to get to know the car over the season. It creates close bonds between drivers and their engineers. Together they must focus on getting the right set-up. Plus everyone has access to the same data and parts, and will face the same conditions as all others on the grid. Porsche provide the incredible 911 GT3 Cup, which is based on the 911 series production model – a pure-bred sports car with exceptional levels of power and performance. It means the drivers are racing
in one of the most iconic and successful race cars in the world. It guarantees exactly the experience drivers want to feel on the track and fans want to watch. Strengths Ten years ago we wanted to create a professional racing series here in the Middle East. It took a lot of time and effort to establish but that is what we have managed to do. Importantly, it’s been growing. We adhere to all FIA regulations within the series to deliver global standards for racing conditions. To add to that, the cars that the guys are driving are elite racing cars and we provide highly trained engineers. The series was always designed to provide a platform for young Arab racing talent from the region to really progress in motorsport by driving on their own local tracks. In the past anyone from the Middle East with a passion for motorsport had to travel to Europe to get experience and develop. There was and remains a lack of racing in the region, so giving these guys a professional set-up in which they can grow and develop has really helped the series to become successful. There is now a structure and an easier pathway. We have teenagers who are students from a Sunday to a Thursday and racing drivers on a Friday and Saturday. That was unheard of before the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East was established. The exit of Al Nabooda Racing Al Nabooda have played a big part in the championship over the last few years and have always done very well as a team. So it is a big loss for us. Hopefully, when they see
the competition on the grid and the talent on display they will return in the future. Looking ahead to Season 8 it means new drivers have a good chance of making their mark early in the series and seizing the chance to be on the podium. Nearly half of the grid are newcomers, which makes for an exciting and unpredictable season. Personally, I love to see new young drivers emerge especially from the Middle East as it’s exactly the legacy we wanted to create. Hopefully, their talents will flourish and sponsors will back these drivers and help them reach their potential. We have a new young Omani driver, Al Faisal Al Zubair at 18 years old, Bahrain’s 17-yearold Isa A. Al Khalifa and 16-year-old Isa S. Al Khalifa which shows the direction the championship is going. Hopefully, young racing drivers in the UAE will be inspired to follow their dreams and join the series in coming years.
THE SERIES WAS ALWAYS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR YOUNG ARAB RACING TALENT FROM THE REGION TO REALLY PROGRESS IN MOTORSPORT BY DRIVING ON THEIR OWN LOCAL TRACKS.
GCC Rookie Championship This is an all-new title within the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. With a completely new grid in Season 8, and with such promising young local drivers, we wanted to celebrate and encourage those making their debuts. Everyone involved in the championship believes this is vital to helping the sport grow even further. To have all the young drivers compete head to head for this brand-new title will help these drivers learn how to win, how to manage a race and how to manage their emotions. For us it’s an important addition which is bound to spark even more excitement throughout the grid 65 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
business > auto news
DEMAND FOR LEVANTE ON THE RISE
Following its maiden entry into Qatar in 2016, the Maserati Levante has witnessed an unprecedented increase in sales, according to Alfardan Sports Motors, the official dealers of Maserati in the country.
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part from a 38% increase in Maserati sales in August across the Middle East, India & Africa region, special orders require a waiting period of four months. “We are extremely delighted with the phenomenal response the Levante has received among our clients in Qatar,” said Charly Dagher, General Manager of Maserati Qatar. “As the Maserati’s first SUV, the car has set a unique benchmark in the segment. Both variants - the Levante and the Levante S - are almost equally sought after. The GCC is a very significant market for the Maserati SUV as clients are particularly keen on exploring off-road terrains as well as sporty on-road capabilities,” added Dagher.
CARS IN QATAR INCREASING AT UNPRECEDENTED RATE Qatar is expected to have 912,000 cars on its roads by 2020. According to Alpen Capital, the number of passenger cars in use in the country is expected to register the highest annualised growth of 5.4% in the GCC region.
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he company, offering a comprehensive range of financial advisory services across the GCC and South Asia, further said that the number of passenger cars in use in Qatar is projected to account for about 7% of the GCC car fleet in 2020. It added that an increasing population base is expected to further support demand for automobiles in the country. The report pointed out that new passenger car sales in Qatar during the first four months of 2016 were dominated by Toyota with a 36.5% market share. Qatar registered over 86,000 new vehicles in 2015, signifying a 9.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) increase from 2010. The growth is attributed to domestic opulence and a growing population.
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MEC RECALLS FORD EXPLORER
CAR RENTS DOWN BECAUSE OF ILLEGAL TAXIS According to a recent report, car rental services and Karwa taxis have been hit hard by illegal cabs operating throughout the country.
P Citing suspected defects in the rear suspension, MEC recalled the Ford Explorer 2014-2015 model in Qatar in December. The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) and Almana Motors Company, the exclusive distributor for Ford in the country, announced the recall following the discovery of a potential defect in the weld quality of the rear suspension toe links. The move is aimed at protecting consumers and ensuring that car dealers follow up on vehicle defects and repairs. The report further added that the ministry also urged customers to report violations to its consumer protection and anti-commercial fraud department.
FERRARI QATAR ORGANISES TOUR TO LETBELAH MUSEUM
eople are taking advantage of longterm deals offered by small and medium car rental companies by hiring cars for picking up passengers illegally rather than personal use, according to an employee of a car rental company. “As these people hire vehicles on a long-term basis, car rental agencies offer them special discounts, and this has brought the rents of cars below the market rates,” he said. Another source spoke about the decrease in rents witnessed in the recent months. “Usually an agency charges between QR2,200 and QR2,000 per month for a 1600 cc vehicle like Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, etc., but due to illegal taxi operators, the monthly rent has come down to between QR1,600 and QR1,800,” he said. The plight of Karwa taxi drivers is even worse. “I have to pay the company QR210 for 12-hour shifts but I have earned only QR170, and only two hours are left for my shift to end,” says one of the drivers, adding that illegal taxis are also overcharging passengers.
Alfardan Sports Motors, the official dealers of Ferrari in Qatar, organised an exclusive visit to Letbelah – the private museum of Omar Alfardan, President and CEO of Alfardan Group, in December. The tour, for the first time, offered Ferrari owners a rendezvous with the classic models of the Prancing Horse lineage, and analysed the significance of after-sales vehicle maintenance. The event commenced with an exciting parade of Ferrari cars as owners made their way from the state-of-the-art showroom at The Pearl-Qatar to the museum, joined by Ferrari Middle East and Africa’s General Manager Giulio Zauner and After-sales Manager Francesco Marchionna. After arriving at Letbelah, guests were treated to a private viewing of Omar Alfardan’s prized collection of vintage cars. The ensemble featured top names from yesteryears: Ferrari Super America, Testarossa, 288 GTO, 612, F40, F50, Enzo and a replica of the F1 – demonstrating the brand’s motoring prowess since 1940. 67 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
development > tech talk
MOI GUIDELINES FOR PHONES The Ministry of Interior recently released a set of rules to ensure that sensitive information on your mobile phones is properly secured. To avoid unauthorized access to your device, please lock it with your Personal Identification Number (PIN) or fingerprint. Only install apps from trusted sources. Shop at reputable app stores. Check other users reviews and ratings. Read the app’s privacy policy. Back up your data. It is relatively easy to do, and many smartphones and tablets have the capability to back up data wirelessly, so you can quickly restore the information on your phone if the data is lost or accidentally deleted. Keep your device updated. It’s important to keep both your operating system and your apps up
PUSHING THE LIMITS Nokia and Ooredoo Qatar announced that they have broken the 40 Gbps download and upload speed landmark during a pilot test conducted in Doha. According to the announcement the companies used Nokia’s next-generation fibre technology over the existing single fibre network as the overlay to achieve the speed. This technology delivers four additional wavelengths than conventional fibre cables with each layer giving 10 Gbps upload and download speeds at the same time. Ooredoo is experimenting on increasing the speed after initially launching 1 Gbps fibre services along with trials for 10 Gbps fibre-to-the-home earlier this year.
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to date. You will be prompted when updates are available; don’t delay installing them. Do not save all passwords. Some websites and apps allow you to save passwords on your mobile device. This can be a great convenience, but it also is a security risk. Turn off WIFI, Location Service and Bluetooth while not in use. Cybercriminals and identity thieves can easily access your information through unsecured networks. It’s always better not use public WIFI’s and hotspots as others in the network can watch you and access your information.
Avoid storing, texting, or emailing personal information as it will create a security risk in case your phone is lost or stolen. Install some reliable mobile security applications and keep them updated to detect the existing and emerging threats. Remotely wipe your device in case it’s lost or stolen. If your phone or tablet is lost or stolen and you’re certain you won’t get it back, you can remotely wipe all your data and information from it. Different operating systems providesthis option as well as some security apps.
HI-TECH HATS DEFEAT HEAT World Cup 2022 labourers in Qatar are to be given “cooling” hard hats which reduce their body temperature as they build football stadiums in the fierce desert heat, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy announced.
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he innovative technology uses a solar-powered fan to blow air over a cooled material at the top of the helmet, which will then come down over the front of the person’s face and provide a cooler micro-climate for the worker, reducing the skin temperature by up to 10 ºC. This could be rolled out by next summer, officials said, in time to address the summer temperature which often rises to 50 ºC. It has been rigorously tested, patented worldwide, and put through the production
stage by scientists at Qatar University who have developed it in cooperation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy and Aspire Zone Foundation. “We are confident that this technology will create more comfortable and safer working conditions,” said Dr Saud AbdulAziz Abdul Ghani, an engineering professor at Qatar University, where the hat was conceptualised and developed over two years. “Our objective was to reduce heat stress and heat strokes for workers in Qatar and the region during the summer.”
NEW AND IMPROVED
Qatar Airways has rolled out innovative new features to its mobile functionality, resulting in greater information available to passengers during and after the journey. All phases of the journey have been improved on the mobile platform, from search and purchase – now with even greater online payment options, including using mileage from the member’s Privilege Club accounts – to managing the booking, including changing flights and purchasing extra baggage. This includes in the new offering up to 12 languages on the mobile website for the ease and comfort of the customer. Recent improvements include push notifications for advising passenger of online check-in availability, flight open for boarding, and even a gate change notification for Doha flight departures. Passengers checking in baggage will now receive push notifications advising them of the checked baggage tag numbers, the time of baggage arriving at the carrousel in Doha, and the carrousel number for arrivals at Doha and many other airports. For bags that are routed incorrectly, passengers will now receive push notifications telling them where their bag is. Another important functionality introduced in the mobile app is “My Trips,” providing passengers a convenient means of seeing journey details such as a timeline view, gate information, boarding time, bag tag information and an interactive virtual tour of the aircraft.
FITBIT ACQUIRES PEBBLE, PLANS TO SHUT IT DOWN
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t was a sad day for Pebble loyalists who woke up to the news that the scrappy yet troubled startup was being acquired by behemoth Fitbit who had plans to shut down production and redirect resources and technology into their own wearables line. Pebble helped to usher in the era of smartwatches with a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2012 for the Pebble e-paper watch. It made crowdfunding history last year when it raised a record $20.3 million to produce its next-generation Time smartwatch, earning another $26 million earlier this year for its latest line-up. But the company has been in trouble for a while. It had laid off 40 employees – about 25% of its total staff – in March. Many of the remaining team will join the Fitbit family
to continue working on wearable software platforms. A week later it was announced that Fitbit is “going out of its way to keep Pebble software and services running through 2017.” That means the Pebble mobile apps and app store will remain in service for the time being. “To be clear, no one on this freshly formed team seeks to brick Pebble watches in active service,” according to a statement from Pebble. In the coming months, the Pebble/Fitbit team plans to update the Pebble mobile apps to ensure that “core” watch functions continue to work when cloud services are discontinued. The same may not be true for other “smart” features, however, which may be dependent on third-party services.
DRONE WARS A Chinese ship seized a US underwater drone in the South China Sea, escalating the existing tensions over China’s disputed claim to several remote islands.
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he drone (described as an “ocean glider”), belonging to oceanographic survey ship USNS Bowditch, was reportedly mapping underwater channels as part of an unclassified survey mission. A Chinese warship seized it in Subic Bay, off the Philippine coast, just as it was about to be retrieved. It wasn’t immediately clear why China seized the drone, and US officials initially got no response from the Chinese when they announced over a radio channel that the
drone was US property. “It is ours, and it is clearly marked as ours and we would like it back,” a Pentagon spokesman said in a news briefing. “And we would like this not to happen again.” President-elect Donald Trump proclaimed on Twitter, “We should tell China that we don’t want the drone they stole back. Let them keep it!” The Chinese government eventually returned the drone a week later but not before a lot of diplomatic back-and-forth and escalating tensions. 69 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
business > marketwatch TORNADO OF A DEAL
RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE
Qatar British Business Forum (QBBF) hosted its second annual awards ceremony to recognise business excellence and those who have made outstanding contributions to the British community.
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he awards ceremony was held at the Oryx Rotana Doha before an audience of valued guests, dignitaries and VIPs. The event was convened under the authority of HE the British Ambassador to Qatar Ajay Sharma. For the first time in 2016 the awards committee presented winners in two new categories – the Lifetime Achievement Award to Hilary Bainbridge, Editor at Marhaba Information Guide; and the Sabri Thawabi Special Recognition Award to Gordon MacKenzie of Radisson Blu. QBBF Chairman and CEO of the
Rumaillah Group, Emad Turkman MBE, said, “The QBBF awards were introduced to recognise those individuals and companies making tremendous contributions to the business community and in furthering trade between the UK and Qatar. In the end, although it was challenging to choose, we conferred these awards on an outstanding group of individuals and organisations.” QBBF Business Man of the Year recognised Stefan Lindberg-Jones from Ginger Camel and QBBF Organisation of the Year was awarded to Turner and Townsend.
Doha Bank has completed a financial arrangement with Tornado Co. for re-financing the iconic Tornado Tower in West Bay. This long-term transaction is one of the largest individual ticket deals across the local banking sector. “The financing will strengthen Doha Bank’s relationship with the customer and its well-reputed shareholders.” said Dr R Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank Group, during the signing ceremony. Said Abu Odeh, GM of Tornado Tower, also added, “We are pleased that we have concluded the deal with a local bank like Doha Bank. The borrowing is in line with the strategic planning of the company.”
SECURITY A TOP PRIORITY
Doha Festival City has announced that Teyseer Security has been awarded the contract for security services.
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atar-based Teyseer Security is preparing to take control of the 670,000 sq.m. building as Doha Festival City prepares to open its doors to the public in February 2017. Prior to the opening, the security company will allocate 70 dedicated security professionals to Doha Festival City for the protection of all visitors and employees, with the guard force increasing to over 100 upon the mall opening. Trevor Hill,
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General Manager, Doha Festival City Mall, explains, “Our extensive consumer research has shown that one of the primary considerations for our visitors’ choice of shopping mall to visit is for a safe and secure environment, which is just as relevant to their overall experience as the leisure, entertainment and retail offering." According to Zaher El Khatib, Business Development Manager, Teyseer Security, “Our security staff will be well trained to
create a risk-free environment, to carry out risk assessments in accordance with situations as they may arise and provide peace of mind to all visitors whilst they enjoy this new world-class destination. The 100-strong guard force and team of dedicated supervisors and CCTV operators will include Arabic speakers and female guards to ensure that visitors to Doha Festival City will feel completely at ease.”
INNOVATION FIRST
EXPANSION DRIVE
Careem, the UAE-based car booking app, recently launched its services in Al Wakrah.
Qatar Business Incubation Center’s (QBIC) specialised incubator, QBIC Tourism, has incubated two new startups that have undergone a 10-week LeanStartup Program and one established SME seeking support to scale-up its operations.
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BIC recently celebrated the conclusion of its seventh LeanStartup Program with the Demo Day event, which offered 15 participating startups the chance to pitch their business ideas. The pitches were evaluated by a panel of judges, investors and key partners, and successful businesses won the opportunity to become incubated and develop their companies further. “In addition to giving us the opportunity to celebrate Qatar’s natural and cultural gems, tourism provides an important avenue to diversifying the national economy, and we are delighted that today we have introduced new additions to the country’s growing tourism offering,” commented Aysha Al Mudahka, CEO of QBIC. “The companies incubated at Demo Day will help shape the tourism sector in Qatar, and we call on more entrepreneurs to come forward with their ideas to help build an attractive tourism destination reflective of Qatar’s rich heritage.”
This new market is set to benefit from Careem’s range of convenient transportation services that will include the Economy option upon its launch. “The expansion is a testament to the increasing demand for a safe, comfortable and affordable ride in Qatar.” said Ibrahim Manna, GM Emerging Markets, Careem. “In less than six months we managed to double our fleet in the market and are growing by 30% month on month. We are dedicated to serving the ever-growing transportation needs in Qatar and, in the process, opening new avenues of employment in more cities.” He added: “In the coming years, Qatar will assume a greater significance for our operations, especially as the country is geared towards hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and expanding its tourism sector. Generating employment, strengthening the country’s transportation ecosystem and engaging with local communities will be at the heart of our efforts.”
AWARDWINNING STREAK Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara caps off a second year of success with a long list of awards.
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anana Island Resort Doha by Anantara secured a windfall of awards in 2016. The Luxury Awards Middle East & Africa conferred it with the Golden Crown Award, Luxury Travel Guide Global Awards presented it with Luxury Hideaway of the Year, and it was a double win at the World Spa Awards, taking home Best Luxury Spa Award and Best Luxury Wellness Spa. Anantara Spa then netted World’s Best Private Island
Spa and Qatar’s Best Hotel Spa at the World Spa Awards. The honours continued throughout 2016 with Hospitality Project of the Year from the Construction Week Qatar Awards and Qatar’s leading Luxury Hotel Villa at the World Travel Awards. The Grandeur Global Hotel Awards showered Anantara Spa with winner at the Country Level in the Best Resort Spa category and Global Level in the New Resort category. As 2016 drew to a close Banana Island’s
eateries Azraq, Q Lounge and Al Nahham held the top three spots on Trip Advisor’s ranking of over 700 restaurants in Doha. Thomas Fehlbier, Cluster General Manager Doha and General Manager of Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara, said, “This wealth of awards and accolades reflects the promise we have made to our clientele to provide superior hospitality and the most tranquil and the most sumptuous resort and spa experiences they will ever have." 71 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
affairs > QT take
THE POWER OF WORDS
Ahead of Words & Strings’ second anniversary, we drop in at one of their events and discover the secret to their popularity. By Ayswarya Murthy Pictures Courtesy: Tariq Alfatih
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tarted by a group of young poets and musicians, Words & Strings will have been around for two years come March. At their regular gatherings, hosted quite consistently, anyone with a verse or a tune to share is invited to do so. Some of their best poetry is also shared on their website and recently the group has started conducting workshops for those who want to get their creative juices flowing. All this I already knew before that weekend when I finally shook off the blanket of lethargy (literally as well) and headed down to what was to be the last W&S event of 2016. But what I didn’t know was how powerful and reaffirming the whole experience was going to be. Before D-day, someone tweeted that they were going to fly into Doha and head straight to the event from the airport;
an indication of the kind of loyalty and excitement Words & Strings inspires that is difficult to imagine unless you have been there. As I make my way through the winding corridors of the QF rec centre, I spot a couple practicing their bit almost inaudibly on a guitar; they look frazzled. Or am I projecting? Surely, it’s nervewracking to go up in front of about 150 people and submit yourself and your work for judgment. I am nervous for them. But I was equally thrilled. Remember the OCD poem that went viral three years ago? How the audience gasped and applauded at Neil Hilborn’s gut-wrenchingly intense performance of his poem about love and OCD? I always wondered how it would have felt to sit there and get the full force and meaning of the thing live. Casual yet well organised, W&S is everything an initiative like this ought to
be. I could see right away I was worried for no reason. The energy around everyone there was so positive and welcoming. There was no good or bad, or right or wrong. When someone stumbled, you cheered them on harder. When someone spoke the truth, you snapped your fingers (because clapping is so mainstream!) And when something moved you, you let it. Because how can you stay jaded and sarcastic for long where everyone around you (whose average age is surely not more than 21) is sounding off so passionately about everything from identity to love? It’s difficult to be neutral because poetry itself seldom is. Out of those who performed, many were regulars who revisited some of their favourites; some were participating for the first time, often solo, sometimes as part of a duo. The community is close-knit yet
expect there to be too many takers for this but was proved wrong. I reckon there were many like me, who came there not knowing what to expect but eventually were buoyed by the atmosphere of support, were encouraged to pick up the microphone. The night kicks off with Dana whose emotional rendition of “Blood Weeps a Song” lays bare the horrors of Aleppo and the culture of ‘clicktivism’. Her voice cracks and she often sounds close to tears. But she speaks every word with conviction. Following her is Kholoud (who, the MC informs us, likes pretending to host a culinary show whenever she is cooking, often putting on an accent to match the cuisine) who speaks about reclaiming the phrase “Allahu Akbar” from those who have misappropriated it. Abir performs two of her Arabic poems; “Those of you who can't understand the words, I hope you can feel
inclusive and soon the lines between the newbies and veterans blur, as does those between visitor and performer. Between friendly banter, the MC lays down some ground rules, and there are very few of them. Snap your fingers instead of clapping; it allows you to express your appreciation in the middle of the performance without distracting the speaker. And never ever let someone give up in the middle of their bit, whatever the reason may be. This is sound advice because, no matter how much you mess up your lines, you’d still feel better if you see it all the way through. That night there were a dozen performers lined up. They are teenagers and young adults, mostly Arab and full of brash certainty that is endearing among the young. The session breaks for fifteen minutes and the last leg of the evening is reserved for impromptu acts. I didn’t
them,” she says. And as the evening wears on, you begin to realise what is so special about events like W&S. Because the people there are not just sharing some words they put down on paper. They are often baring their soul. They are naked in the headlights. And you realise how rare it is to allow yourself to be vulnerable in a public space. This very act creates a special bond between the speaker and the listener. And in that camaraderie you discover just how relatable they are; we are going through many of the same experiences together. It’s a pretty precious feeling. So ultimately it doesn’t matter if one poem is better than the other or if someone’s words take the form of a freestyle rap or if one person’s journey of settling into his identity is messy and uncomfortable; it is their truth. And it is uniformly celebrated 73 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
doha diary > sports
THE SPORTING MONTHS
December marks the start of sporting excitment, when the biggest legends congregate in Doha; here is a glimpse of the winter activities that makes the country THE place to be for sports fans.
FC Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta holds an 18-karat gold cup which was presented to the team following a friendly football match between FC Barcelona and Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli FC on December 13 in Doha. Goals from Luiz Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar helped Barcelona beat Saudi champions Al Ahli 5-3 in a thrilling friendly. The superstar trio all scored by the 17th minute, helping the Spanish giants to stroll into an early three-goal lead.
Hina Hayata of Japan hits a return to Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong during their women’s U21 singles final match of the Qatar 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals on December 11 in Doha.
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Toyota’s pilot Nasser Al Attiyah of Qatar and his co-pilot Matthieu Baumel of France compete during the 2017 Dakar Rally Stage 1 between Asuncion and Resistencia, in Argentina, on January 2.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic serves the ball to Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany during the ATP Qatar Open tennis competition in Doha on January 2.
AC Milan’s players celebrate winning against Juventus during the Italian Super Cup final match in Doha on December 23. AC Milan beat Juventus in a penalty shoot-out, the first trophy the Rossoneri have won since 2011. 75 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2017
city life > doha diary
IN SOLIDARITY
Although Qatar National Day 2016 celebrations were cancelled across the state in solidarity with the people of Aleppo, Qatar Foundation's site Darb Al Saai brought thousands of visitors to engage in various activities and also donate for a cause.
#MAKEITCLICK ConocoPhillips and BMW Qatar inspire residents to buckle up with a unique drive safe campaign, "You Better Make It Click".
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massive fundraising event in collaboration with five leading Qatari charities was held by the National Day organizing committee at Darb Al Saai to help the people of Syria who are being subjected to the worst kinds of repression, torture, displacement and genocide. More than QR250 million was raised in less than six hours to support the Syrians in the besieged city of Aleppo. Over 100 boxes were installed at the venue to receive cash donations, besides special boxes for donations in kind. Jassim and Hamad bin Jassim Charitable Foundation (HBJ Foundation) donated QR50 million
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he campaign reaches out to motorists in the form of an exclusive radio jingle, composed by Dominick Farinacci in association with over 15 international artists from around the world. As part of the campaign, an exciting Instagram competition has been launched alongside, inviting users to share a photograph of them buckling up in their parked cars, before they begin driving, using the hashtag #Makeitclickqatar. Todd Creeger, President of ConocoPhillips Qatar,
and the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs donated QR10 million, among the biggest amounts received in the campaign. Among the companies which donated QR5 million were Qatar Development Bank, Ooredoo and Barwa Real Estate Company. A number of individuals donated one to three million Qatari riyals. A number of private and state-backed companies and institutions supported the campaign with huge donations, including Qatar Cancer Society, Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Co., Qatar Society for Rehabilitation of Special Needs, Ahli Bank and Qatar Insurance Company.
said, “We hope the campaign will serve as an effective platform to communicate and trigger a reminder to all passengers and drivers getting in any car, about the importance of personal safety. This is one of the reasons why we chose to channel the message through a jingle. It’s light and it’s catchy – but most importantly, we’re hoping it sticks. We are extremely delighted to partner with BMW Qatar in working towards inspiring a generation that drives with utmost safety and responsibility.”
Qatar Museums held its second Teachers Council forum at the Museum of Islamic Art, part of the organisation's commitment to enrich people’s lives by educating them on the value of art, heritage and creativity.
EDUCATION FIRST
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eld under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa, this month’s event brought together more than 150 teachers from independent schools across Qatar. “At Qatar Museums, we seek to align our array of educational offerings and learning opportunities with teachers’ interests and the school curriculum, to successfully enrich lives, broaden horizons and stimulate the creativity within the community. We look forward to continuing to work closely with teachers next year as we look to further develop and improve our programmes, to enrich people’s lives and educate them on the value of art, heritage and creativity,” she said. Other speakers included Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud, Chief Executive Officer and Special Advisor to HE the Chairperson at Qatar Museums; Salem Abdulla Al Aswad, Deputy Director of Learning & Outreach at Museum of Islamic Art; and Fatima Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute.
PREVIEW NIGHT
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he first edition of Shop Qatar begins this January with an elaborate opening night at Mall of Qatar’s Oasis, providing guests and visitors with a taste of what is to come throughout the month-long festival. The event was presented by local standup comedian Hamad Al Ammari, who provided a humorous preview of the upcoming Doha Comedy Festival. Visitors to Mall of Qatar were treated to a live performance by renowned Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi, along with several other entertainment segments on the Oasis stage.
Mashal Shahbik, Director of Festivals and Tourism Events at Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), said, “We are very grateful for the collaborative spirit our partners in the public and private sectors have shown as we build a brand-new tradition through the first edition of this festival.” The festival will run from January 7 to February 7, offering residents and visitors discounts on popular brands, and raffle draws with cash prizes worth QR4 million. Taking the festivities beyond the retail scene, Shop Qatar also features a rich schedule of entertainment that caters to a variety of ages and interests.
A NEW ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATION Mall of Qatar welcomed visitors for its soft opening on December 10.
Mall of Qatar, a brand-new shopping concept with 500,000 sq. m. of innovative shopping, top-notch recreation and remarkable leisure options, has officially opened its doors to the public. Speaking about the first official day at Mall of Qatar, Ahmed Al Mulla, CEO, said, “After working towards a goal for many years, seeing it come to life is one of the most incredible experiences and I am grateful to the entire team responsible for this momentous occasion. Mall of Qatar marks a new era of shopping in Qatar, merging shopping and entertainment at our regional super mall. We are pleased to announce that the mall is 99% leased and 92% are currently in the fit-out phase. We are opening over 220 stores on our first day, which is 60% of the gross leasable area.” The media expressed their delight at the Mall offerings during their tour of the retail outlets culminating in a delightful experience at NOVO Cinema, Xtremeland and a lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.
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A day in the life of... Khansa Abdul Jaleel Travel and Lifestyle Blogger, Creativity with Kay
Qatar Today follows the daily routines of professionals around the country from all walks of life. By Ayswarya Murthy
Whether she is sharing her insights on the latest trends in food, fashion and lifestyle in Qatar or penning memorable stories from her travels, Khansa has a diverse range of followers who connect with her on a variety of issues. As a veiled social media influencer, she is a rarity and her Islamic/ local perspective is something that is still missing despite the burgeoning blogger scene. “My audience are people like me and I always consider whether they will use a certain product or eat at a certain restaurant before I write about them,” she says.
While her work online mostly happens at home, her schedule is likely to vary on a day-to-day basis. What she enjoys the most about what she does is how unpredictable and excitingly different each day is. Whether it’s meetings with brands who want to discuss collaborations or attending the launch of a new restaurant or boutique, each day is unique.
Khansa started blogging when she was in university as a way to blow off some steam; this was back in 2012 when social influencers weren’t quite the rage in Doha as they are today. “I never really thought I would end up doing this full time,” she says. The importance of bloggers as a marketing avenue was first realised in Dubai and Kuwait, she says, before it kicked off in Qatar. As one of the first bloggers in the country, Khansa has a lot of experience and insight under her belt. Recently she was invited to speak at Zomato’s first-ever food bloggers conference in Doha.
Blogging gives her the luxury to take time off when she needs to focus on friends, family and some “me time” as well. Her family, both old and new, are supportive of her work; in fact, she says it’s easier now than when she was single to do what she does.
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She is happy for the support group that a new blogger entering the scene today has. When she started off, the ‘industry’ was nascent, there was no one to talk to or learn from. But now, there are the same, small cliques of people that she runs into depending on the event – fashion or food – who all know each other and work as a community. “Even with so many bloggers around today, I don’t think the market is saturated. There is still a lot of quality work to be done in a committed manner,” she says.
“My mission isn’t just to be a successful blogger. I want to be a cultural ambassador of Qatar,” Khansa says. So whatever she is doing or wherever she is going, she forges connections that will help her learn something new while also enlightening others about this country and its customs.