readiness of each institution. The proposed pro- jects allow setting clear targets and refining them as the projects are planned and implemented. They will be reviewed and adapted, as needed, in a collaborative process with the lead stakeholders. The national institutional development and mod- ernization programme will promote an outcome- based approach to strategic planning as an effec- tive means of managing resources and advancing transparency and accountability. It will foster a culture based on performance and cultivate the development of public service delivery−oriented mind-sets.
Advancing from strategy to
implementation
Qatar’s National Development Strategy 2011–2016, comprehensive and multidimensional, presents different implementation challenges in its differ- ent parts (table 1). While the process of building the machinery for implementation has already started, it needs to be accelerated and the achieve- ments need strengthened.
Successful implementation will depend first and foremost on the demand by the country’s lead- ership for regular information on progress and results. It will also depend on mainstreaming the strategy across the whole government. Ministries and agencies will need to take ownership of the strategy within their own operational plans and accept accountability for delivery. At the centre, the strategy will have to influence processes that drive crucial decisions on how resources get used and provide operational tools that allow specific projects and policy proposals to be assessed in an integrated way. Significant challenges lie ahead, particularly in building the human and institu- tional capabilities for effective planning and pro- ject execution, but also in providing the legal basis for some of the proposed changes.
Moving from the identification of strategic responses (see table 1) to the implementation of specific interventions requires careful planning by implementing agencies, supported by the central- ized functions of government. The concepts and targets identified in the Strategy and background sector reports will need to evolve into detailed project blueprints driven by a focus on achievable results that support the key strategic goals.
These blueprints must include logical assessments anchored in sound diagnostics, proven approach- es and learning; the identification of measurable outputs, outcomes and impacts against which pro- gress can be measured and evaluated; clear identi- fication of accountabilities; and built-in mitigation measures that address identifiable risks. Of course, the financial and human resources needed to man- age and implement the project and then to sustain its benefits must be in place. And project risks and success will be critically influenced by stakeholder awareness, understanding and ownership.
Under the National Development Strategy 2011– 2016 a portfolio view of projects is needed to ensure proper integration and sequencing of activities, to direct resources to priorities and to provide “value for money”. At the level of the implementing agen- cy, this portfolio perspective will emerge through the development of strategic and operational plans within a broader sector focus. At the national level, funding priorities will be articulated through reformed budget processes and a programmatic approach to public investment planning.
To implement the National Development Strategy, ministries and agencies will need competent pro- ject management functions. Where these do not exist, they will need to be established as a priority. In other parts of government, existing functions may need to be strengthened. Over what could be an extended transition period, some agencies may have to “buy-in” such services, but this must be under arrangements that successfully trans- fers knowledge and builds national capabilities. Human resources constraints will also need to be addressed across a much broader front.
Executive summary
Qatar National
Vision 2030 pillar Major challenges Strategic responses
Promoting sustainable prosperity
Ensuring sustainability in a setting where hydrocarbon resource depletion is still the dominant source of income
Establishing a hydrocarbon depletion policy; sustaining high rates of saving and making sound investments in human, capital and financial assets for the future
Promoting stability in an environment where hydrocarbon price volatility creates risk and presents challenges for calibration of economic policy
Reforming budgetary and fiscal processes, public investment programming, liquidity management and domestic capital market development
Enhancing efficiency in the use of all resources to support high standards of living for current and future generations
Promoting competition, trade and investment; improving regulation; strengthening demand management for water, power and fuel; reforming agriculture
Diversifying the economy to create durable wealth and support wider societal viability
Bolstering enterprise creation and private sector development; improving the business climate, strengthening regional integration; reforming the labour market
Promoting human development
Rebalancing the healthcare system to reduce the emphasis on hospital-based care and increase integration between levels of care
Establishing an integrated healthcare system to shift the balance of care towards a patient-focused, preventive and community-based model
Meeting critical needs for a high-quality workforce across the health sector (and affecting other sectors)
Developing and implementing a national workforce plan that takes a multifaceted approach and optimizes the skills mix Raising the achievement of Qatari students at all levels,
especially in math, science and English and, through that, increasing educational attainment
Strengthening reforms in K–12 and higher education to ease demand and supply constraints
Coordinating education and training providers and aligning with labour force needs
Addressing quality, efficiency, inclusiveness and portability across the entire education and training systems Aligning labour market composition of Qataris with the
objectives of a diversified knowledge economy
Realigning demand and supply in the Qatari workforce, with an emphasis on continuously upgrading skills
Reducing reliance on low-cost, low-skilled foreign labour Reviewing the sponsorship law and identifying ways of attracting and retaining higher skilled expatriate workers
Taking an integrated approach to sound social development
Balancing the forces of modernization and globalization with the support of traditional Qatari family values and patterns of family formation
Implementing cross-cutting measures to strengthen family ties, values and relationships
Strengthening social inclusiveness Launching a multistakeholder programme that strengthens an inclusive social protection system
Improving road safety and ending the growing epidemic of traffic accidents, particularly among youth
Introducing a holistic approach to road safety, with cross- sectoral partnerships
Preserving traditional Qatari culture and Arab identity Using culture as a platform to safeguard and develop Qatar’s national heritage
Encouraging a more active lifestyle for young people, to reduce the health-related risks of inactivity
Promoting local sports participation and development as part of a comprehensive, active lifestyle programme
Sustaining the environment for future generations
Reforming unsustainable water consumption patterns Establishing an integrated water management plan across the value chain
Encouraging sustainable urbanization and consumption patterns that reduce environmental stresses
Promoting more sustainable urbanization and a healthier living environment
Developing modern public sector institutions
Strengthening weak institutional capacities Strengthening the role of central functions to support institutional development and modernization Expanding human resources capacities across the public
sector
Applying policies to attract talent, including staff development programmes
Establishing a centralized system for managing for results and for linking resource allocation to strategic plans
Launching a public sector performance management framework linking institutional performance to strategic plans and budgets
Human resources shortages in key sectors could undercut delivery of key outcomes. For example, the Strategy calls for a large expansion of prima- ry and preventive healthcare. But Qatar has only 1.9 primary care physicians for every 10,000 peo- ple, far below the World Health Organization rec- ommended level of 5.6. This picture of acute skill gaps permeates the public sector.
To respond to constraints on human capabilities in the public sector, the Cabinet’s Central Human Resources Department will lead efforts to create a central recruitment plan. Ministries assigned responsibility for managing particular pro- grammes will as a priority carry out skills assess- ments and identify gaps that need to be filled. Partnerships with universities, the private sector and others will be explored as a means of bridg- ing capacity shortfalls. But to ease human resourc- es constraints, it may be necessary to modify the 2009 Law on Human Resources Administration so that it does not inhibit efforts to retain Qatar’s best talent in the public sector. Given the small num- ber of citizens, the increasing demands on govern- ment and the complexity of Qatar’s economy and society, a strategic and flexible approach to the recruitment of high-level experts and specialists in the global market place will be considered.
Building local capabilities in the public sector is an imperative. A concerted capacity-building effort across all sectors of government will be spearheaded by the Institute of Administrative Development, supported by the Cabinet’s Central Human Resources Department. The Institute will build and operate a world-class training centre to help agencies develop the capabilities they need to realize their strategic goals and to assist Qataris in developing their career potential.
Budget resources will be made available to sup- port identified National Development Strategy priorities. Funds will be allocated for recruiting new personnel in areas where skill gaps need to be filled or for procuring professional technical and advisory services. Initially, limited resourc- es may also be made available to support needed
capital expenditures. The Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Budget Call Circular will set the policy and provide technical and fiscal parameters to guide budget preparation. The central func- tions of government will provide targeted support for implementing agencies as they adjust to new arrangements.
The FY2011 budget will be prepared under the Budget Law of 1989. However, a functional clas- sification of expenditure (based on the United Nations definition of government functions and sectors) will be piloted to support sectorwide approaches to budget preparation and to pave the way for programmatic budgeting focussed on results. Concerned agencies will work collabora- tively to prepare budgets for projects that serve common (programme) goals. In this context, the Ministry of Economy and Finance will consider agency budgets together and consult with agencies as a group rather than bilaterally.
Beyond FY2011 momentum will build towards programmatic budgeting, anchored in a new functional classification of expenditures and based on strategic and operational plans devel- oped and owned by ministries and agencies. New templates and technical guidelines for the prepa- ration of projects and budgets will be prepared to support budget modernization processes, and relevant training will be provided. By FY2013 or FY2014, it is anticipated that significant capital projects will be considered within a public invest- ment programming framework that would sup- port a portfolio based assessment. By that time, too, fiscal planning parameters will be firm- ly anchored in a forward looking macro-fiscal framework.
Successful implementation will require closing information gaps. In the process of preparing the National Development Strategy, much new infor- mation has been unearthed, but a strategic, sys- tematic and sustainable approach is needed for collecting and disseminating statistical informa- tion. The Qatar Statistics Authority is mindful of these needs and working to meet them.
Executive summary
The participation of stakeholders and target groups in project design and implementation can raise awareness, increase trust and ownership, lead to better project design, reduce risks and heighten the chances of beneficial results. But robust par- ticipatory processes may not always be sufficient. Some goals will be achieved only if the govern- ment persuades other actors to alter their atti- tudes and behaviours. To support some elements of the National Development Strategy 2011–2016 strong advocacy campaigns will need to communi- cate clear messages.
The final ingredient of successful implementation is monitoring and evaluation to support learning and better decisions.
At the project level, successful implementation requires built-in systems to monitor outputs and results. Through active and continuous tracking of milestones at the ministry and agency level, the government can gather critical information on performance and strengthen accountability for delivering agreed outcomes. Active monitor- ing of project performance will enable implement- ing agencies to identify obstacles and tackle them before they derail projects or jeopardize outcomes. At the sector level, systems will aggregate informa- tion and distil lessons that have broader applica- bility. In due course, sector spending reviews could be considered, as might sustainable development audits. Consideration will be given to where with- in government the new review functions would be located.
At the national level, evaluation will be an impor- tant source of knowledge about what has worked or not worked—and about why and how social, human, economic and environmental dimensions of the Strategy have interacted.
A mid-term assessment of the National Develop- ment Strategy at project, sector and national lev- els in the second half of 2013 will inform future refinements of strategic directions.
* * *
In the pages that follow, Part 1 of the National Development Strategy 2011–2016 describes how the Strategy was prepared and how it addresses the major challenges identified in QNV 2030. It also presents the broadly favourable economic outlook for 2011–2016 and the resources likely to be available to support the Strategy. Part 2 goes into considerable detail on the goals, outcomes and targets for each of QNV 2030’s four devel- opment pillars: sustaining economic prosperity, promoting human development, taking an inte- grated approach to social development and sus- taining the environment for future generations. Part 3 identifies the programmes and priori- ties for developing and modernizing public sec- tor institutions in support of the Strategy. It also charts the pathways for implementing the Strat- egy’s many programmes and projects, stressing the imperatives of monitoring and evaluation to gather critical information on performance to the strengthen accountability for delivering the agreed outcomes.