Human Resources Development
Efforts are intensifying on the part of the government to develop and upgrade the potential of the national human resources through a number of training courses and continually developing the programs offered by the University and other specialized institutions. The government continues the implementation of its policy to replace the expatriate workforce with a national workforce and to determine the targeted percentage of national employees in the public and private sectors.
Legislative and Organizational Developments
Government departments continue to modernize and upgrade 
administrative and legal systems and regulations. They reviewed foreign investment laws, corporate laws and personal income tax in order to improve investment atmosphere and make procedures more flexible and investment more attractive. Working out a fast and simple mechanism for completing investment documents and procedures was also targeted. These measures were legislated with Law No. 13 for 2000 organizing foreign capital investments in economic activities. The law allows foreign investors to enter all national economy sectors provided that they have a national partner holding at least 51% of the capital of the joint venture. Foreign investors may still own up to 100% of the shares in various sectors with a special approval from the Minister of Finance, Economy and Trade. According to the law the Minister can grant income tax exemptions on foreign capital and customs tax exemptions on machinery and equipment imported for production operations of the projects in question. He can allocate land to be leased for a project and ensure the project will not be subject to any seizure actions.
The Emiri Decision No 58 for 2000 was taken to establish the Supreme Council for Investment. The Council manages the investments of surplus of public funds.
Promotion Efforts
The year 2000 witnessed promotion efforts in regard to marketing gas and finding new clients. It also witnessed great efforts to market petrochemical products and reach long-term sale agreements for ammonia, urea and various chemical products. On another level, the government continued its promotion efforts as follows:
Promotion conferences, symposia and exhibitions
Several conferences, symposia and exhibitions were held during the year in Doha including Qatar Finance and Investment Exhibition 2000, Annual Eid Festival, which is the first tourist festival to be held in Qatar with the participation of many countries, Online Banking and financial Services symposium, Industrial Investment Opportunities Symposium aiming to promote a number of investment opportunities in the industrial sector and the Islamic Commercial exhibition, in which 400 companies from 37 countries had participated, alongside with several other exhibitions, activities and functions.
Promotion Visits to other countries and hosting potential Investors
The activities aiming to market gas and petrochemicals and highlight investment opportunities available in the State have continued. Several visits were organized to India, Britain, France, the United States and other countries. A symposium was held in Paris and three symposia were held in the U.S., all of which reviewed the policy of Qatar towards partnership with foreign parties in Qatari projects, investment atmosphere in Qatar and several other studies on projects and investment opportunities available in Qatar. The symposium "Investment Opportunities in Small and Medium Industrial Projects in Qatar" was held in the Netherlands with the aim to promote various industrial projects to be taken jointly by the Qatari private sector and foreign owners of the technology.
On the other hand, a Qatari delegation has visited Britain to observe British expertise in the field of financial services, management of assets and privatization of government services. During the year an agreement to prevent tax duplication in the field of air transport was drafted between Qatar and India. Other agreements were also signed to increase economic and trade exchanges between Qatar and each of Syria, Lebanon and Algeria and establish a free trade zone between Qatar and Syria, where all commodities of the national origin in Qatar and Syria will be exempt from taxes and customs by the year 2003. The year has also seen hosting several trade delegations from the U.S., Britain, Germany, South Africa and other countries.
Available Investment Opportunities
Within the activities of the Ministry of Energy and Industry and in collaboration with Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting and other parties, the symposium "Investment Opportunities in the State of Qatar" was held during the year. Many presentations were given at the forum besides specialized workshops dealing with 20 investment opportunities valued in total of about QR2 billion in five industrial sectors including food stuffs, chemicals and petrochemicals, plastics and rubber, metal industries, and engineering. The Ministry also held a promotion symposium in Paris, in which it offered a list of 11 investment opportunities including 8 large and 3 medium and small projects.
Industrial cities and free trade zones
Efforts continue by the Ministry of Energy and Industry to prepare tenders for the establishment of a new model industrial estate on an area of 11 square kilometers for small and medium scale industries offering all basic and supporting services and accommodation facilities for the workforce. The Ministry has completed the general area plan and the detailed engineering designs and prepared the documents of the construction tender for the first phase of the estate, whose area represents 40% of the total area allotted for the project. The new industrial estate is expected to provide about 220 industrial licenses in the first phase of development, 120 in the second phase and about 48 in the third phase. The total cost of the first phase of the establishment of residential and industrial facilities is estimated at about QR500 million to be spent throughout the five years term of implementation. On another level, the Ministry's efforts have been continuing in implementing its plan to modernize and develop the infrastructure at Mesaieed Industrial City, which houses major industries associated with petroleum, gas, petrochemical, iron and steel and cement. The implementation of the development plan is undertaken by Qatar Petroleum.
