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The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers affirmed that Amiri Decision No. 38 of 2026 regulating the preparation of legislation marks a significant advancement in Qatar’s government legislative processes. This decision establishes an integrated institutional framework for planning and coordination across entities while improving the quality and efficiency of drafting to match national priorities. It directly supports goals in the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy covering 2024 to 2030, according to the secretariat’s assessment released on October 25, 2026. The Qatar Tribune highlighted the development under the headline ‘Amiri decision to regulate legislation is a qualitative leap’.
This Amiri decision replaces Amiri Decision No. 33 of 2000, which had governed legislative procedures for more than 25 years. The updated framework adopts a broader approach encompassing the complete legislative cycle from initial planning and needs identification through drafting, review, ex-ante impact assessment and public consultation. Subsequent stages include adoption, promulgation, implementation monitoring and ex-post evaluation, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers reported. Provisions in the new decision take effect on January 1, 2027.
Implementation will rely on a manual for legislative drafting procedures issued by the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs after Council of Ministers approval. The manual will provide detailed methodologies, guidelines and templates for carrying out the decision’s requirements. Abdulaziz Mubarak Al Buainain, Assistant Secretary-General for Legislative Affairs at the General Secretariat, told the Qatar News Agency that the system introduces specialized tools including an annual legislative plan and an integrated government legislative plan approved by the cabinet.
The Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030, which the new legislative framework is designed to advance, targets average annual economic growth of 4 percent through 2030 along with a 2 percent annual increase in labor productivity, according to the National Planning Council. It also seeks to attract $100 billion in net foreign direct investment while elevating Qatar’s business environment ranking into the global top 10. The strategy forms the final phase of the Qatar National Vision 2030 adopted by Amiri Decision No. 44 of 2008, a document that established four pillars of human, social, economic and environmental development.
Al Buainain explained that the decision builds on accumulated institutional legislative experience accumulated over decades while updating mechanisms to address upcoming requirements. He noted that legislative quality depends not only on legal precision but also on whether laws achieve their objectives, prove straightforward to implement and allow ongoing measurement of effects. The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers indicated that the framework promotes transparency, public participation and evidence-based decision making across government operations.
Qatar National Vision 2030, as detailed in publications from the Government Communications Office, aims to transform the country into a knowledge-based society that sustains development and delivers a high standard of living for future generations. The legislative reforms align with this by ensuring new laws reinforce strategic outcomes such as sustainable growth, fiscal resilience and a cohesive society. Additional tools under the decision include legislative impact assessments at pre- and post-enactment stages, a legislative dossier and an annual report on the state of legislation, the secretariat’s statement concluded.
