QNA
Riyadh
The Shura Council participated in the parliamentary track events held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the theme ‘Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future’, as part of the 19th Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2024).
The council was represented by HE Dr Ahmed bin Hamad Al Muhannadi and HE Badi bin Ali Al Badi, members of the Shura Council.
The parliamentary track discussed the challenges of digital transformation and the necessity of developing practical strategies that combine the use of modern technologies with mitigating the negative impacts and emerging risks associated with digital transformation.
Participants exchanged experiences in digitisation and artificial intelligence, exploring their use in various aspects of parliamentary work through the presentation of several distinguished parliamentary practices and experiences.
At the conclusion of the event, participants called for enhanced coordination between parliaments and executive bodies to achieve international consensus on electronic governance.
They also advocated for developing common approaches to digital policies and expanding cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations Forum.
The Shura Council, in collaboration with the Doha-based UN Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism, organised a session titled ‘Parliamentary Approaches to Using ICT in Combating Terrorism in Accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1373’.
Dr Muhannadi said Qatar is an active and reliable partner in international efforts to combat terrorism, committed to fighting this scourge in all its forms.
He highlighted the vital role parliaments play in combating terrorism and extremism.
He praised the important role of the UN Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism, which was inaugurated in Doha in 2021 under an agreement between the Shura Council and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism.
He noted that terrorism takes many forms and can involve both states and organizations, citing the ongoing genocide carried out by the Israeli entity against Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories for over 14 months, which has resulted in forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. He stated that this war represents one of the most horrific forms of modern-day terrorism.
