Speech by His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Communications

Your Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of Qatar

Your Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

Your Excellencies the ministers

Ladies and gentlemen

Peace be upon you

I would like to welcome you all and to thank you for joining us today for the opening of Qatar Information Technology Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM 2019), held under the theme Safe and Smart Cities, and the Munich Security Conference Doha. Holding the two events in Qatar shows that Qatar’s wise leadership is keen to support the digital transformation of the country, create an integrated digital society, and enhance the Qatari people’s ability to participate in the building of a knowledge-based economy that helps Qatar keep abreast of the digital boom the world is witnessing, and advance economic development.

Ladies and gentlemen,

You are all aware of the increasing importance of the global implementation of the smart city concept, especially as the world population grows. This will greatly influence the major issues and challenges the international community is facing, challenges that require innovative and smart solutions that can be summed up in the concept of smart cities.

At a global level, smart cities and smart city technologies play a major role in economic growth. According to estimates, the use of 5G technologies will help save about $160 billion globally by rationalizing energy consumption, developing security, transport, and communication services, and helping to achieve sustainability.

The global economic value of the Internet of Things is estimated to reach about $11 trillion annually by 2025.

Where it impacts lifestyle and the environment, studies show that the use of smart technologies in the transport and communication sector will help reduce the number of accidents, traffic congestion, and carbon emissions.

Your Highness,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Qatar was one of the first countries to realize the importance and benefits of smart cities. It, therefore embarked on a drive to enhance its infrastructure and improve internet connectivity, becoming the first country in the world to launch 5G services. Government ministries and agencies also began using technologies and systems to improve the quality of services they offer to the public and improve the lifestyle of residents of Qatar.

But Qatar’s role is not limited to enhancing the use of smart city technologies. It includes support for scientific research and innovation in the digital industry, and for entrepreneurs and SME’s in the digital sector through various initiatives such as the Digital Incubation Center of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

In line with these efforts and initiatives, and as part of the Qatari Government’s endeavors to accelerate the achievement of all the pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the comprehensive, sustainable development goals, we launched the TASMU Smart Qatar program, which will direct massive investments to developing the digital infrastructure in the country.

We have also finalized the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy in cooperation with Qatar Computing Research Institute and with participation of a number of top experts in international universities. This strategy, the first of its kind between the government and a research institute, is aimed at using artificial intelligence to secure Qatar’s economic and strategic future as desired by Qatar National Vision 2030.

The use of smart technologies has already helped Qatar achieve tangible positive results on many levels. Smart technologies have helped ease traffic on the roads and contributed to the development of the healthcare and education sectors, which rank top in the Arab region and fifth in the world. The country’s main ports, such as Hamad Port and Hamad International Airport have also been equipped with state-of-the-art smart solutions and technologies.

All these indicators reflect the growth, strength, and stability of the Qatari economy and its ability to compete internationally, as shown by international economic reports. The Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum showed Qatar in the 29th position globally, and the Macroeconomic Stability Index showed Qatar in the 41st position globally. Qatar also ranked 21st globally on the Enabling Environment Index and 8th globally on the ICT Development Index.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The evolution of the smart city concept and technologies was accompanied by a growth in the size and shape of the challenges the implementation of this concept faces, notably security challenges, especially with the increase of e-crime and piracy on the global level and in the Middle East in particular. The State of Qatar has suffered from this recently; it was the victim of an electronic piracy that was used to fabricate a crisis, one that increased tension in the region.

Addressing these challenges was one of Qatar’s priorities. In 2014, the Government launched the National Cyber Security Strategy to protect vital national information infrastructure, promote the culture of cyber security, and develop specialized national cadres and capabilities.

Qatar is committed to enhancing information security in the country and encouraging international cooperation to fight cybercrime. His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of the country, called for an international conference to discuss ways to regulate this issue in the international law, stressing that the State of Qatar is ready to host the conference under the auspices of the United Nations and to make every possible effort with international partners to render it successful.

Out of this, Doha is honored to host the Munich Security Conference in parallel with QITCOM 2019 to discuss regional and international security issues and increase awareness of cybersecurity issues and their ramifications, as Qatar seeks to enhance its regional and international cooperation and create a safe and strong cyber ecosystem.

Also out of this, QITCOM 2019 adopted the theme “Safe Smart Cities, shedding light on these security challenges and trying to find solutions to them.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We are pleased to organize the exclusive Smart City Expo Doha during QITCOM 2019 in cooperation with Fira Barcelona, the organizer of the international Smart City Expo World Congress, in which a number of speakers in entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and urban planning will participate.

Finally, I extend warm thanks to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of Qatar, for his kind patronage of this event.

And allow me to thank everyone who participates and contributes to this world event, sponsors and exhibitors. I also express thanks and appreciation to the delegations of the countries that Qatar is honored to receive during the exhibition, wishing them a good stay in Doha.

Thank you.