Meet to promote good governance

Qatar-based trans-national law-firm and think tank, Institution Quraysh for Law & Policy (iQ) will hold a roundtable event to promote good governance and public policy in the Arab World, partner William Cattan said yesterday.

“We have a commitment to participate in the intellectual life of Qatar and the region and we think it is (the event) very much in consistence with where Qatar is moving,” said Cattan, a former White House speechwriter for then-vice president George HW Bush and now a resident of Qatar for over six years.

For the event, iQ has signed an MoU with the prestigious Dubai School of Government (DSG), which will host regional experts on November 28.

“The meeting will focus on issues like Arab governance, regional approaches to investment, energy co-operation, water resources. iQ and DSG are expecting to jointly produce and publish policy briefs as the outcome,” Cattan said.

iQ’ legal arm was established in 2005, after being granted special license as a law firm by HH the Emir of Qatar in 2005. It’s principal Malik Dahlan has been instrumental in setting up Qatar Financial Centre courts.

“The participants will be a selection of highly-regarded scholars, economists, legal and policy specialists and government officials from the region,” Cattan explained.

As part of the collaboration between iQ and DSG, one joint event per year is to be hosted in both Dubai (the home of DSG) and London.

“Next year’s event will be in London, which will have a different perspective, with different expert participants. The international importance and interest in the collaboration between iQ and DSG is reflected by the need to stage an event in London. This will further enhance the international dimension to the event,” Cattan said.

According to the official, while issues under focus are obviously discussed on government to government basis, it is rare to see public sector participate in assisting and offering practical on-ground experiences and best practices.

“Across the board in Qatar, there’s an effort to bring best practices, hold events of experts together and talk about issues that are of interest to Qatar and to the region,” Cattan reflected.

“I’m not aware of an initiative, where a leading Qatari think tank links up with an institution of the quality and stature of DSG and makes it a regional initiative while bringing non-governmental perspective,” he added.

Giving an example of energy as a regional issue, Cattan, said one of the challenges that GCC countries are struggling with is how best to develop and utilise their natural resources, amidst growing domestic demand.

“You also have an increase in world demand for energy … and you see countries that have oil and gas talking about nuclear fuel… you also have neighbours that are laying pipes to receive natural gas from here (Dolphin). These are common regional issues,” he said.

“iQ has experience structuring events like this with the UN, Harvard, World Economic Forum, so the intention is that this be a bit frank and not a gab fest,” he added.

More information can be had at www.Quraysh.com