Political Risk:
Critical
Score:
11/100
Defence and Security Policy and Policy Transparency
Q1
0/100
Is there formal provision for effective and independent legislative scrutiny of defence policy?
View Question
In Qatar, the Advisory Council (Shura Council), established in 1972, is considered by the Qatari to be the legislative authority in the country. The…
Explore
There is no evidence of the Council, which represents the legislative authority, debating or reviewing defence policy. The Advisory Council, however, has explicit power…
Explore
This indicator has been marked Not Applicable because the Advisory Council has no legislative power over the military and the defence sector and thus…
Explore
Q2
0/100
Does the country have an identifiable and effective parliamentary defence and security committee (or similar such organisations) to exercise oversight?
View Question
In 2013, the Advisory Council created five committees, however, no defence or military committee was formed. The five committees are: 1) Legal and Legislative…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no committee or similar institution tasked with oversight over the defence sector.
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no committee or similar institution tasked with oversight over the defence sector.
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no committee or similar institution tasked with oversight over the defence sector.
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no committee or similar institution tasked with oversight over the defence sector.
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no committee or similar institution tasked with oversight over the defence sector.
Explore
Q3
0/100
Is the country’s national defence policy or national security strategy debated and publicly available?
View Question
In Qatar, evidence shows that there is no public debate of the country’s defence policy or security strategy. However, some representatives of the Executive…
Explore
There is no public parliamentary debate of defence policy or strategy in the country and for this reason this sub-indicator has been marked as…
Explore
There is no public parliamentary debate of defence policy or strategy in the country and for this reason this sub-indicator has been marked as…
Explore
There is no defence strategy or policy available for the public. Such documents are treated as highly sensitive and confidential. [1,2] However, other strategies…
Explore
Q4
0/100
Do defence and security institutions have a policy, or evidence, of openness towards civil society organisations (CSOs) when dealing with issues of corruption?
View Question
The government of Qatar deals with all matters related to the defence and security sectors with extreme secrecy. [1] Generally, there is minimal openness…
Explore
There is very little space for CSOs to operate freely and independently within the country. [1] Despite the fact that Article 45 of the…
Explore
There is limited engagement of CSOs in Qatar within the defence sector. According to our sources, many humanitarian CSOs request to collaborate with the…
Explore
Q5
50/100
Has the country signed up to the following international anti-corruption instruments: UNCAC and the OECD Convention?
View Question
Qatar signed the UNCAC Convention on December 1, 2007. It was ratified on January 30, 2007 through an Emiri Decree No. 17. The convention…
Explore
According to the Implementation Review Group of the UNCAC, Qatar has failed to fulfil its obligations, as stipulated in the UNCAC. [1] The observations…
Explore
Q6
25/100
Is there evidence of regular, active public debate on issues of defence? If yes, does the government participate in this debate?
View Question
Outside of government, there is occasional public debate among academics, journalists, opinion-formers, and CSOs about defence issues. [1] Any debate addresses issues superficially, rather…
Explore
In relation to the Government’s engagement in public discourse, communication is likely to be one-way, as officials may provide some information but may not…
Explore
Q7
0/100
Does the country have an openly stated and effectively implemented anti-corruption policy for the defence sector?
View Question
There is no public evidence of Qatar having an anti-corruption policy that applies to the defence sector. The only document available online to the…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable because Qatar does not have an anti-corruption policy that applies to the defence sector. If we…
Explore
Q8
0/100
Are there independent, well-resourced, and effective institutions within defence and security tasked with building integrity and countering corruption?
View Question
It has become apparent through research, that the even though Qatar has an Audit Bureau, the mandate of the Audit Bureau explicitly excludes the…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, because the country does not have any institutions or units within the defence sector specialised in…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, because the country does not have any institutions or units within the defence sector specialised in…
Explore
Q9
NS/100
Does the public trust the institutions of defence and security to tackle the issue of bribery and corruption in their establishments?
View Question
This indicator is not assigned a score in the GDI. There is not a way to assess the public trust in defence and security…
Explore
Q10
0/100
Are there regular assessments of the areas of greatest corruption risk for ministry and armed forces personnel, and are the findings used as inputs to the anti-corruption policy?
View Question
There are no committees within the Qatari Advisory Council that are tasked with carrying out risk assessments of the areas of greatest corruption risk…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable as no risk assessments of the areas of greatest corruption risk within the defence sector have…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable as no risk assessments of the areas of greatest corruption risk within the defence sector have…
Explore
Defence Budgets
Q11
0/100
Does the country have a process for acquisition planning that involves clear oversight, and is it publicly available?
View Question
After consulting official governmental websites, including the Ministry of Finance and the Qatari Government’s Communications Office, it became apparent that there is no publicly…
Explore
This indicator has been marked Not Applicable, as there is no defined process for acquisition planning. Occasionally, media platforms provide some information on arm…
Explore
This indicator has been marked Not Applicable, as there is no defined process for acquisition planning. The State Audit Bureau and the Administrative Control…
Explore
Q12
13/100
Is the defence budget transparent, showing key items of expenditure? And it is provided to the legislature in a timely fashion?
View Question
In 2018, the Qatari government announced its overall budget for 2018, however, the budget does not include any breakdown. The website of the Ministry…
Explore
There is no evidence that the legislature (the Shura Council), represented by the Advisory Council, receives any information in relation to defence budget. In…
Explore
Q13
0/100
Is there a legislative committee (or other appropriate body) responsible for defence budget scrutiny and analysis in an effective way?
View Question
The Advisory Council, which is not a legislative body, does not have a committee that scrutinizes the defence budget. There is no legislative committee…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable as there is no legislative committee responsible for defence budget scrutiny and analysis [1,2].
Explore
Q14
0/100
Is the approved defence budget made publicly available? In practice, can citizens, civil society, and the media obtain detailed information on the defence budget?
View Question
The defence budget is not publicly available, and it is extremely difficult to retrieve any detailed information related to defence budgets. The government’s websites…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, because there is no defence budget published at all [1,2].
Explore
As there is no website for the Ministry of Defence and State Affairs in Qatar, there is no point of contact through which details…
Explore
Q15
0/100
Are sources of defence income other than from central government allocation (from equipment sales or property disposal, for example) published and scrutinised?
View Question
There is evidence that the defence sector has sources of income other than those allocated through the central government, however, there is no publication…
Explore
Information about sources of defence income, other than from central government, are not made public through official means. Institutional scrutiny over non-central government defence…
Explore
Public scrutiny of non-central government sources of funding is minimal or non-existent. Qatar’s strict rules on freedom of expression forces the public, journalists and…
Explore
Q16
8/100
Is there an effective internal audit process for defence ministry expenditure (that is, for example, transparent, conducted by appropriately skilled individuals, and subject to parliamentary oversight)?
View Question
There is an internal auditing unit within the MoD and the armed forces. However, the unit is understaffed and mostly focuses on financial auditing…
Explore
The internal auditing unit has limited power and oversight. It works only with procurement and other minimal purchases that have no significance within the…
Explore
The internal Auditing Unit has no external scrutiny. It is an internal unit that is managed directly within the Ministry of Defence, and its…
Explore
This indicator has been marked Not Applicable because the internal Auditing Unit has no external scrutiny (see Q16C). The internal unit does not make…
Explore
Q17
0/100
Is there effective and transparent external auditing of military defence expenditure?
View Question
Research has revealed that there are external bodies that could potentially be mandated with auditing military and defence in Qatar, such as the State’s…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no external audit of defence ministry expenditure, and external audit bodies do not…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no external audit of defence ministry expenditure, and external audit bodies do not…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no external audit of defence ministry expenditure, and external audit bodies do not…
Explore
Nexus of Defence and National Assets
Q18
35/100
Is there evidence that the country’s defence institutions have controlling or financial interests in businesses associated with the country’s natural resource exploitation and, if so, are these interests publicly stated and subject to scrutiny?
View Question
The Qatari Constitution does not prevent members from the armed forces or the institutions of the armed forces to invest or have interests in…
Explore
The involvement of defence institutions in business concerning Qatar’s natural resource exploitation is minimal and regulated. According to our sources, there are instances where…
Explore
There are few cases where individuals from the defence sector are involved in business related to the country’s natural resources, but these businesses are…
Explore
There is a total lack of transparency. The interests of military personnel are not publicly declared, and information about such interests is not openly…
Explore
Defence institutions and personnel interests in businesses associated with the country’s natural resources are not subject to any form of scrutiny. This is because…
Explore
Organised Crime
Q19
100/100
Is there evidence, for example through media investigations or prosecution reports, of a penetration of organised crime into the defence and security sector? If no, is there evidence that the government is alert and prepared for this risk?
View Question
Q20
17/100
Is there policing to investigate corruption and organised crime within the defence services and is there evidence of the effectiveness of this policing?
View Question
There is a unit within the Amir Guards that deals with, and has authority over, the armed forces. Furthermore, there is a specialized unit…
Explore
The governmental departments (e.g. the Military Police Unit) that could potentially investigate corruption and organised crime within the defence sector, are prevented from doing…
Explore
Whilst there is no evidence of either corruption or organised crime within the defence sector, there has been a complete failure to investigate or…
Explore
Control of Intelligence Services
Q21
0/100
Are the policies, administration, and budgets of the intelligence services subject to effective and independent oversight?
View Question
The intelligence services in Qatar are part of the Ministry of the Interior. Similar to the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as there is no independent oversight of the intelligence service’s policies, administration, and budgets.
Explore
Q22
0/100
Are senior positions within the intelligence services filled on the basis of objective selection criteria, and are appointees subject to investigation of their suitability and prior conduct?
View Question
The selection criteria for senior positions is unclear in Qatar. Senior positions within defence are appointed by an Emiri Decree. The appointments of senior…
Explore
Senior positions in the intelligence services seem to be primarily a gift of the executive [1,2]. Senior positions within defence and intelligence take place…
Explore
According to senior officers, a vetting process does exist. However, the criteria for proposing an officer, or offering a promotion, are primarily based on…
Explore
Export Controls
Q23
0/100
Does the government have a well-scrutinised process for arms export decisions that aligns with Articles 7.1.iv, 11.5, and 15.6 of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)?
View Question
Qatar has neither signed nor ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) [1,2].
Explore
This indicator is marked as Not Applicable, as Qatar has neither signed nor ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) [1,2].
Explore
Upcoming arms exports are not debated by the Advisory Council, which functions as a semi- parliamentary body [1,2].
Explore
Lobbying in Defence
There is no framework for regulating lobbying activity in Qatar. Research has demonstrated that there is no framework for regulating government lobbying activities at…
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as Qatar does not have legislation that regulates lobbying in the defence sector.
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as Qatar does not have legislation that regulates lobbying in the defence sector.
Explore
This sub-indicator has been marked as Not Applicable, as Qatar does not have legislation that regulates lobbying in the defence sector.
Explore