3.3 Trade Policy Objectives
3.5. Trade facilitation is one of Qatar’s core trade policy objectives. In effect, the authorities envision the multilateral trading system—and the WTO in particular—as an additional platform to enhance trade flows and foreign investment as well as provide more transparency to potential investors. Henceforth, reducing trade barriers in a manner consistent with Qatar’s overall development goals remains a top priority within the context of the multilateral trading system, regional agreements (GCC and GAFTA/PAFTA) and bilateral FTAs.16
3.6. Qatar seeks to define natural gas and its derivates as environmental goods in the committee on Trade and Environment.17 To this respect, it has submitted documentation to the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment as well as the Negotiating Group of Market Access.18 Defining natural gas an environmental good would further expand and facilitate world trade, trigger cross-border investment and help address global environmental challenges. Qatar attaches
14 IMF (2014). World Economic Outlook database. Available from http://www.imf.org.
15 Hassad Food (2014). Office of the Chairman. Doha. Qatar.
16 GAFTA refers to the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, also known as the Pan Arab Free Trade
Agreement.
17 Sultan Al-Khater, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (2013). Statement read
at the WTO 9th Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia.
18 WTO documents: TN/TE/W/14 of 9 October 2002, TN/TE/W/19 and TN/MA/W/24 of 28 January 2003,
TN/TE/W/19/Corr.1 and TN/MA/W/24/Corre.1 of 21 February 2003 and TN/TE/W/27 and TN/MA/W/33 of 25 April 2003.

WT/TPR/G/296 • Qatar - 18 -
great importance to development challenges related to food security and, consequently, is of the view that food security concerns should override other “narrow commercial interests”.19
3.7. Qatar seeks to support its economic diversification drive away from hydrocarbons by liberalizing its trade regime. Freer trade flows will diversify the supply of goods and services in Qatar while increasing competition of its domestic markets. This is expected to reduce operating costs for local businesses and thus boost their competitiveness in areas other than hydrocarbon production. In addition, trade policy seeks to promote Qatari exports as part of its economic diversification efforts. To this end, Qatar Development Bank—Qatar’s publicly-owned development agency—runs an export promotion program called Tasdeer (see section 3.6.8 for further details).
3.8. Qatar seeks to contribute to resolve the impasse surrounding the observer status of the League of Arab States at the WTO.20
3.9. The authorities are committed to strengthening Qatar’s institutional trade policy capacity as part of the country’s general trade policy objectives. This includes recruitment of qualified personnel, training and expanding its presence abroad.