| Permanent Population Committee اللجنة الدائمة للسكان | |
| Abbreviation: | PPC |
| Formation: | 2004 |
| Type: | GO |
| Purpose: | Population Policy |
| Location: | Doha |
| Region Served: | State of Qatar |
| Language: | Arabic |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabor Bin Jassim Al Thani |
| Main Organ: | Permanent Population Committee |
| Website: | http://www.ppc.gov.qa/ |
The Permanent Population Committee (PPC) (Arabic: اللجنة الدائمة للسكان) is a national authority in the state of Qatar whose mission is to realize the aptness of population requirements to sustainable development. To do so, PPC bases its action on Islamic Sharia principles and communal values and traditions in line with the political foundations of the Qatar Permanent Constitution, the National Vision, the relevant Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Population Policies and other related regional and international guidelines. The PPC is charged with the responsibility for the implementation of the outcomes identified by the general framework of the GCC population strategy adopted by the GCC Supreme Council during its Nineteenth Session, held in Abu Dhabi UAE in 1998. This strategy prompted each member state to establish a higher population committee responsible for developing national population policies. Accordingly, the PPC was established by the Council of Ministers decision number (24) in 2004 with defined responsibilities and committee membership. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent, endorsed the decision.
Pursuant to the Council Ministers' decision No (11) 2009 the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) shall have supervision over the Permanent Population Committee and shall be independent in assuming its technical works. The Committee shall have a budget attached to that of the GSDP.
The main vision and strategy of PPC is to improve the quality of life for the population of Qatar, the PPC looks to expand opportunities for individuals and families, enhance individual capabilities, increase participation in socio-economic activities, encourage political and cultural progress, improve living standards, and provide a clean environment so that people benefit from healthy food, pure water and sustainable health care. All Qatari residents need to live in appropriate housing, practice safe activities, and be assured of equal rights for all. To establish values of justice, fairness and fraternity, the vision ensures the preservation of rights and brotherhood for future generations and the guarantee of the appropriate use of the country's wealth, resources and capacities.
The main objective of the PPC is the development of the Population Policy for the State of Qatar. This objective is linked to a number of sub-goals, with the most prominent being the following:
The Technical Bureau of the PPC is entrusted with the day-to-day operations as instructed by the PPC. The Technical Bureau's key tasks are as follows:
The Technical Bureau is responsible to receive the requests and to execute the studies about population in Qatar. Inaddtion, it is responsible to implementation of desk and field studies, and research to diagnose different population trends, assess implications, and propose policy changes, particularly for issues of population makeup, growth, and family-related components.[1]
The PPC is formed with representatives from government agencies and non government organizations dealing with population issues in the State. These are:
Population policy [2] determines the principles, objectives and policies adopted by the State as regards population issues for the purpose of influencing the population status, including variables in population growth and its main elements (fertility, births, deaths, geographical distribution, immigration, population composition such as population youthfulness or rising rate of the elderly), as well as general issues relating to health and education.
Population policy forms a large umbrella policy covering all programs and activities directly and indirectly influencing population variables.
Population policy focuses on premises and constants based on society’s culture and values.
The Qatari population policy is based on the provisions of Sharia (Islamic law), the Qatari Constitution, heritage and societal values derived from the original national Qatari heritage as well as statements by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, in various fields linked to the welfare and empowerment of the Qatari national in different domains.
Population policy objectives aim at striking a balance in the State of Qatar between population and economic, social and environmental resources, family development and coherence, women’s empowerment, consolidation of gender values of justice, development of reproductive health so as to secure provision of family and child health services, stressing the need for continued action for the attainment of safe motherhood and sound childhood programs, population protection from the effects of deterioration of the environment surrounding it as well as from unsustainable and unjust production and consumption patterns.