Oman celebrates 38th Renaissance Day

Omani media keen to keep pace with development in Sultanate, world

Sultanate of Oman, UAE sign border agreement

The Sultanate of Oman on July 23 marks the 38th anniversary of establishing modern Oman under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said.

Throughout the last 38 years, the Sultanate managed to address the local and foreign challenges, guided by a carefully studied national strategy, determined wise leadership and far-sighted vision that takes into consideration the current developments and future requirements.

In response to His Majesty the Sultan’s directives, the Sultanate’s government has focused on the development of its human resources.

His Majesty the Sultan has shown great interest and concern in the empowerment of the Omani women. His Majesty the Sultan said “We are inviting the Omani women either in the village or the city, rural or urban areas, valleys or mountains to take part in the socio-economic development; each according to her abilities, energy, experience and designation in the society.”

The Sultanate has taken great strides in developing its health services. The Omani economy has made remarkable achievements in terms of GDP.

The Sultanate’s social strategies are based on the directives of His Majesty the Sultan that aims to shape the country’s future. The Sultanate is among the pioneering countries in the world in the field of environment.

As part of the Blessed Renaissance Day celebrations, His Majesty has pardoned 249 Omani and 32 expatriate prisoners.

The Sultanate has been one of the pioneering countries in the region in the field of adopting Shura system. His Majesty conducts annual tours to different parts of the Sultanate during which His Majesty has direct contact with his subjects.

His Majesty the Sultan issued the Royal Decree No 101/96 on October 6, 1996 which includes the basic statute of the state which is considered one of the most developed legislative charts not only in the Gulf region but also in the Arab region.

His Majesty the Sultan has personally monitored the implementation of the basic statute of the state and the details of the social, economic and political developments in the Sultanate.

Articles from 15 to 34 of the basic statute of the state preserve public freedom. Article 35 also reads as follows: “Every foreigner, who is legally a resident in the Sultanate, shall have the right to protection of his person and his property in accordance with the Law.

Foreigners shall have regard for society’s values and respect its traditions and customs.”

Article 36, which highlights the respect for every human being, reads as follows: “Extradition of political refugees is prohibited. Extradition of criminals is subject to the provisions of international laws and agreements.”

The Sultanate government has strived to ensure the rule of law and preserve the values of the Omani society.

Many Royal Decrees were published to ensure stability, security and fairness for all. The Arbitration and Reconciliation Law, issued by the Royal Decree No 98/2005 came into force on November 28, 2005.

Developing the education sector in the Sultanate has always been one of the main concerns of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said since 1970. On more than one occasion, His Majesty the Sultan has emphasized that the most important objective of the development process is to improve the quality of education.

The Ministry, therefore, is trying to implement the Royal directives and ensures providing high-quality education that serves the sustainable development goals in the Sultanate.

To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Education was keen to introduce a modernized education system based on the fundamentals of the Omani culture and integrated with the most advanced educational theories in the world.

Latest statistics show that the number of public school students in 2007-08 amounts to 553,236. The number of public schools is 1052.

The number of teachers amounts to 41,988 with 86.5 per cent Omanization rate. As for the administrative staff, the number amounts to 2522 males and 3187 females with Omanization rate for the administrative staff 99.5 per cent.

Since the dawn of the Blessed Renaissance, one of the main concerns of the Sultanate’s government was to develop health services and provide high quality health services for all Omanis in different parts of the Sultanate.

The country has taken great strides in developing its health services, leading to striking improvements in the country's public health.

The number of hospitals in Oman now stands at 59, including 49 hospitals operated by the Ministry of Health. The number of beds now amounts to 5314 and this means 20.2 beds for every 10,000 people, including 4,544 at the public healthcare facilities which constitute 85.5 per cent of the total bed capacity.

The number of health care facilities in the Sultanate now stands at 203 health centers, including 159 managed by the Ministry of Health, 67 health centers with beds and 30 local hospitals.

During the first quarter of 2008, the Omani economy has achieved a remarkable gross in terms of GDP at the current rates; 42.9 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2007 – the highest since 1980.

The oil activities grow by 60.8 per cent due to rise of oil price by 60 per cent and oil production by 4.9 per cent.

The non-oil activities also grew by 28.3 per cent during the same period; the highest since the third quarter of 1996. The contribution to the growth is mainly attributed to the growth of wholesale, retail, chemical industries, transport, warehouses, communication and financial brokerage.

The Sultanate’s joining FTA, liberal policies and FTA with USA has played a major role in pushing the Omani economy forward.

As for the foreign trade, the Sultanate trade balance has posed RO 3361.5 million surpluses in 2007. Oil and gas came on top of the Sultanate’s commodity exports.

As in the social development field, it should be noted that the social strategies are based on the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said to shape the Sultanate’s future with the help of human resources in the Sultanate.

The Ministry of Social Development is doing its best to achieve development through several programs that aim at building the capabilities of Omani citizens and creating a conducive atmosphere for their effective participation in the development process.

Article No 12 of the basic statute of the state reads as follows: “The State guarantees assistance for the citizen and his family in cases of emergency, sickness, incapacity and old age in accordance with the social security system. It also encourages society to share the burden of dealing with the effects of public disasters and calamities.’

As of December 2007, the Sultanate road network now covers 10,033 km of asphalt roads and 15284km dust roads that connect different parts of the Sultanate.

In a bid to diversify source of national economy and attain the Omani vision, the Sultanate government is endeavoring to develop the infrastructure for ports and airports and build new ports to absorb the growing local manpower.

Work is under way to develop Sultan Qaboos Port, Salalah Port and Sohar Industrial port will start operation in the second half of this year. Work was also initiated at Duqm dry berth; one of the projects with high potentials.

The initial designs for the development of Muscat International Airport have been completed.

The designs include the construction of a passenger terminal that absorbs 24 million passengers per annum. Salalah Airport project also includes the construction of a passenger terminal that absorbs 2 million passengers per annum.

Work is under way currently to construct a number of local ports in Sohar, Duqm, Ras Al Had, Haima, Shalim as well as a landing runway in Adam.

Telecommunication Regulatory Authority was also set up as per the Royal Decree No 30/2002 to draft communication strategies, promote the communication sector, and encourage fair competition to ensure the provision of high quality service for all customers.

The Sultanate’s strategy to develop the tourism sector is based on improving the infrastructure for the sector by construction of accommodation and service projects and encouraging the investment projects that promote for the Sultanate as a tourist hub.

The Sultanate government is making endeavors to attract local and foreign investments to the Sultanate as well as enhance the partnership between the private and public sector.

A number of tourism development projects have been signed including Jabal Seifah, Salalah Tourism Project, Yiti project, Salalm Shanas and other projects.

The number of Omani Women Associations now amounts to 51, including 19 professional assemblies, 10 community clubs and 11 charity organizations.

The environment sector has also received a great deal of attention in the Sultanate since His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said assumed power in 1970.

The Sultanate comes among the pioneering countries in the world in the field of environment preservation.

The Royal Decree 90/2007 on September 9, 2007 establishing the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and approval of its organizational chart by the Royal Decree No 18/2008 highlights the interest of the Sultanate government in environmental issues.

Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Protection reflects His Majesty the Sultan’s recognition of the efforts of those interested in environment issues.

Since the launch of the award in 1991, it has been awarded to individuals and organizations working in the filed of environment in the different parts of the world.

Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Protection 2007 was jointly awarded to Dr Julius Oszlanyi, director of the Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in recognition of their efforts in environment projection and biodiversity.

The Sultan Qaboos Prize for environmental preservation was unveiled during the visit of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said to the Unesco Headquarters in 1989, in recognition from His Majesty to the role played by the Unesco represented by International Coordinating Council of the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program in preserving environment.

The award is given every two year to individuals, groups of individuals, institutes or organizations that made an outstanding contribution to the management or preservation of the environment.

Sultan’s Armed Forces is an ample evidence of the impressive achievement which took place during the Blessed Renaissance under the wise leadership of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said.

Since 1970, His Majesty the Sultan has been very keen on availing modern armed forces equipped with the latest technologies.

The Ministry of Defense implements a number of defensive strategies as per the Royal Orders of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said.

The armed forces have been provided with modern tanks, armored personnel carriers, missile systems, armored vehicles, fighter planes, helicopters in addition to the project.

A number of ships and modern boats were supplied to the Royal Navy of Oman to integrate the role played by the armed forces.

His Majesty the Sultan’s wise foreign policies have been recognized by different international organizations.

In 2007, His Majesty the Sultan won Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, which is an outstanding award granted to leaders and distinguished personalities who made great contribution to understanding and friendship among countries.

His Majesty the Sultan also won the Peace Award 2007 of the Russian International Association in recognition of His Majesty the Sultan’s efforts in the field of international peace and cooperation.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a cable of congratulation to Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said on the anniversary of his country's Renaissance Day.

In his own name and on behalf of the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the King wished the Sultan permanent good health and happiness and his people steady progress and prosperity.

Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a cable of congratulation to Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said on the anniversary of his country's Renaissance Day.

In his cable, the Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques wished the Sultan permanent good health and happiness and his people steady progress and prosperity.

The Omani information has witnessed great development, mainly in its national role to post the Omani citizen with the up-to-date events.

Oman Television:

Sultanate of Oman Television began broadcasting for the first time from Muscat on 17th November 1974 and separately from Salalah on 25th November 1975. On 1st June 1979, the two stations at Muscat and Salalah were joined by satellite link to form a unified broadcasting service. Oman TV's broadcasts are transmitted through a network of stations spread across the country in both populated and remote areas to overcome the natural obstacles created by the mountainous terrain.

Currently there are 119 transmitters in operation - 29 'main' (i.e. receiving programs directly from Qurum) and 90 'relay' (i.e. receiving from another station) with 5 new main transmitters currently under construction. There are seven more stations planned.

Oman News Agency - ONA

History

Oman News Agency (ONA) was established by Royal Decree No.39/86 issued on 29-5-1986. Afterwards Royal Decree No. 43/97 issued on 25-6-1997 established the Oman Establishment for Press, News, Publication and Advertising (OEPNPA) to include ONA as part of the OEPNPA departments.

Headquarters

ONA headquarters is located in the Governorate of Muscat as per both Royal Decrees which established ONA and OEPNPA. ONA has the right to establish offices inside the Sultanate and abroad.

Prerogatives and Objectives

ONA is the official channel for news about the Sultanate and it is the centre which receives daily news and reports from the various parts of the world and reproduces what it sees appropriate through its network to other media inside the Sultanate and abroad. ONA has successfully carried out its duties domestically and abroad and it continuously improves its performance to achieve the following objectives.

- Contributing to developing the Omani citizen through acquainting him with the local, regional and international developments.

- Receiving local, Gulf, Arab and international accurate, clear and honest news and reflecting the development efforts in various fields.

- Demonstrating trends of the Public Opinion and the views of officials accurately and honestly and without jeopardizing the safety or security of the state or compromising individuals' dignity or their rights. This is in addition to collecting, classifying and analyzing information on issues and topics of concern to the homeland and citizens in accordance with the requirements of the public interest.

- Photographing domestic and international events and preparing same for distribution locally and abroad.

- Preparing interviews and reports to cover various domestic, regional and international developments to shed light on Oman stands and keep abreast with national accomplishments in various fields.

- Exchanging, marketing and transmitting its services with domestic, regional and international media through the signing of agreements with other media institutions. ONA is linked with several news agencies and Gulf, Arab and international informational institutions through cooperation agreements.

- issuing several specialist bulletins in a way that avails as much as possible of information to its recipients domestically and abroad.

Oman Network (Omannet)

It is an official bilingual site of the Ministry of Information and the portal of Oman Electronic Network websites', and distinguished with plentiful comprehensive information about the Sultanate and contains more than forty main and branch sites, addresses and connections to other useful sites as well as beautiful and impressive galleries about the nature and the daily life in Oman. The website provides live audio and video web cast through its links with Oman's radio and TV websites.

Omanet provides authentic and relevant on-line information about Oman to the world at large and shows Oman to the web community by providing comprehensive coverage about the Sultanate.

Omanet is planning to implement more services to meet its visitor's needs and attain their satisfaction.

The Sultanate and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed the final draft of maps pertaining to the Border Agreement signed on June 22, 2002, which covers the Sultanate-UAE border sectors from Eastern Al Oqaidat to Al Dara.

The agreement was signed by HE Sayyid Mohammed Bin Sultan Bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior, and Lt.-Gen. Saif Abdullah Al Shafa’r, Undersecretary at the UAE’s Interior Ministry. Al Shafa’r is currently on a visit to the Sultanate.

The signing ceremony was attended by a number of officials from the two countries.

Sayyid Mohammed described Omani-UAE brotherly relations as “solid and strong”. The agreement would put things in order, he said, adding that by signing the agreement, “we have accomplished all the stages which began years ago to demarcate the border between the two countries.” He also called for speeding up development to serve the interests of the people of the two countries.

Sayyid Mohammed said the Sultanate has finalized the demarcation of border areas with neighboring countries. “Regarding territorial waters, there were no difficulties in demarcation with our neighbors and we were in touch with the UAE and Iran in this regard,” he added.

Al Shafa’r said the agreement was an extension of the pact that had been signed on June 22, 2002, which demarcated areas from Umm Al Zamoul to Eastern Al Oqaidat and from Eastern Al Oqaidat to Khatmat Milaha, including Madha, Diba and from Diba to Ras Al Dara. The land line was now complete between the Sultanate and the UAE and a copy of the maps and agreements would be submitted to the international authorities, he added.

Al Shafa’r said the relations between the two countries were eternal and historic and there is coherence in relations between the people of the two countries. He indicated the agreement will contribute to the opening of new economic horizons that would push forward development in the border areas.

Meanwhile, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) General-secretary Abdulrahman Al Attiyah congratulated His Majesty the Sultan and Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, on signing of the border agreement.

Al Attiyah said that the initiative is part of the deep-rooted brotherly relations between the Sultanate and the UAE as it reflects the wisdom of the two leaders to serve the interest of the people of the two countries.

He also lauded the role of His Majesty the Sultan, Sheikh Khalifa and other GCC leaders to promote and develop the relations between their countries and their continuous efforts to consolidate the GCC march to achieve its goals.