Oman To Celebrate 52Nd National Day On 18 November

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUWAIT, Nov 17 (KUNA) -- The Sultanate of Oman will celebrate the 52nd National Day on Friday, the 18th of November.
Omani people will mark the Renewed Renaissance and its glorious reign under the leadership of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, who affirmed his constant quest to advance Oman's modern cultural and economic status and his keenness to make Omani citizens as true partners in their country's comprehensive development.
The Sultan's vision for the future of this benign land reflected positively on the integration of government departments with private sector establishments and civil society institutions.
This has in turn brought about tangible results in different social, economic and political fields.
The attention that the Sultan accords to the study of decision-making mechanisms is aimed at serving the country's supreme interests.
The outcome was a set of decisions, the most prominent of which the restructuring of the Council of Ministers on 16 June 2022.
The decision was the second one after the Sultan assumed the reins of power.
It affirmed the Sultan's resolve to follow up the efforts exerted to improve government performance towards the realization of Oman Vision 2040.
The establishment of the Supreme Judicial Council, under the Sultan's own chairmanship, was yet a step forward in founding a system capable of achieving the loftiest standards of justice, impartiality and transparency in line with pillars of Oman Vision 2040.
The step also combines all parties of litigation into a single judicial schema.
The Royal Decree on enhancing the role of the governorates constituted a major step in achieving the modern approach to decentralize local administration.
It empowers Oman's 11 governorates, defines their roles in development and defines their economic and social priorities to benefit from the comparative advantage among governorates.
Decentralization also streamlines service procedures for citizens, an objective underscored by the Sultan upon his chairmanship of the Council of Ministers on 11 October 2022.
In the meeting, the Sultan stressed the importance of coordination among units of the States' Administrative Apparatus and the governorates, the acceleration of electronic transformation, interconnection among governorates to streamline procedures, facilitate the execution of transactions, develop the quality of government services and address the existing challenges.
A decision was issued to add two new states to Oman's administrative division-namely by according the status of 'States' to both 'Al Jabal Al Akhdar' and 'Sinaw', raising the total number of states in Oman to 63 states.
The decision was aimed at attracting investments, developing resources and upgrading services and activities in the two states.
His Majesty the Sultan's keenness to hold direct meetings with sheikhs and dignitaries of Oman constitutes a strong manifestation of the leader's keenness to get firsthand knowledge about citizens' needs, despite the existence of public institutions such as the Council of Oman-a legislative monitoring body-and municipal councils, which undertake developmental and service roles in their respective wilayats.
The Royal-meet-the-people gatherings affirm His Majesty the Sultan's sincere desire to implement decentralization and make it the most straightforward administrative application for the future in Oman's governorates.
The new administrative setup offers governors and governorates direct authority to run their internal affairs, including planning and implementation of missions. This makes governorates' affairs more closely associated with the districts themselves, their governors and their municipal councils.
Much hope is pinned on elections of municipal councils, due to be held on 25 December for local voters and 17 December 2022 for citizens voting from abroad. The tasks of municipal councils keep pace with the Royal vision of His Majesty the Sultan and the role that the councils are expected to undertake.
Royal Decree No. 38/2022 introduces amendments to some provisions of the Municipal Councils Law, which aims to facilitate their missions in different governorates.
This was stated by the Sultan who has affirmed that time is ripe for decentralization of decisions pertaining to local communities. This brought to the limelight the role of governors and the role of municipal councils.
The Sultan's emphasis on interaction between governors, municipal councils, Oman Investment Authority and Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry assumes a special significance.
This interaction gains more impetus after the Governorates Development Program's allocations were increased to RO 20 million and the addition of new development projects to previous projects endorsed for implementation during the rest of the 10th Five Year Plan (2021-2025) whose worth exceeding RO 650 million in different sectors.
The Royal vision will spur economic growth and contribute to the continuity of services and the completion of infrastructure.
It will also boost private sector activities and provide more employment opportunities for citizens.
Last January, Oman implemented the 'System of Individual Performance and Institutional Proficiency' (Ejada) in 57 government institutions. The system, which covers about 175,000 government employees, aims at generating a quantum leap in government performance by enhancing the efficiency of human resources and improving the level of government services.
The Government Digital Transformation Program is an executive arm of a digital economy and a basic enabler in achieving the priorities of Oman Vision 2040.
It contributes to the establishment of a flexible and innovative government apparatus based on principles of governance and providing high-quality performance and smart government services.
Indicators for measuring the performance of the program include raising the percentage of automation of government services from 34 percent in 2020 to 80 percent by 2050, with the expected investment volume for implementing the program set at RO 170 million, which will be invested in improving procedures, re-engineering government services, improving digital infrastructure, and empowering national competencies in the field of digital transformation.
The Sultanate of Oman has attached a great importance to protecting the environment and preserving its various natural resources. His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik endorsed the year 2050 as a date for achieving zero carbon emissions.
A national plan prepared for this objective includes the establishment of Oman Sustainability Centre, based on the outputs of the Carbon Management Laboratory.
This serves as a major step that aims at diminishing the impacts of climate change, striking a balance between sustainable development and effects of climate change, establishing a knowledge-based economy, benefiting from clean technology to achieve sustainable development and developing a diversified mix of energy sources.
The Sultan issued directives to expedite the development of an early warning system and implement the best urban planning methodologies to limit the impacts of climatic conditions, disasters and related epidemics. This affirms the attention accorded by the Sultan to the human being, Omani citizens and expatriates alike.
Royal Decree No. 54/ 2022 establishes the National Natural Park Reserve in Musandam Governorate.
The park is aimed at achieving sustainable development by preserving natural resources, sustaining biodiversity and protecting wildlife and geological diversity. The park is the first one of its kind in Musandam Governorate and the 22nd in Oman.
The presence of Omani women in all fields and their impressive contribution to Oman's comprehensive development constitutes a direct outcome of the attention and care that women have received.
This was confirmed by Her Highness

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