MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik who presided over a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al Barakah Palace on Tuesday reviewed domestic, regional and international developments.

At the outset of the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan gave thanks and praise to the Almighty Allah for the riches and stability with which He has endowed Oman. He prayed to the Almighty Allah to protect Oman, its citizens and residents, perpetuate bounties on them and grant success to all in their benign endeavours.

As part of Royal attention to improve environment performance and alleviate the impact of climate change, the year 2050 has been set as a date for net zero carbon emissions. A national plan has been drafted to achieve this goal, along with the setting up of Oman Sustainability Centre to undertake the supervision and follow up of zero carbon emission plans and programmes.

His Majesty the Sultan gave directives to all units of the State’s Administrative Apparatus to cooperate to ensure the success of this national plan.

In the meeting with ministers, His Majesty the Sultan pointed out that the draft of the new Labour Law, which was finalised by the government and will be issued shortly, would encourage investment, strike a balance between the interests of workers and employers and provide enough guarantees for both parties in a manner that augments productivity and encourages job-seekers to join the private sector, which was reported by TAS on Tuesday.

In consolidation of the modern trend on local, decentralised administration aimed to achieve sustainable development, it has been stated that the new Governorates System seeks to boost the role of governors by defining specific specialisations that authorise them to draft budgets and development plans of their respective governorates through direct coordination with the departments concerned.

The system also grants the governors direct executive powers pertaining to economic development and the reinforcement of sources of the governorates’ own income, enhancing their competitiveness and encouraging investments in a manner that realises the aspiration and needs of citizens.

In this regard, His Majesty the Sultan gave directives to coordinate and secure full integration among units of the State’s Administrative Apparatus and the governorates to help streamline procedures, facilitate transactions, develop government services and improve their quality and to address the existing challenges.
His Majesty the Sultan reviewed Oman’s bilateral relations with Arab and friendly countries and affirmed keenness on maintaining cooperation with all countries to maintain Oman’s interests.

At the conclusion of the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan touched on various other aspects of concern to citizens and residents. He wished all success in realising bounty and prosperity for the dear homeland.