New pledge to advance decent work in Oman

GENEVA: The ILO and the Sultanate of Oman signed a second extension of an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) to advance decent work in the Sultanate of Oman.

The extension of the MoU, which was originally signed into force in 2017, took place on the sidelines of the 110th International Labour Conference in Geneva, and will pave the way for developing a DWCP for the period 2023-2025.

The MoU was signed by Oman’s Minister of Labour, Mahad bin Said Baowain, ILO Regional Director for Arab States Ruba Jaradat, the Chairman of the General Federation of Oman Workers Nabhan bin Ahmed al Battashi, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry Eng Ridha bin Juma al Saleh.

The new DWCP will see the ILO continuing to work closely with the tripartite partners in the Sultanate of Oman to bolster the national employment agenda and enhance access to decent work opportunities in the country. It will build on joint successes achieved during previous Oman DWCPs since the Sultanate of Oman’s first such programme began in 2010.

“The Sultanate of Oman has demonstrated its deep commitment to decent work since it became an ILO member state almost three decades ago,” said ILO Regional Director for Arab States Ruba Jaradat. “We look forward to working with the country’s government, worker and employer representatives to develop a new Decent Work Country Programme that will prioritise employment creation, skills and entrepreneurship development, social protection, and international labour standards and labour governance,” Jaradat continued.

In March 2022, the Sultanate of Oman became the 100th ILO Member State to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006).

DWCPs are the ILO’s main vehicle to work with government, worker and employer organisations on promoting the “decent work” agenda, by using a results-based approach to support national initiatives in the areas of employment promotion, rights at work, social dialogue and social protection.