UN congratulates Omani women on their annual day

Muscat: The United Nations (UN) congratulated Omani women on the occasion of Omani Women’s Day which falls on October 17 annually.

The United Nations congratulates Omani women on the occasion of their annual day, which falls on October 17 of each year, stressing that the Sultanate of Oman, under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik, enjoys the appreciation of the international community and enjoys a distinguished position on the international scene.

In her speech, Her Excellency Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, praised the tangible progress made by the Sultanate of Oman in empowering women and enhancing their position in various aspects and said: "This day comes to celebrate the efforts of Omani women in supporting the process of development and renaissance in the Sultanate of Oman, and to confirm the official commitment to support them and protect their social, economic, cultural and political gains."

"The Sultanate of Oman realized from an early period that the empowerment and advancement of women is an essential element in the march of nations and the title of their renaissance. Women were at the forefront of the priorities of the national strategy for comprehensive development, pointing to the keenness of Oman Vision 2040 to make the person and society the main focus, by providing an appropriate environment and legislation that preserves the position of women in the home, work environment and society."

In her speech via video conference, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations stressed that the Omani woman over the past decades has been able to prove her distinguished presence and effectively invest in the opportunities that have been made available to her, saying: "Statistics indicate that women's enrollment in educational institutions increased to 73 per cent in 2019, and in the same year women accounted for 40 per cent of the list of scholarship students, which are encouraging and inspiring percentages that send many messages of ambition to girls and women in the Arab region and the Middle East."

Her Excellency Sima Bahous confirmed that the Omani woman has assumed distinguished leadership positions in the various state agencies in several locations. She explained that the percentage of Omani women working in the government sector in 2019 amounted to more than 40 per cent of the total number of employees, and they also achieved a presence in the private sector, economy and business sectors with 88 per cent of the total number of craftsmen in 2019, and their percentage in the field of entrepreneurship rose to 23 per cent of its total employees.