Thursday 16 / May / 2024
Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman continues its participation in the 18th session of the G20 ministerial meetings hosted by the Republic of India.
The Sultanate of Oman is scheduled to participate in the meeting of ministers concerned with research, the third meeting of finance ministers, central bank governors and their deputies, and the ministerial meeting of the Employment Working Group, Energy Work, Environment Work and Climate Sustainability.
This participation is at the invitation of the friendly Republic of India. The opportunity to attend meetings are considered important because of their impact on international policies, and to enrich fields of knowledge through the exchange of expertise and experiences between countries of the world.
The meetings of the 18th session of the Group of Twenty began last December within the meetings of the working groups and the initiatives that will be targeted during this year. Last June, the Sultanate of Oman participated in a number of ministerial meetings on development work, agriculture work, education work, and the tourism work group.
The ministerial meeting of the Development Working Group was held in the city of Varanasi in the Republic of India during the period (11-13) June 2023, with emphasis . on sustainable, alternative energy, circular economy and environmentally friendly consumption.
The group also discussed the importance of enhancing the role of data to achieve development, and the importance of the role of women in the economy, all of which came in the context of accelerating access to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, after they have declined over the past three years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the geopolitical situation.
The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, participated in the ministerial meeting of the Agriculture Working Group during the period (15-17) June 2023, chaired by Dr. Saud Hamoud Al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
During the speech delivered by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, the Sultanate of Oman stressed the importance of facilitating international trade in food commodities, and the importance of concerted efforts to deal with climate changes, and to enhance the resilience of the food value chain at the local, regional and global levels, as well as promote innovation and improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of agriculture and food systems.
He emphasised the need for encouraging public-private partnerships to increase investments in research and innovations, to support sustainable practices, diversifying food systems and improving the efficiency of the food value chain.
On the sidelines of this meeting, the delegation of the Sultanate of Oman participated in field visits. The minister visited the Centre for Technologies, Innovation and Empowerment Ecosystem, which is one of the largest innovation centres in the world which works for strengthening the startup ecosystem and supporting entrepreneurs.
The delegation also visited the Indian Millet Research Institute, which specialises in agricultural research in sorghum and millet, under the supervision of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
On the other hand, Dr. Rahma Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, , Scientific Research and Innovation, participated in the Education Working Group meetings and the G20 Education Ministers meeting in Pune, during the period (19-22) June 2023.
The Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation gave a speech during the ministerial meeting, in which she expressed her gratitude and thanks to the Government of India and the G20 Presidency for the invitation to participate in the various G20 meetings.
She emphasised that the Sultanate of Oman is working to implement plans to achieve sustainable development through twelve national priorities, foremost of which are education, learning, research and national capabilities. This is done by developing a high-quality educational system, and ensuring that education is fair, inclusive, balanced, and committed to the values embodied in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
She also referred to the issuance of the Higher Education Law, and the Ministry’s contributions to increasing enrollment rates in higher education institutions, including students with disabilities in more than 15 programmes over the past three years, as well as the launch of the Green Campus Initiative with the aim of making educational institutions environmentally friendly.
The delegation of the Sultanate of Oman participating also visited a number of higher education institutions in India, namely: DY Patil International University, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Savitribai Phule Pune University , Indian Institute of Education and Science Education, and the University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics.
The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, also participated during the month of June in the ministerial meeting of the Group of Twenty on the tourism sector, where the meeting was chaired by the Minister of Heritage and Tourism, during the period (19-23) June 2023.
The Minister of Heritage and Tourism stressed the importance of developing the tourism sector in the Sultanate of Oman, and making tourism the driving and enabling force for building sustainable economies through a roadmap and regional policies that support green tourism, building skills and capabilities, employing technology, managing tourist destinations, and supporting micro, small and medium.
