Oman participates in UNCTAD ministerial conference in Geneva

Oman Wednesday 22/October/2025 14:57 PM
By: ONA
Oman participates in UNCTAD ministerial conference in Geneva

Geneva: The Sultanate of Oman participated in the deliberations of the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ministerial meeting, currently being held in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme "Shaping a Common Future: Driving Economic Transformation for Equitable, Inclusive, and Sustainable Development."

The Sultanate of Oman’s delegation was headed by Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, with the participation of Ambassador Idris Abdulrahman Al Khanjari, Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, alongside a number of officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and the Foreign Ministry.

The ministerial conference is the highest decision-making body of UNCTAD and is held every four years, with broad participation from heads of state and government, ministers of trade and economy, directors of international organisations, and representatives from the private sector and civil society.

The conference discusses the most prominent economic issues affecting developing and least developed countries, and its outcomes form a roadmap for the organisation's work over the next four years.

Qais Al Yousef explained that the conference is convening at a critical juncture of global economic transformations, which necessitates strengthening multilateral cooperation and activating the role of trade, investment and technology as pillars of comprehensive and sustainable development.

In his speech, the minister stated that Oman Vision 2040 represents the national framework guiding the path of economic and social development in the Sultanate of Oman, noting that Oman is proceeding with its programs to diversify the national economy, broaden the production base, and invest in promising sectors such as industry, logistics, renewable energy, and the digital economy.

He stressed the importance of the conference's outcomes contributing to supporting developing and middle-income countries through fairer and more flexible financing and technical assistance programs that enhance their ability to achieve sustainable development. He expressed Oman's aspiration to enhance its cooperation with UNCTAD in the fields of capacity building, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, and developing trade and investment policies.

Ambassador Idris Al Khanjari affirmed that the conference's convening amidst current global economic challenges presents an opportunity to intensify international efforts and strengthen multilateral cooperation to address shared crises with a spirit of solidarity and responsibility, ensuring the achievement of fair and sustainable development for all.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion held a several bilateral meetings with the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, where ways to develop technical cooperation with the Sultanate of Oman were discussed.

The minister also met with his counterparts, the ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Türkiye, Vietnam and Bhutan, to discuss avenues of joint cooperation and enhance economic partnerships.