National initiatives and programmes on women’s welfare explored

Muscat: The committee tasked with following up the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) today held its first meeting in 2026.

The meeting was chaired by Dr. Laila bint Ahmed Al Najjar, Minister of Social Development, who heads the Committee.

The meeting explored national initiatives and programmes on women’s welfare. It looked into efforts made in drafting the Sultanate of Oman’s statement to respond to observations on the fourth national report of the Convention. It also reviewed the National Plan for Omani Women, the programme of cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund and a project titled Encyclopedia of Omani Women.

The meeting elaborated on ways to develop the Law of Oman Human Rights Commission in a manner that guarantees the expansion of mechanisms for protecting women’s rights and preserving women’s legal guards against any forms of discrimination.

The meeting studied the alignment of Omani measures with the Paris Principles, with the objective of ensuring women’s representation in organizational structures of national institutions.

The meeting discussed the National Digital Empowerment Initiative (codenamed “Makeen”) with a view to enhancing the presence of female talents in digital fields.

The meeting included a presentation about the experience of the Women’s Empowerment Team of the Central Bank of Oman. The presentation affirmed Omani women’s contribution to all administrative, technical and specialized activities.