News & Event

HE Dr. Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shaibaniya, Minister of Education and Chairperson of the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, delivered the Sultanate of Oman’s speech before the plenary sessions of the forty-second session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), while HE headed the delegation of the Sultanate of Oman participating in this session which is currently being held from 7 to 22 November at the organization’s headquarters in Paris with the participation of delegations of the organization’s member states and representatives of a number of international, civil society and civil society organizations. HE began her speech by conveying the greetings of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq - may Allah protect him - to the participants, and his wishes of success in the work of this session.

At the beginning of her speech, HE the Minister of Education emphasized that the Sultanate of Oman shares the calls on the countries of the world to stop the illegal and inhumane war waged by Israel against civilians and defenseless innocents in the Gaza Strip in Palestine. This war has so far claimed the lives of more than ten thousand people, the majority of whom are children, women, and the elderly, and injured more than twenty thousand civilians. It has caused the destruction of infrastructure and thousands of housing units, schools, and health institutions, in addition to archaeological sites, museums, mosques, and churches, including the historic Church of St. Porphyrius, which civilians, both Christians and Muslims, took as a safe haven.

HE the Minister of Education and head of the Sultanate of Oman’s delegation added: “As we witness - with all sadness and grief - the humanitarian catastrophe befalling the Palestinian people as a result of this aggression, our prayers and hearts are with those who are suffering from the consequences of this war. Therefore, our organization must fulfill its moral duty and humanitarian obligation to advocate and to immediately stop the bloodshed, protect civilians, and enable urgent humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. We must also appeal to the free world to protect schools,

universities, places of worship, and historical and cultural sites for the Palestinian people, and to immediately begin planning for the role that UNESCO can play in assisting the Palestinian people and empowering them in sustainable development programs, combating poverty, and restoring and maintaining heritage, cultural and historical monuments.”

HE indicated in her speech that this dangerous escalation requires the use of reason and wisdom, giving priority to the humanitarian dimension, promoting a culture of peace and dialogue, rejecting violence, extremism, and hate speech, and spreading general understanding about international humanitarian law and the legal obligations that fall on states during wars and armed conflicts. In this regard, the Sultanate of Oman is keen to give priority to the policy of tolerance and dialogue, to reject violence and to address the causes of conflict, and among its efforts are conveying its cultural experience of tolerance, coexistence and understanding, through the “Message of Peace from the Sultanate of Oman” exhibition, which had more than 600 stops around the world, the last of which was at UNESCO last July.

On the increase in the frequency of natural disasters, HE the Chairperson of the Omani National Committee stressed that this requires continued collective efforts to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems. In this regard, the Sultanate of Oman launched the “UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Conservation” in 1989. It also joined the “Greening Education” initiative and moved towards investing in renewable energies in line with the national plan to achieve zero carbon neutrality by 2050. In keeping pace with the challenges facing cultural heritage around the world, our country is interested in investing in green heritage sustainability and employment in the national economy. Programs were launched to build capabilities in preserving cultural heritage, including creative industries and a number of cultural elements were also registered on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, the most recent of which was the “Omani dagger” in 2022.

Based on UNESCO’s interest in supporting the youth and its harmony with the Sultanate of Oman’s 2040 vision, HE said: “Young people represent half of the population in the Sultanate of Oman, and they receive care and attention in various fields related to their affairs, as well as through various centers and incubators, such as the “Youth Center,” which is managed entirely by them. In the context of technological and digital transformations, we value UNESCO’s efforts related to the ethics of artificial intelligence, and in this context, our country launched the executive program for “Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies” to raise the level of comprehensive digital readiness.”

At the end of her speech, HE affirmed the Sultanate of Oman’s commitment to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, especially the fourth goal on education, and promoting the shift to investing in skills development, improving education, and expanding its paths in a way that is compatible with the labor market, emphasizing the pivotal role of the teacher, and providing the capabilities that support him. We appreciate the role of UNESCO in leading global action, and we call on it to continue supporting efforts to implement the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development and its soft power in confronting current challenges, and we emphasize the Sultanate of Oman’s adherence to the principles of UNESCO and its permanent cooperation in all fields.

It is worth noting that the delegation of the Sultanate of Oman included HE Ambassador Dr. Hamad bin Saif Al Hamami, Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to UNESCO, Jokha bint Abdullah Al Shukailiya, CEO of the Omani Authority for Academic Accreditation and Assurance of Education Quality, and Amna bint Salem Al Balushi, Secretary of the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, Representatives of the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Ministry of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, the Environment Agency, and Sultan Qaboos University are also participating in the session’s work. This is to attend a number of specialized committees emanating from the General Conference in the fields of education, culture, science, communication, and information.

The program for opening of the session includes a speech by the Director-General of the Organization, a speech by the President of the Executive Council, the adoption of the agenda of the session, and the election of the President of the General Conference, Vice-Presidents, Committee Chairs, Vice-Chairs, and Rapporteurs, Discussing the Director-General’s report on the organization’s activities in the period (2018-2021), as well as a report on the activities and programs of the organization’s Executive Council. At the end of the session, members of the organization’s Executive Council will be elected.