MUSCAT: Oman reaffirmed its commitment to deepening collaboration with UNICEF through the country programme for 2026–2030, a coordinated effort designed to align international support with national priorities under Oman Vision 2040 and the Eleventh Five-Year Development Plan. Officials emphasized that this programme is not an isolated initiative but part of a broader strategic framework intended to mainstream child-centered policies across public services. By situating UNICEF’s technical and programmatic support within Oman’s long-term development agenda, the delegation sought to ensure policy coherence, maximize resource efficiency, and foster sustainable outcomes that will benefit children and families across urban and rural areas alike.
Central to the programme’s objectives is a robust focus on early childhood development and education, recognizing that early interventions yield outsized returns for individuals and society. The plan outlines expanded access to quality early learning opportunities, strengthened maternal and child health services, and targeted support for children with disabilities to ensure inclusive education pathways. Complementing these interventions are efforts to enhance youth skills through vocational training and digital literacy programmes, designed to equip young Omanis with the competencies demanded by a rapidly changing labour market and to support the country’s economic diversification goals.
Beyond service provision, Oman stressed the programme’s role in advancing social cohesion and protection systems that shield vulnerable groups from marginalization. The delegation highlighted planned measures to integrate social protection with education and health initiatives, promote community-based inclusion practices, and scale up mechanisms that identify and assist at-risk children. There is a deliberate emphasis on embedding the principles of justice, equality, and inclusiveness into policy design—ensuring that reforms and investments do not merely expand coverage but also tackle structural barriers that prevent equitable access to services for the most disadvantaged families.
Alongside programme details, Oman welcomed UNICEF’s 2026–2029 strategic plan and underscored the imperative of placing children at the centre of global action, especially those caught in conflict and humanitarian crises. The delegation expressed profound concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, drawing attention to famine conditions and life-threatening shortages that disproportionately affect children in Gaza. In calling on the international community to uphold international law, protect civilians, and guarantee the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, Oman framed its UNICEF engagement as both a domestic development priority and a platform for principled global advocacy on behalf of children everywhere.
