SPF organises a dialogue with diplomatic missions

MUSCAT: The Social Protection Fund, in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), organised the first session of a series of social dialogues regarding social insurance programmes within the social protection system for non-Omani workers. The session saw the participation of representatives from diplomatic missions, the Ministry of Labour, and the Foreign Ministry.
The initiative aims to enhance knowledge regarding the development and improvement of the social protection system in Oman. It also seeks to activate coordination among institutions and relevant authorities concerned with supporting non-Omani workers by holding periodic meetings to exchange information and expertise and to enrich social dialogue.
This contributes to bridging the information related to social insurance programs stipulated in the law and procedures on the one hand, and the actual experiences of non-Omani workers on the other, in order to identify practical measures to enhance their actual utilisation of the social protection system.
Non-Omani workers constitute a large percentage of the workforce in the Sultanate of Oman. As the gradual implementation to improve and develop the social protection system in the Sultanate of Oman progresses, the importance of providing clear guidelines and enhancing effective coordination emerges to ensure their ability to benefit from the available protections.
The first session included an introductory presentation on the social protection system for non-Omani workers, followed by an interactive discussion addressing the experiences of diplomatic missions in this field. The dialogue provided a safe space to exchange views and experiences openly and constructively regarding frequent inquiries and common cases, alongside the administrative challenges and policy-related obstacles faced by diplomatic missions when providing assistance to non-Omani workers.
Diplomatic missions undertake an important role in connecting workers with the relevant institutions. Their direct experience in dealing with them allows for monitoring the difficulties they face, whether regarding understanding eligibility conditions, obtaining required documents, completing procedures, or following up on claims for entitlements.
Discussing these experiences collectively will contribute to uncovering recurring challenges and patterns, and utilising them to develop procedures and improvements that benefit a broader category of non-Omani workers.
The outcomes of these dialogues will be employed to support the Social Protection Fund and relevant institutions in implementing continuous improvement and development programmes and addressing any administrative challenges. The initiative also seeks to distinguish between challenges that can be addressed by providing clearer information or improving institutional coordination, and those that require modifying procedures or considering solutions at the public policy level.
The ILO has supported the process of developing and improving the social protection system in Oman through technical cooperation based on international labour standards. The support for these social dialogues comes within the framework of the ILO's 'STREAM' programme, which works to expand the scope of social protection to include non-Omani workers and their families along migration corridors between South Asia and the GCC countries. The organisation will contribute to providing advice and technical inputs, facilitating dialogue sessions, and assisting in documenting recurring challenges, lessons learned, and agreed-upon follow-up actions.
It is scheduled that this phase will include holding quarterly sessions combining technical presentations, facilitated discussions, and question-and-answer sessions, to be supported by reference documents and specialised technical briefings.
The long-term vision of this initiative is to establish a sustainable platform for dialogue and coordination led by the Social Protection Fund, based on the achieved results and the consensus reached among the partners.
— ONA