MUSCAT: The social protection system in the Sultanate of Oman has undergone a significant qualitative transformation at multiple levels, advancing towards greater empowerment and long-term sustainability. The Social Protection Law redefined the concept of protection to encompass all stages of life—from childhood to old age—introducing programmes that cover retirement, end-of-service benefits, maternity, disability, direct cash assistance for low-income families, and savings schemes.
The Social Protection Fund seeks to fulfil its mandate through a strategic pathway aligned with national policies and Oman’s vision for social protection. Its goals include providing fair, adequate, and inclusive insurance coverage; establishing an integrated and sustainable system; enhancing the management and investment of the Fund’s resources to achieve optimal returns at acceptable levels of risk; and ensuring alignment between current and future assets and obligations. The Fund also focuses on developing savings tools and support programmes, in addition to establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation framework for all protection, care, empowerment, and social inclusion policies and programmes.
The Fund is developing an operational framework that embodies the national vision of shifting from a welfare-based approach to a model centred on empowerment, productivity, and participation. This includes the implementation of various social insurance programmes and agreements with international insurance systems to ensure exchangeability of coverage and savings, as well as financial support mechanisms for insured persons, pensioners, and their beneficiaries.
Royal Decrees (50/2023) and (52/2023) established the system under the Social Protection Fund as a unified national umbrella for all segments of society, representing a milestone in building a fair, comprehensive, and sustainable social protection framework rooted in the principle that human wellbeing is the foundation and goal of development.
The merger of 11 pension funds into a single institutional entity represents a major step forward in resource management and ensuring fairness in benefit distribution, in line with Oman Vision 2040. The Social Protection Fund’s vision has been integrated into a national framework aimed at improving quality of life, strengthening social protection, and enhancing societal investment through targeted social and economic policies and programmes.
The Fund continuously monitors indicators of sustainability, efficiency, adequacy, and equity to assess the extent to which programmes meet national objectives, ensure long-term stability, uphold community partnership values, and safeguard the rights of current and future generations.
The Fund provides a range of cash benefit programmes, including allowances for the elderly, children, persons with disabilities, orphans, widows, and family income support. It also administers a savings programme, oversees supplementary financial programmes managed by other entities, and coordinates with relevant authorities on support, rehabilitation, empowerment, and integration policies for vulnerable groups. These benefits embody the principles of fairness and dignity, reflecting Oman Vision 2040’s goal of building a cohesive and prosperous society.
In line with national directives, the Fund has adopted an integrated and sustainable strategic plan for 2024–2025 as a transitional phase toward a longer-term vision for 2026–2030. The plan focuses on four key axes: social protection, financial sustainability, governance and institutional excellence, and technology and innovation. It also emphasises strengthening internal capabilities, delivering proactive and smart services, expanding coverage for groups outside the system, and improving benefits for all eligible segments.
More than 90 percent of the strategic plan has been completed. The number of insured persons now exceeds 600,000 citizens, with 121,000 active pensions disbursed. Overall, the system serves more than 3.3 million citizens and residents, and the number of active non-Omani insured persons benefiting from the maternity leave branch exceeds 1,030,000.
In the field of investment, the Fund surpassed its targets, achieving a balance between maximising returns and maintaining financial sustainability, while integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards into its investment policies in line with global practice.
The Fund is also preparing its 2026–2030 strategic plan, which is structured around a vision of comprehensive and sustainable social protection and a mission rooted in innovation and partnership. The plan is built upon four pillars: social protection, cooperation and strategic partnerships, institutional efficiency, and financial sustainability, with a focus on maximising investment returns and building a smart, modern, and sustainable system aligned with international best practices.
Domestically, the Fund continued its institutional development through a set of quality initiatives, including the Internal Change Management Project that unified institutional culture, and the Delegation of Powers Matrix, which enhanced procedural efficiency. Media awareness programmes related to the Social Protection Law improved public understanding of legislative reforms. The Fund also strengthened its media strategy to enhance community engagement and build a positive institutional image using both digital and traditional channels.
As part of improving service delivery, the Fund modernised and humanised its branches and model outlets to expand access and better serve targeted groups. These efforts have earned several local and international awards, including recognition for advanced administrative practices, customer-centric design, and high customer satisfaction.
In pursuit of a smart and sustainable digital ecosystem, the Fund launched several strategic digital transformation initiatives to improve efficiency, transparency, and beneficiary experience. By mid-2025, the Fund achieved 78 percent automation of services and 89 percent electronic linkage with governmental and non-governmental entities—surpassing the annual target of 70 percent. Two emerging technology projects were also implemented, reinforcing the Fund’s commitment to innovation.
Beneficiary satisfaction reached 83 percent, well above the 65 percent annual target. Open data initiatives reached 100 percent of their annual target, reflecting the Fund’s commitment to transparency and data accessibility. Major achievements in 2025 included the launch of the “Protection” application in two phases, full elimination of manual services, the establishment of Manjam Labs for rapid service development, building an AI-ready infrastructure, launching a call centre, signing digital transformation agreements at Comex, collaborating with Gartner on an Emerging Technologies Observatory, completing a data encryption project, and achieving 80 percent data accuracy following the merger.
The Fund is now preparing to transition to its new headquarters, designed to foster a modern and efficient work environment that meets the demands of digital-era public service delivery.
Regionally and internationally, the Fund has gained significant prominence by presenting best practices in social protection and receiving multiple international accolades. Its active membership in the International Social Security Association (ISSA) and its participation in Gulf and Arab forums have facilitated knowledge exchange and the adoption of global best practices in digital transformation, financial sustainability, and protection of vulnerable groups. The Fund has also established partnerships with Arab and international bodies to strengthen its technical and administrative capabilities.
During 2024 and 2025, Oman, represented by the Social Protection Fund, achieved notable recognition on the global stage by winning the ISSA Main Award for Best Practices in the Asia-Pacific region—one of the most prestigious awards in the field. The Fund also received eight Certificates of Merit, including three with special commendation. It actively participated in major international gatherings, including the Social Protection Forum and the Innovation in Social Protection Systems Conference, hosted in Oman and attended by more than 150 international experts. UN and ILO representatives praised Oman’s model as one of the most advanced in the region.
The Fund further strengthened its international cooperation, notably through work with UNICEF and the International Labour Organization to enhance programmes for children and low-income families. At the World Social Security Forum 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, the Fund received three excellence certificates for compliance with global guidelines in contribution collection, service quality, and human resources management. — ONA
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