Communities would benefit from greater collaboration on social investment and more voluntary work, according to the recommendations tabled at the latest PDO Majlis stakeholder engagement session. There were also calls for other sectors to play a greater role in backing community projects and for transparent benchmarks to effectively track implementation.
The event, at the Hilton Hotel in Salalah was held under the auspices of Dr Yahya bin Badr al Maawali, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development. More than 100 people, including key public and private sector decision-makers, oil and gas industry professionals, economists, entrepreneurs and community leaders, attended the forum.
An interactive panel discussion and question and answer session covered areas such as the importance of the corporate sector promoting social responsibility and sustainable development, and cited relevant examples and best practices.
Dialogue also focused on the contributions of the oil and gas and banking industries, strategies to optimise help to communities, potential social investment opportunities and associated implementation challenges.
Dr Al Maawali emphasised the importance of the role played by PDO and other companies in sustainable development, as well as the need for clarity and transparency in discussions relating to social investment projects. He called for more collaboration and highlighted the point that his ministry was fully ready to provide support and facilitate projects whenever required.
Guest speakers at the event included PDO External Affairs and Value Creation Director, Abdul-Amir Abdul Hussein al Ajmi; Bank Dhofar CEO Abdul Hakeem al Ojaili, Salalah Methanol External Affairs Director Ahmed Kashoob and Dr Dhafir al Shanfari, Chief Executive Officer for the Omani Authority for Partnership for Development. The forum was moderated by Dr Ahmed Kashoob, TV presenter and economic expert.
Among the recommendations proposed were the need to:
n Develop national guidelines for corporate social responsibility
n Use the Social Service Strategy issued by the Ministry of Social Development as a framework for action
n Highlight the principles of integration and collaboration to achieve sustainable development
n Devise key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of social investment
n Organise awareness campaigns on the importance of voluntary work
n And showcase the role of promising projects in the Sultanate’s sustainable development journey.
The inaugural PDO Majlis assembly in April covered the subject of energy management. Other topics to be featured in forthcoming PDO Majlis events across the Sultanate include In-Country Value and research and development.
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