Regional Workshop on International Labour Standards Begins

Muscat,
15 Dec 2025 (ONA) — An expanded regional workshop titled “International
Labour Standards: Building Local Policies and Capacities” began today in
Muscat.

The 4-day event is organized by the Ministry of Labour with the
participation of experts from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and a
number of specialists and officials from government entities and the private
sector in the Sultanate of Oman and regional countries.

The opening of the workshop was held under the patronage of Dr.
Mahad Said Ba’owain, Minister of Labour.

The
workshop aims to support the alignment of national legislation with international
standards, enhance institutional capacities for devising labour policies, raise
awareness of the role of tripartite constituents (government, employers, and
workers), and exchange regional expertise to build sustainable cooperation
networks that contribute to developing the work environment and enhancing
social protection.

Khalid
Salim Al Ghammari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour for Labour Affairs,
stated in a speech that organizing this workshop comes at a time the world is witnessing
rapid transformations in employment patterns, the nature of professions, and
labour relations. This, he said, has resulted in growing challenges that
require policymakers to have an integrated and balanced understanding that
achieves harmony between the requirements of economic growth, the protection of
rights, and the development of work environments. He pointed out that
international labour standards represent the fundamental reference framework
for achieving comprehensive and sustainable development.

For his part, Gilbert Houngbo, Director-General of the
International Labour Organization (ILO), affirmed that organizing this
program in cooperation with the ILO Regional Office for Arab States, the
International Training Center, and the International Labor Standards Department
reflects the importance of rights-based, dialogue-driven, and
excellence-oriented modernization. He explained that international labour
standards, established since the organization’s founding in 1919, represent a
cornerstone for social justice, stability, and economic prosperity.

He
noted that this program is the first of its kind in the region, reflecting a
growing awareness of the importance of international standards in achieving
national aspirations, enhancing economic competitiveness, and cementing social
cohesion. He emphasized that commitment to fundamental principles and rights at
work is gaining increasing momentum in the region, especially in the fields of
social dialogue, the fight against forced labour, and occupational safety and
health.

On
his turn, Faisal Abdullah Al Rowas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oman
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, indicated that the workshop seeks to develop
the legislation and regulations in force in the Sultanate of Oman. It also
enhances the partnership among the tripartite constituents and aims to review
challenges and explore solutions, he added.

Meanwhile,
Nabhan Ahmed Al Battashi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General
Federation of Oman Workers, clarified that operational policies must always
evolve to keep pace with rapid economic changes, noting that the Sultanate of
Oman continues to change these policies. He pointed out that the ILO’s
participation in this workshop reflects Oman’s commitment to international
standards and conventions.

The
workshop features an intensive training program that includes specialized
presentations and expanded discussion sessions addressing mechanisms for
preparing national policies compatible with international standards, improving
the institutional governance of the labour market, and the role of social
dialogue in supporting compliance and transparency. This is in addition to
reviewing regional and international experiences and best practices in the
fields of occupational safety and health.

Participants
emphasized the importance of activating the workshop’s outcomes and building
upon them to develop the national work environment, and to enhance
institutions’ ability to adopt advanced policies that support sustainable
economic and social development in the Sultanate of Oman.

It
is worth mentioning that the workshop comes within the framework of the
strategic partnership linking the Sultanate of Oman with the International Labour
Organization, which has yielded tangible achievements in the fields of decent
work, legislative updates, capacity building, and the enhancement of social
protection, in line with Oman Vision 2040.

— Ends/AH