The closing ceremony of the Women's Empowerment and Environmental Education Project took place at Grand Hyatt Muscat on Sunday evening.
Beginning in 2010, the partnership between the Environmental Society of Oman (ESO), Omani Women's Association (OWA), Majlis A'Shura and US Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), provided participants an opportunity to write on areas of ecological and environmental concern in their respective regions. The project saw Omani women's participation from across the sultanate.
In her opening speech, H H Sayyida Tania bint Shabib al Said, president of ESO, expressed appreciation for the immense support that the project received from its partners. "On behalf of ESO, I thank MEPI for their financial contribution to the project. I also want to thank the representatives from Majlis A'Shura, the Omani Women's Associations and the participants for all their efforts, which made this project a great success."
The winners met with representatives from Majlis A'Shura to discuss their findings and essays. The Majlis representatives are expected to discuss the findings with government authorities in an attempt to find solutions to the concerns raised.
Some of the essay topics included littering in Muscat, inadequate sewage facilities in Salalah, the environmental impact of Sohar Industrial Port area, and the continued depletion of the ground water table in Nizwa.
Also present at the closing ceremony was the US ambassador to Oman, Richard J Schmierer, who praised the hard work of the participants and the benefits that the project would have for Oman. "The last 40 years have seen remarkable growth in Oman. This can come at a price, however, and the environment is often the first to suffer. The ESO is a constant and effective advocate on behalf of environmental issues, and the US is very proud to have been able to partner with it on this project."
The ceremony was attended by H H Sayyid Tarik bin Shabib al Said, patron of ESO, and held under the patronage of H E Mohammed bin Salim bin Said al Toobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs.
© Muscat Daily 2011
