International awards, accolades attest to Oman's pride of place in the world's esteem. Robust GDP growth, low inflation highlight strong macroeconomic performance. Major strides made in enhancing the overall health and well-being of people
THE people of Oman celebrate the country's 37th Renaissance Day today with a mix of joy and appreciation, while committing themselves to further nurturing and consolidating the blessed Renaissance launched by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos nearly four decades ago. On this occasion, a grateful population looks back on three decades of stability, growth and prosperity, and rejoices in the visionary leadership of His Majesty, the architect of this modern renaissance. They recall with pride and gratitude the historic events of this day 37 years ago that shaped the rebirth of a nation.
Citizens of all ages and backgrounds pay tribute to a wise leader who, on the 23rd of July 1970 assumed the reins of power and secured for his people a peaceful and prosperous future, and laid the foundations of a modern state that in many respects is a model for other countries to emulate.
In fact, a flurry of recent awards and accolades to His Majesty the Sultan and to the country in general attest to the pride of place that Oman and its leader are held in the world's esteem. Just recently, the renowned think-tank Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the Sultanate as the most peaceable country in the Middle East, placing it at the top of a list of 18 regional countries featured in its first-ever Global Peace Index. The ranking was based on a model that used 24 indicators to measure the internal and external peacefulness of nations.
The indicators included the levels of violence, organised crime and military expenditure within a country. The Index was also correlated against a range of social development indicators including transparency, education and well-being to better understand the determinants or 'drivers' that create or sustain peace. Overall, Oman was placed 22nd on the global index of 121 countries listed according to their peacefulness.
Indeed, His Majesty has championed the cause of peace, understanding and mutual co-operation throughout his reign, attracting in return a number of prestigious awards and honours. In March this year, His Majesty was conferred the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, the top prize presented by the Government of India to prominent international figures in appreciation of their domestic and international efforts for achieving peace, security, justice and equality. More recently, His Majesty was conferred the Russian Peace Prize in recognition of his contribution to peace, co-operation and philanthropy.
Thirty-seven years of peace and stability, underpinned by prudent socio-economic policies, have fostered growth and development across the board. The transformation from an isolated, backward country to a proud, self-confident and modern state, has been dramatic. State-of-the-art hospitals, well-equipped schools and a robust welfare system are a ubiquitous feature of today's Oman, as are fine roads, advanced communications, utilities and all the other infrastructural underpinnings and institutional trappings of a modern nation.
Oman's macroeconomic performance has been strong in recent years as evidenced by robust GDP growth, low inflation, and comfortable fiscal and external current account surpluses. Economic activity has expanded briskly, underpinned by increased investment in infrastructure and industry and supported by high oil prices.
Nominal GDP growth of 15.6 per cent in 2006 represented high growth for the third consecutive year, and the significant progress on diversification was evident from 34.9 per cent growth in non-petroleum activities as well as 46.3 per cent increase in non-oil exports of Omani origin. The development of gas-intensive, export-oriented industries has gained momentum and petrochemical, fertiliser, aluminium, and iron and steel projects are all expected to commence operations over the next few years.
The favourable outlook for non-hydrocarbon sectors is also supported by the signing of a free trade agreement with the USA in 2006, substantial investment in tourism, and measures to improve the skills and employability of the local labour force. The country has also made major strides in enhancing the overall health and well-being of its people.
The UN Development Programme's report on Human Resources Development, launched in January this year, places Oman at the top of its rankings for the Arab region, and 56th in the global rankings covering 177 countries. According to the report, Oman made significant advances in a number of areas: gender development, per capita growth, illiteracy eradication, enrolment in education, and so on.
The mortality rate has declined to 2.5 per 1,000 people, while the mortality rate among newborns has fallen to 10.28 per 1,000 births. The report also cites a substantial growth in the healthcare infrastructure: 58 hospitals, 127 health centres, and 13 health complexes. In addition, 624,767 students are enrolled at 1,240 schools around the country -- impressive figures indeed for a relatively young nation.
Improvements in the primary education system have effectively pushed the 15-24-year-old demographic up to a near perfect 97.9 per cent literacy rate. At the same time, Oman's private higher education system has grown into a modern array of accredited institutions that outnumber public universities and colleges by more than two to one.
This proliferation of institutions across the country has given students an increasing variety of programmes to choose from, with IT and engineering being among the most widely available. Indeed, the gains of the renaissance are a source of great pride for all Omanis. The Sultanate continues to win praise as a model for other nations to follow in the region in terms of its stable political structure, adherence to deep-rooted traditional, moral and religious values, and peaceable policies.
© Oman Daily Observer 2007
