Muscat – His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik chaired a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al Barakah Palace on Monday and issued a series of directives focused on economic development, governance, employment, cybersecurity and public participation.

In a move aimed at enhancing economic coordination and private sector growth, His Majesty directed the establishment of the Economic Coordination Council to be chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.

The council will work to align government policies with private sector needs, anticipate global economic developments, support the growth of key sectors, increase private sector contributions to the economy and promote a more diversified and balanced development model.

As part of efforts to strengthen the principle of shura and enhance the participation of women in public life, His Majesty directed the allocation of an additional seat for women in each governorate in Majlis A’Shura. The decision reserves 11 seats for women, in addition to the general seats open for election.

The council also reviewed the results of government institutions’ performance evaluations for 2025. The assessment showed continued improvement since establishment of the Government Institutions Performance Measurement Unit in 2022.

His Majesty commended the entities that achieved the highest performance levels and those that recorded the greatest improvements, stressing that such progress should translate into better services, higher levels of public satisfaction, an improved business environment and stronger progress towards Vision 2040 goals.

Addressing the growing influence of digital platforms on children, His Majesty directed the relevant authorities to study the issue, assess its implications and develop appropriate regulations and mechanisms to guide children’s use of social media and digital platforms by drawing on international best practices.

The council also emphasised the need for government entities to give greater priority to cybersecurity projects and address related challenges in coordination with specialised authorities amid rapid technological developments.

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