OMAN: YEAR OF THE WOMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 001087 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/16 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KWMN MU SUBJECT: OMAN: YEAR OF THE WOMAN REF: A. MUSCAT 957; B. MUSCAT 1027; C. MUSCAT 1055 CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Schmierer, Ambassador, Department of State, Embassy Muscat; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Summary: During Sultan Qaboos's annual "Meet the People" tour (Ref A),he directed that there be a symposium focused on Omani Women. This meeting was held in October and resulted in a number of recommendations to improve the lives of women in Oman. The Sultan continues to lead the way in providing opportunities for women, and in his annual speech to the Majlis Oman called on women to exercise the rights they have been given (Ref B). End Summary. ¶2. (U) On October 17-19, the Sultan directed that the Symposium on Omani Women be held with sessions chaired by various government ministers and undersecretaries. It emphasized the contribution of Omani women to the development of the country and the ongoing need to further integrate them into Oman's political and economic life. The official outcome of this gathering was a series of recommendations and actions that included: - Designating October 17 each year as Oman Women's Day; - Creating 500 annual scholarships for female students who pursue higher education; - Allocating directorates in courts for family issues; - Setting up permanent headquarters for chapters of the Oman Women's Association; - Allocating additional funding for Oman Women's Associations; - Establishing a charity fund specifically to support Omani women; - Planning to promulgate laws to provide a livelihood for divorced women; - Working toward development of women's potential as judges; - Drafting and executing training programs for skill development toward women's participation in the Majlis al-Shura ¶3. (C) Privately, the Sultan told the Ambassador on November 15, that he was disappointed that women in Oman had not claimed more of the rights given to them under law (Ref C). He noted that he had done everything in his power to provide rights and opportunities for them under the law, and that the women themselves would have to take advantage of these privileges. He followed up on this message in his annual speech to the Majlis Oman on November 16, generally a bell-weather of government interest for the year, calling on all women to "exercise their rights" (Ref B). ¶4. (C) Comment: In isolation, none of the initiatives are especially significant advances for Omani women, and the women's event itself was tightly scripted. However, the ongoing support of the Sultan for women and the focus the symposium has brought to women's issues has been helpful. The women's event was also positioned as the beginning of a series of initiatives intended to spark further progress and debate over the next year. A number of related events will be reported septel. End Comment. Schmierer