The Environment Agency (EA) and the National Employment Programme signed an agreement, on 8 March 2022, to privatize the environmental inspection services in oil and gas concession areas.
The Sultanate Of Oman has achieved a lot regard to setting and implementing environmental, laws, policies, plans and programmes over the years. The latest initiative is to ensure a good level of protection for the Omani environment. It also contributes to controlling pollution, as well as weather forecasting, to provide better management of extreme weather conditions.
The Sultanate is preventing many potential hazards resulting from the constant climate change, which affects the natural and economic systems. Thus, the Sultanate is prepared to manage the hazards of climate change through applying many precautions and making national strategies that are designed to decrease the emissions of Greenhouse gases and lead to an adjustment with the expected impacts to face the potential hazards.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Abdullah bin Ali al Omari, head of the Environment Agency, and Dr. Mansour bin Talib al Hinai, head of the Public Services Regulatory Authority, general supervisor of the National Employment Programme.
The agreement will also help provide job opportunities for environmental specialists who will be carrying out inspection work on the oil and gas sector. The concession areas are one of the areas of work that may have an impact on the environment, and therefore environmental inspectors must be constantly present there.
The agreement between the EA and the National Employment Programme will privatize the environmental inspection service to small and medium enterprises. This, in turn, will enhance the operational efficiency of environmental control in line with the Oman 2040 vision in the axis of governance and institutional performance.
Al Amri stated that the agreement seeks to induct the first phase of a privatization initiative in environmental inspection, notably in the oil and gas sector so that the mission can be delegated to a small and medium enterprise to offer an opportunity for specialists in environmental affairs.
Al Amri explained that the agreement will ease operational pressure on establishments, which will allow specialists at the Environment Authority to be in regular contact with the establishments’ operating teams. It will also ensure that all tasks are properly aligned with environmental standards.
The ministry is keen to promote environmental awareness and enhance the concepts and requirements for dealing with the environment and climate affairs at all levels and support the principles of sustainable development through managing, following up implementation, and evaluation of the Climatic Affairs.
It also ensures the safety of the environment while combating pollution and preserves the ecological balance in the context of sustainable development goals, develops business relationships of environmental and climatic areas between the Sultanate and other countries.
Also, it finds areas of cooperation with the agencies and specialized organizations and participation in international and regional conferences concerned with the environment and climate.
