Friday, November 20, 2009

UN Research Questions: Where does Oman need assistance/aid?

OK team. You think you know where Oman has problems? Or where it doesn't?

You can help prioritise the international research being done right now into where Oman could do with some assistance meeting the UN Millennium Goals.



Here's the email from the UN sponsored team:

Dear Sir / Madam,

We are students of Avans University in Breda (Netherlands) and we started a new project recently aiming to aid the world where necessary. Every project group has been assigned to a country that has been put on an urgency list by the UN in the year 2000. We are going to work on this project as a group for the next two months.

After a week filled with research, expositions and documentaries we arrived at the point where we need to contact people who know all about Oman. We are aware of the fact that Oman is a country with many contradictions in prosperity and culture. The image shown by the media is predominantly positive but the grade of prosperity is not equal in all parts of the country.

The given millennium goals are very general. Eventually the ultimate goal is to fight poverty worldwide and to make sure the promises of the millennium goals are kept. Concluding, we are looking for issues the Omani people face, no matter how small. The millennium goals include eliminating hunger, diseases and child mortality and stimulating equal rights, good education, a sustainable environment and fare trade.

Our question to you is, which problems in Oman deserve special attention?


If you are not able to answer our questions, but you know someone who could possibly do, please send us an email how we can get in touch with that person. All information is welcome!


Thanks for your help,



The UN Millennium Goals

Now, I figured you could help. So, comments please. You can help Oman and the UN.

Meanwhile, here's my reply:

Team,

Oman is in pretty reasonable shape overall, given its history and low income.

Off the top of my head, they need help with:
- imminent collapse of many of their traditional fisheries, due to over-fishing and mis-management
- care of special needs children (huge genetic problems caused by in breeding, combined with cultural avoiding of such children)
- education about, & access to, genetic councilling (see above)
- access to basic hygiene and health care information in remote areas, especially nomadic Bedouin,and far off villages
- greater availability of micro-finance schemes
- family planning clinics
- women's shelters (I'm not sure that Oman has any)
- foreign workers rights and treatment
- sex worker rights and treatment
- a poor education curriculum based on rote learning and the principal that no one fails or really needs to study too hard.



and so on. But unless you get some data its all pretty anecdotal.

I'll post your inquiry on Muscat Confidential and see what my readers can add, but in truth the question would be best asked in Arabic on one of the many Omani forums.

regards
Dragon

6 comments:

  1. Most of the big UN agencies have offices in Oman (WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA) and they are all working with the Omani government to help with achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). The Ministry of National Economy is involved with all the agencies and the MDGs are taken into consideration in the government's 5 year plans.

    Anyone who wants more information need only consult with any of the UN agencies in Muscat or the Ministry of National Economy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Muscati,

    Welcome back.

    So everything OK then? Any suggestions?

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  3. Dragon- Anyone who has lived in Oman and has two or more brain cells, knows what the problems are. What we need are solutions.

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  4. Heads have rolled in UAE, finally fixing the debt responsibility, but none of the UAE newspapers who are very keen to report about Oman, have carried even a small hint of the major overhaul.
    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8d96e030-d60f-11de-b80f-00144feabdc0.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good article from our friend Saleh on another social problem in Oman- http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091123/FOREIGN/711229914/1135

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  6. You're an expat but know much about Oman; interesting!

    There is a poor education curriculum here, as you said. It's probably what makes me feel that I'm wasting my time at Uni.

    This is what I can think of as I don't have contact with anything other than home and Uni. But I think I know someone who can list some problems in Oman that should be taken into consideration. It is my lecturer in a course on philosophy.

    ReplyDelete

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