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

HM sends emergency aid flight to Gaza

As the Israeli armed forces continue their violent invasion of Gaza, and escalate the war with Hamas and their rocketeers into a messy urban warfare of an army vs guerrillas, it seems His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has directed the Oman Charitable Organization (OCO) to send some aid to Gaza. Xin Hua news

Excellent move. Its something. And it will be real to those few it can help at least.

Oman to operate flights of emergency aid to Gaza
www.chinaview.cn 2009-01-04 15:25:33 　

ABU DHABI, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Oman Charitable Organization (OCO) will start operating flights of emergency aid to Palestinians who have been suffering from Israeli military strikes, the English newspaper Oman Daily Observer reported on Sunday.

OCO's move on Sunday is in line with the directive of Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said to send relief aid to Palestinians in Gaza, according to the report.

The relief aid, which includes medicines, foodstuff, power generators for hospitals and other requirements, will be airlifted from Omani capital of Muscat to Egypt's Al Areesh Airport and will then be transported by land to Gaza.
...

If the Egyptians and the Israelis let it across I guess...

But it is very much a candle in the wind at this stage. Unlike when Israel invaded Lebanon and drew against Hezbollah, they seem to have a huge intel advantage in Gaza, and now the troops are moving in force, with total air support, I think Hamas will get a beating, and unfortunately a significant % and number of non-associated ordinary people too.

A big defeat for Hamas in a short intense war, along with a change of Israeli and US Governments, new conferences, retreats, accords, reconciliation, blah blah blah, could offer a real opportunity for a breakthrough quite quickly in 2009, with a revitalised Fatah obtaining actual progress towards semi-statehood in the aftermath, and Israel on a much tighter leash under Obama. Especially if it can be shown Hamas did indeed (as rumoured) deliberately put weapons and bases in and around Mosques, schools and hospitals; and perhaps used ambulances to carry war materiel.

We might even see real UN troops deployed as peacekeepers in Palestine.

This is one reason why not very much of import is being done by pretty much anyone to actually stop the war. Not many countries want Hamas to win this one.