Shura Council passed this morning, Sunday  the draft Media Law and referred it to the State Council to complete its legislative course, as stipulated in Article 49 of Oman's Council Law, which states: "Draft laws shall be referred from the Council of Ministers to the Shura Council, which must decide on the draft by approving or amending it within a maximum of three months from the date of referral, then refer it to the State Council, which must decide on it by approving or amending it within a maximum of forty-five days from the date of referral. If the two councils disagree on the draft, they may form a joint committee to discuss the points of disagreement, and the committee shall submit its report to both councils for discussion in a joint session chaired by the President of the State Council and upon his invitation, then vote on the draft in the same session, and decisions shall be made by an absolute majority of the members present. In all cases, the President of the State Council shall submit the draft to His Majesty the Sultan accompanied by the opinion of both councils.

           
The council's statement of the Seventh sitting of the First Annual session of the Tenth Term.

Shura Council passed this morning, Sunday  the draft Media Law and referred it to the State Council to complete its legislative course, as stipulated in Article 49 of Oman's Council Law, which states: "Draft laws shall be referred from the Council of Ministers to the Shura Council, which must decide on the draft by approving or amending it within a maximum of three months from the date of referral, then refer it to the State Council, which must decide on it by approving or amending it within a maximum of forty-five days from the date of referral. If the two councils disagree on the draft, they may form a joint committee to discuss the points of disagreement, and the committee shall submit its report to both councils for discussion in a joint session chaired by the President of the State Council and upon his invitation, then vote on the draft in the same session, and decisions shall be made by an absolute majority of the members present. In all cases, the President of the State Council shall submit the draft to His Majesty the Sultan accompanied by the opinion of both councils."

Extensive discussions were held on the articles of the draft law and the amendments proposed by the Committee on Media, Tourism, and Culture. H.E. Abdullah Hamad Al-Harthy, the committee's chairman, presented the committee's report and the proposed amendments along with the justifications and reasons for those amendments. Dr. Ahmed bin Ali Al-Saadi, the chairman of the Legislative and Legal Committee, presented the legal committee's views on the draft law and the amendments proposed by the Committee on Media, Tourism, and Culture.

It is worth noting that the new Media Law comes in response to the changes that have occurred in media activities and the rapid developments resulting from the different means of practicing media activities, given the long period since the issuance of laws governing media activities, necessitating their unification into one law. The issuance of this draft law will entail the repeal of laws governing media activities, namely the Press and Publication Law, the Law on Private Radio and Television Establishments, and the Law on the Control of Artistic Works. The draft law consists of eight chapters divided into 61 articles, while the executive regulations of the law will specify the procedural details. The first chapter of the law includes definitions and general provisions, while the second chapter deals with the licensing procedures for media activities. The third chapter contains regulations for practicing media activities, while the fourth chapter addresses the rights and obligations of the media. The fifth chapter presents the articles related to the right of reply and correction, and the sixth chapter includes provisions regarding printing and regulating printing in the Sultanate of Oman. The seventh chapter encompasses artistic works, and finally, the eighth chapter addresses the subject of penalties.

Word of the chairman
The session began with a statement from His Excellency the Council President, in which he stated: "We have experienced in the past days a tragic event that has shocked everyone with its severity, saddened all the people of Oman, and received direct attention from His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik - and various state agencies, due to the exceptional weather conditions that the country experienced last week, which resulted in the loss of many lives, including school students, young children full of vitality and activity. In this great tragedy, on behalf of myself and all of you, my dear colleagues, members of the council, with hearts believing in the decree of God Almighty, we extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the families and relatives of the students who passed away in North Al Sharqiyah Governorate, raising our hands in supplication to the Almighty to bestow His mercy upon them, and to grant them a place in His spacious gardens, and to grant their families patience and solace, and to bless them with goodness."

He affirmed: "Through the Law of Oman's Council, the Shura Council will spare no effort and will do everything within its powers and role regarding this incident that has disturbed and saddened everyone."

He praised, in his speech during today's sitting, the efforts exerted by all parties, noting that the council highly appreciates the efforts made by various military and security sectors, service sectors, media institutions, the Directorate General of Meteorology, civil society institutions, the private sector, and citizens, which contributed to alleviating the effects of the weather conditions, assisting many stranded individuals, and rescuing many lives. They all deserve sincere appreciation and praise.


Urgent Statement Regarding the Deaths of Several Students Due to Weather Conditions in the Sultanate of Oman

During the session, H.E. Jamal Ahmed Al-Abri, Chairman of the Education, Research, and Innovation Committee of the Council, delivered an urgent statement regarding the deaths of several students due to the weather conditions in the Sultanate of Oman.
 He pointed out that the tragic incident, which claimed the lives of several students in the Samad Al-Shan district of Al-Mudhaibi Governorate due to a valley flash flood, and the loss of these innocent lives is a calamity unlike any other, as loss is a catastrophe that breaks hearts and tears apart the very fabric of our society, from north to south. It appears that there was not an adequate response from the authorities commensurate with the event despite the warnings issued by the National Early Warning Center regarding multiple hazards.
He emphasized that, "This matter necessitates all relevant parties to exert every necessary effort and coordinate in such emergency situations in order to issue the correct decisions ensuring the safety of our students. Through this statement, I call for an urgent investigation into the students' deaths to ascertain the circumstances and to derive insights related to the investigation's findings and draw lessons to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, and to make any recommendations and proposals part of a policy that includes distance learning, its activation, and the implementation of compensatory measures."
H.E Jamal Al-ABRI proposed a number of recommendations in this regard, including granting the National Emergency Management Center comprehensive authority to suspend classes in provinces expected to be affected by adverse weather conditions in coordination with the relevant authorities, activating synchronous and asynchronous remote learning, activating the Class Room platform, and incorporating remote learning into the ministry's plan. He also suggested compensating for the missed school days with the number of days of weather-related holidays, as well as compensating for the educational loss. He stressed the importance of considering the locations for the distribution and establishment of government or private schools in safe areas away from watercourses and water bodies, and the importance of providing bus owners with training courses in the field of security and safety in cooperation with the Royal Oman Police and relevant authorities.


Approval of Several Air Transport Agreements and Double Taxation Treaties
During the session, the Committee on Services and Public Facilities of the Council approved a set of air transport agreements referred from the government for study. These agreements include the following:
1.    Draft Air Transport Agreement between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
2.    Draft Services Agreement between the Government of the Sultanate and the Government of the Republic of Seychelles.
3.    Draft Air Services Agreement between the Government of the Sultanate and the Government of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire.
4.    Draft Air Services Agreement between the Government of the Sultanate and the Government of the Republic of Uganda.
5.    Draft Air Services Agreement between the Government of the Sultanate and the Government of the Republic of Zambia.



During the session, there was also a discussion and review of the report by the Economic and Financial Committee of the Council regarding the draft agreement on the elimination of double taxation, prevention of tax evasion, and avoidance between the government of the Sultanate of Oman and the government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The committee approved the agreement without making any amendments to it.

Approval Requests for Discussion
During the session, the motion submitted to His Excellency the Minister of Labor regarding temporary employment initiatives was approved, while the motion submitted by the honorable members of the council to H.E.  the Minister of Education regarding the current weather conditions (rainy low pressure) and its impact on the schools of North Al-Sharqiyah Governorate was referred to the Legislative and Legal Committee of the Council.

The request for discussion is one of the monitoring tools available to council members in accordance with Article (69) of the Omani Council Law, which stipulates that: "Based on a written request signed by at least five members, and after the approval of the Shura Council by the majority of the attending members, one of the general topics within the council's jurisdiction shall be proposed for discussion and exchanging opinions with the service ministers. The Chairman  of the Shura Council shall inform the Cabinet of the discussion request, to invite the minister to attend the discussion session, which shall be determined by mutual agreement between the two councils, and the topic shall be included in the agenda of that session, and the relevant minister may request postponement of the response to a subsequent session. All council members participate in the discussion and direct questions orally to the minister, with priority given to the minister whenever requested, and the Chirman of the council may close the discussion if it is deemed to have been exhausted. The council may issue, regarding the topic under discussion, any recommendations or desires it deems appropriate."



Cognizance on a number of referred draft laws

During the sitting, members of the council were Cognizance on several draft laws referred to the council by the government, including the Electronic Transactions Law, the Individual Income Tax Law, the Regulation of Organ and Tissue Transplantation Law, in addition to the Public Health Law. 
The permanent committees of the council will each work within its jurisdiction to study these drafts through an executive program and a timeline of meetings and consultations with relevant stakeholders.
This occurred during the seventh regular sitting of the first annual session of the tenth term (2023-2027), chaired by H.E Khaled Hilal Al Maawali, Chairman, in the presence of His Excellency the council members and H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Al Naddabi, secretary-general.
Shura Council will hold its Eighth regular sitting tomorrow, Monday, which will be dedicated to discussing a statement from the Minister of information.