Chairman of the Council: Direct engagement with the media and society is a fundamental pillar for ensuring accurate information about the Council’s work and roles reaches the public
Secretary-General: Since the start of the Tenth Term, the Council has completed 84 legislative items, activated 673 monitoring tools and held 47 ordinary sittings, while its standing committees have completed more than 300 topics
The Shura Council held its 2026 Annual Media Briefing today (Wednesday). Representatives of local Omani media, along with those interested and specialised in legislative work in the Sultanate of Oman, attended in large numbers. The briefing reflects the Council’s approach to strengthening its strategic partnership with the media and to ensuring effective communication and transparency about its work and competences.
At the start of the briefing, His Excellency Khalid Al Maawali, Chairman of the Shura Council, delivered an address welcoming media representatives and attendees. He affirmed the Council’s commitment to meeting the requirements of the current phase. This, he said, strengthens legislative work, aligns with the targets of Oman Vision 2040 and supports the Sultanate’s continuing development across all fields. He added that the Council keeps pace with national priorities and engages with the issues before it. It studies each topic and offers views and recommendations that help reach appropriate solutions.
The Chairman noted that direct communication with the media and society is a fundamental pillar of the Council’s work. The Council uses the tools available to it to ensure information and data reach the public and give a realistic picture of its work and roles. He described the Annual Media Briefing as a strategic tool for effective communication and coordination. It also helps build an integrated and sustainable partnership with media institutions, supports the delivery of accurate information and raises public awareness of the Council’s competences and responsibilities.
The Chairman then spoke about integration and partnership in national decision-making. He highlighted the Council’s relationship with the Council of Ministers, and its joint work with the State Council within the Council of Oman. This cooperation strengthens the legislative structure and helps realise national aspirations. He also noted that the amendments to certain provisions of the Council of Oman Law, and the Royal directives allocating 11 seats for women in the Shura Council, form part of the Shura journey’s continuing development. They also support efforts to develop the legislative system and make national participation more effective.
The Chairman stressed the importance of the Council’s role in studying national issues and offering recommendations that help address challenges. He commended the media for covering the Council’s work with credibility and transparency. He also thanked media institutions and journalists for their efforts in conveying information and highlighting the Council’s work. Their efforts, he said, give the public a realistic picture and raise awareness of the Shura institution’s roles.
Ahmed Al Nadabi, Secretary-General of the Shura Council, then gave a presentation on the Council’s main competences and roles in legislation and monitoring, as defined by the Basic Law of the State and the Council of Oman Law. He also presented indicators and figures reflecting the Council’s work since the start of the Tenth Term, and the outputs achieved across the various tracks of parliamentary activity.
The Council’s record since the start of the Tenth Term includes 84 legislative items completed, 673 monitoring tools activated, 47 ordinary sittings held, 94 external participations recorded, and agreement reached on 26 projects during joint sessions, in addition to more than 300 topics completed by the standing committees.
The Secretary-General said these figures reflect the diversity of the Council’s work and the breadth of its legislative and oversight efforts. They also show the role of the standing committees in studying topics and discussing national files within their competences.
The standing committees have also completed more than 300 topics. The Secretary-General said these figures reflect the diversity of the Council’s work and the breadth of its legislative and oversight efforts. They also show the role of the standing committees in studying topics and discussing national files within their competences.
The presentation also outlined the Council’s integration and partnership with the Council of Ministers and the State Council, which translate national goals and aspirations into action across many fields. It covered the Council’s efforts to enhance community participation and to widen its channels of communication with all segments of society.
It then turned to developments expected in the coming phase. These include Royal Decree No. 97/2026 amending certain provisions of the Council of Oman Law, and the related developments in institutional work. The presentation also highlighted the Royal directives issued in June 2026 allocating 11 seats for women in the Shura Council. These directives support national participation and strengthen women’s presence in Shura work, as part of the continuous development of the legislative and institutional system.
The Secretary-General affirmed that the legislative record and parliamentary work achieved since the start of the Tenth Term provide a foothold and a bridge to a new phase of national contribution. The Council will keep pace with developments and strengthen its partnership and 
integration with State institutions to achieve national goals in all sectors. He also explained that the Council holds the media briefing every year at the opening of each new Ordinary Session. It is one of the most important spaces for building bridges with the media. Data and indicators on the Council’s work and its engagement with national issues are presented there, so that information reaches the media clearly and reliably.
The briefing included a short video on the key milestones of the Shura Council’s work during the Third Ordinary Session. The film showed part of the Council’s efforts, the way it exercises its competences and national roles, and its contribution to comprehensive development in the Sultanate of Oman, in thought and action. It also highlighted the main legislative milestones and the topics that drew the Council’s attention during the past session.
The programme included a dialogue session with the chairpersons of the Council’s standing committees. It reviewed the committees’ main achievements and the topics and files they addressed during the Tenth Term, within each committee’s competences and objectives. It also covered their work in studying national issues and the sectors within their scope. Participants and attendees took part through discussions and interventions on the committees’ work and main outputs. This allowed an exchange of views and queries and promoted awareness of the standing committees’ roles and their support for the Council’s legislative work.
The dialogue session also witnessed active engagement from media representatives and those interested in parliamentary affairs, focusing on the available oversight tools. Discussions also addressed a number of pressing public issues that have attracted public attention, as well as matters relating to social and employment affairs, and the role expected of the Council in studying and following up on these issues and proposing appropriate solutions within the powers stipulated by law.
The discussion further covered inquiries regarding the electoral process in light of the Royal Directives allocating eleven seats to women in the Shura Council, including the procedures associated with implementing these directives.
These discussions underline the importance of direct dialogue between the Council and local media institutions. The media play a role in raising awareness of the Council’s work and highlighting its outputs, while the Council provides the information and data needed for accurate and balanced coverage. Both sides are committed to strengthening their professional partnership, developing communication in the public interest, and raising public awareness of the nature of Shura work.
An accompanying exhibition showcased the Council’s achievements and the outputs of its work. Attendees were able to view part of the efforts made, the diversity of the Council’s fields of work, and what has been achieved on the legislative and oversight tracks and in the work of the standing committees. The exhibition built on the indicators and data presented at the briefing, documenting the Council’s achievements before media representatives.
The briefing offers a space for direct dialogue and exchange of views with journalists. It reviews the main indicators and statistics reflecting the Council’s work during the First, Second and Third Ordinary Sessions of the Tenth Term. It also highlights the Council’s place within the national work system, the institutional integration among State institutions, and the cooperation between the State Council and the Shura Council within the Council of Oman.
The Annual Media Briefing reflects the Council’s commitment to transparency and to partnership with the media. It presents a clear picture of the Council’s competences, roles and performance indicators, and highlights its institutional integration with State institutions, particularly the State Council within the Council of Oman system. The briefing also aims to raise public awareness of the national issues the Council discusses. It provides room for dialogue and exchange of views, supporting sustainable communication and strengthening the Council’s contribution to national work.