45 per cent of Omani diplomats are women

As many as 45 per cent of Omani diplomats representing the country abroad are women, a number that manifests the true attention the Sultanate of Oman is attributing to women empowerment.

The number of female diplomats is increasing as the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is taking all efforts in educating, training and preparing the young, ambitious women to shoulder greater responsibilities as diplomatic representatives.

"More than 45 per cent of the Omani diplomatic representatives are women, and some are holding very important departments like the Department of North America, while some are employed in many European and other western countries'', said Dr Zainab al Qasmi, Head of the Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Regardless of the gender, more Omani youth are coming to the fore in terms of diplomatic representatives, there has been an increasing demand from women candidates to represent the country abroad.

"Although we are recruiting more Omani youth regardless of their gender, more women are expressing their interest to become diplomats and are recruited on the basis of merit. We are in the process of recruiting more women and by and large, Omani women excel in diplomacy and have proven to have recognised at the international level for their merits'', Dr Zainab, who is also the first female Arab ambassador, adds.

Speaking at the Women's Day celebrations titled 'Political and Economic Empowerment of Women: Shared Perspectives from Oman and Europe', at the French Embassy to the Sultanate of Oman, she said that all women are guaranteed equal opportunity along with their male counterparts by the government. Young women are trained by the Diplomatic Institute as part of the Oman youth committee.

The Oman Diplomatic Institute was established under the Royal directives on November 13, 1991, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This institute helps those interested to carry out diplomatic tasks by conducting internal and external, specialised and academic courses to develop their capabilities in the requirements of diplomatic work in all its political, economic, social and technical aspects and through good preparation to compare theories with practical applications.

The institute currently relies on studies and research rather than being an academic institute which grants academic certificates, and therefore study at the institute depends on a combination of professional and academic nature to prepare the new employees of the ministry.

"The activities of the Diplomatic Institute are divided into general courses, specialised courses, lectures and seminars. Several specialised courses are organised annually which deal with topics that the institute deems necessary for the employee to have in-depth knowledge."

The institute also offers annual courses for diplomats transferred to the Sultanate of Oman's missions, in addition to organising a course for their wives to familiarise them with the foundations and directions of Omani foreign policy while addressing the rules of diplomatic life and etiquette.

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