Communities would benefit from greater collaboration on social investment and more voluntary work, according to the recommendations tabled at the latest Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) Majlis stakeholder engagement session held at the Hilton Hotel in Salalah.
There were also calls for other sectors to play a greater role in backing community projects and for transparent benchmarks to effectively track implementation.
The event was attended by more than 100 people including key public and private sector decision makers, oil and gas industry professionals, economists, entrepreneurs and community leaders.
An interactive panel discussion and question and answer session covered areas such as the importance of the corporate sector promoting social responsibility and sustainable development, and cited relevant examples and best practices.
Dialogue also focused on the contributions of the oil and gas and banking industries, strategies to optimise help to communities, potential social investment opportunities and associated implementation challenges.
The importance of the role played by PDO and other companies in sustainable development was emphasised, as well as the need for clarity and transparency in discussions relating to social investment projects.
Guest speakers at the event included PDO external affairs and value creation director, Abdul-Amir Abdul-Hussein Al Ajmi; Bank Dhofar CEO Abdul-Hakeem Al Ojaili; Salalah Methanol external affairs director Ahmed Kashoob and Dr Dhafir Al Shanfari, CEO for the Omani Authority for Partnership for Development. The forum was moderated by Dr Ahmed Kashoob, a TV presenter and economic expert.
Among the recommendations proposed were the need to develop national guidelines for corporate social responsibility and to use the Social Service Strategy issued by the Ministry of Social Development as a framework for action.
Al Ajmi said: “PDO firmly believes that we only succeed if the communities in which we operate succeed and we have invested many millions of Omani rials over the years in key areas such as training for employment, learning and research, health and infrastructure by working closely with stakeholders to identify real needs.
“The Majlis sessions provide a great platform for our key partners and stakeholders to come together with us, share best practices and knowledge and discuss challenges, opportunities and solutions in priority areas so that we all serve Oman to the very best of our ability.”
