The Defence Council was established by Royal Decree No. (105/96) dated 28 December 1996. On 25 January 2021, Royal Decree No. (12/2021) reorganised the Council. It is chaired by His Majesty the Sultan and comprises six members by virtue of their positions: the Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs; the Minister of the Royal Office, Head of the Office of the Supreme Commander; the Head of the Communications and Coordination Authority at the Royal Office; the Head of the Internal Security Service; the Inspector General of Police and Customs; and the Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces.
Without prejudice to its other competences stipulated in the laws and Royal Decrees, the Defence Council is responsible for examining all matters related to preserving and defending the Sultanate of Oman, and it convenes whenever it is necessary to declare a general mobilisation.

The National Security Council is responsible for considering all matters related to national security. On 25 January 2021, Royal Decree No. (13/2021) reorganised the Council. Article One provides that it shall be formed under the chairmanship of the Sultan, the Supreme Commander, and shall include as members the Minister of the Royal Office, Head of the Office of the Supreme Commander; the Head of the Communications and Coordination Authority at the Royal Office; the Head of the Internal Security Service; the Inspector General of Police and Customs; and the Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces. The Council may invite whomever it deems appropriate from outside its membership to attend its meetings.
The Council shall have a Secretary General appointed by Royal Decree. It is assisted in the exercise of its powers by a General Secretariat that reports to the Royal Office, and by a number of committees that report to the Council. A decision issued by the Minister of the Royal Office, Head of the Office of the Supreme Commander, shall regulate the work of the General Secretariat, specify the competences of the Secretary General, establish the committees, and define their powers.

The Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Oman is responsible for formulating an appropriate monetary policy for the Sultanate of Oman. It manages the Central Bank of Oman, established on 1 December 1974 pursuant to Banking Law No. (74/7), as amended by Royal Decree No. (114/2000). The Board has full authority to take all measures necessary for the proper management of the Bank, the issuance of currency, the oversight of banking institutions, and the supervision of banking activities in the Sultanate of Oman.
The Board consists of six governors appointed by His Majesty the Sultan. Royal Decree No. (112/2020) issued on 18 August 2020 made several appointments, including naming a Chair of the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Oman with the rank of Minister.

Article 82 of the Basic Law of the State stipulates: “The judiciary shall have a Supreme Council which oversees the proper functioning of the courts and their supporting bodies. A Royal Decree shall be issued determining its formation and rules of procedure, and the law shall specify its competences regarding the functional affairs of judges and the Public Prosecution.”
Accordingly, Royal Decree No. (35/2022) regulating the administration of judicial affairs was issued, establishing the Supreme Judicial Council under the joint chairmanship of His Majesty the Sultan and a Vice-Chairman who holds ministerial rank.
The Supreme Judicial Council is responsible for formulating overall judicial policy; ensuring the proper functioning and development of the courts and the Public Prosecution; facilitating litigation procedures and bringing judicial bodies closer to litigants; proposing draft laws and Royal Decrees related to the judiciary; giving its opinion on draft agreements on judicial cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and other states; and enhancing and developing cooperation, in matters related to the judiciary, with the competent bodies of other countries and with specialised regional and international organisations and institutions.
The Decree confers on the Supreme Judicial Council legal personality and administrative and financial independence, entrusting it with all matters relating to the judiciary, allocating to it an independent annual budget, providing it with the necessary specialised technical and administrative staff, and unifying the courts and the Public Prosecution in a single judicial system in order to concentrate the efforts of those working in the justice sector and achieve integrated operations between the various judicial bodies, rather than distributing the burden of the sector across multiple entities.
The Royal Decree also created a General Secretariat for the Council to serve as a single administrative body responsible for all administrative and financial affairs of the judiciary. It is headed by a Secretary-General, assisted by a number of Assistant Secretaries-General, to provide financial and administrative support for the judicial sector, including the Public Prosecution.

The Private Office was established on 3 June 2020 by Royal Decree No. (59/2020) and reports directly to His Majesty the Sultan. Its duties include preparing and assembling the daily working files for His Majesty; liaising with the Council of Ministers and the various government councils on matters ordered by His Majesty; documenting topics submitted to the Sultan, those on which he orders information to be provided, or on which directives are issued; and updating His Majesty on the progress of programmes arising from Oman Vision 2040.

Article 56 of the Basic Law of the State provides for the establishment of specialised councils, defines their competences, and stipulates that their members shall be appointed by Royal Decree.
The State’s administrative apparatus includes a number of high-level committees, specialised sectoral councils, and public authorities, each of which is responsible for operating within, or overseeing, a specific sector. Their role is to develop an integrated vision and to coordinate with other competent bodies, including ministries, in order to serve the public interest and to ensure seamless, coordinated action among entities operating within the same sector. Each of these committees, councils, or authorities includes a number of ministers, depending on its field and scope of work and within its competence.

The Supreme Committee for Conferences is responsible for preparing, following up and coordinating all matters relating to conferences in which the Sultanate of Oman participates, particularly those connected with the Gulf Cooperation Council. It carries out these tasks in cooperation and coordination with the competent ministries.

 The Supreme Main Committee for Five-Year Development Plans determines the fundamental pillars of the Five-Year Development Plans and conducts a semi-annual evaluation and follow-up of those plans.
By virtue of its chairmanship, composition and mandate, the Committee plays a vital role in translating His Majesty the Sultan’s current priorities into the guiding principles on which the Five-Year Development Plans are based and from which they are launched. The Committee also works to strengthen and achieve closer coordination between the Government, the State Council and the Shura Council, and to mobilise capabilities to realise national objectives.

The Secretariat General for National Celebrations is tasked with preparing and organising celebrations held on national occasions. It was granted legal personality and financial and administrative independence on 1 March 2020 by Royal Decree No. (6/2020) and placed under the supervision of the Minister of the Royal Court.
On 8 September 2020, Royal Decree No. (116/2020) amended certain provisions of Royal Decree No. (6/2020) concerning the Supreme Committee for the National Day Celebrations. The amendment replaced the title “Supreme Committee for the National Day Celebrations” with “Secretariat General for National Celebrations” The Decree also formed, within the Secretariat, an Executive Committee chaired by the Secretary-General and composed of representatives, each holding a rank not lower than Undersecretary or its equivalent, from the following entities: the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and the Royal Oman Police.
The Committee also includes in its membership a representative of the Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces and a representative of the Royal Protocol.

Financial auditing in the modern renaissance of the Sultanate of Oman began in 1970. Since then, the State Financial and Administrative Audit Institution has passed through several stages of development in its legal framework, organisational structure and name. A key milestone was Royal Decree No. (95/1999), which changed the title of the General Secretariat for State Financial Audit to State Financial Audit, making the Institution autonomous and conferring on it financial and administrative independence. Subsequent Royal Decrees issued the laws that organise the Institution’s work and structure.
Crowning this development, Royal Decree No. (27/2011) of 27 February 2011 renamed the body State Financial and Administrative Audit Institution and, most notably, added the competence of administrative auditing. Royal Decree No. (111/2011) promulgated the State Financial and Administrative Audit Law, confirming that the Institution reports directly to His Majesty the Sultan. At the same time, Royal Decree No. (112/2011) issued the Law on the Protection of Public Funds and the Avoidance of Conflict of Interest. Together, the objectives and powers contained in these two laws provided strong support for the Institution to perform its national role in serving the goals of comprehensive and sustainable national development.
In 2014, the Institution was entrusted with the duties of the Anti-Corruption Authority and with monitoring implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, following Royal Decree No. (64/2013) approving the accession of the Sultanate of Oman to that Convention.
Article 66 of the Basic Law of the State, issued on 11 January 2021, stipulates that the Institution is responsible for financial and administrative follow-up of the State’s administrative units and other public legal persons, as provided by law.

The Oman Investment Authority (OIA) is the government’s investment arm. It manages and invests the funds and assets of the Sultanate of Oman to generate the greatest possible returns and to contribute to the implementation of Oman Vision 2040, which seeks a more sustainable economy and greater prosperity for the Omani people and future generations.
Royal Decree No. (61/2020) of 4 June 2020 established the OIA and transferred to it, from the Ministry of Finance, ownership of all government companies, investments and assets, except Petroleum Development Oman and the government’s financial contributions to international institutions. The Authority plays a vital role in governing and managing these companies, linking their policies and systems with its overarching policies.
Royal Decree No. (57/2021), issuing the Statute of the Oman Investment Authority, defines the Authority’s objectives and powers. Article 5 states that the OIA is the government’s investment arm and aims to manage, develop and invest the funds and assets of the Sultanate of Oman to maximise returns, build reserves and financial savings, provide revenues that support the general budget and achieve financial sustainability, contribute to implementing government policies and strategies to advance targeted economic sectors, enhance the investment environment and attract investment to the Sultanate of Oman.

The Sultan Qaboos University Council is the University’s supreme administrative body. The University Charter empowers the Council to formulate and implement the University’s general policy, and it performs specific tasks designed to strengthen the University’s standing and enable it to fulfil its mission and achieve its objectives.
On 25 February 2021 the Council approved several academic programmes: the Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Studies in the College of Education and the Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies in the College of Arts and Social Sciences. It also endorsed the restructuring of the Master of Business Administration programme in the College of Economics and Political Science and upgraded the Master of Education in “Educational Administration” to a Master of Education in “Educational and Leadership Administration” in the College of Education.

The Oman Tender Board was created on 30 April 1973. In October 1984 Royal Decree No. 86/84 issued the Law and Regulations on Tenders to keep pace with legislative developments in the Sultanate of Oman and to support the objectives of the economic and social development plans. Royal Decree No. 36/2008 of 24 March 2008 promulgated the current Tender Law, which serves as an effective instrument for safeguarding and managing public funds; it has been amended by Royal Decrees 19/2011, 120/2011 and 60/2013.
Royal Decree No. 84/2020 of 17 August 2020 established a Secretariat General for the Oman Tender Board. The Secretariat enjoys legal personality and financial and administrative independence. The Secretary General conducts all administrative and financial affairs of the Secretariat, represents it in its dealings with others and before the courts, and exercises the powers of a unit head as defined in the laws and Royal Decrees applicable to State administrative units.
The Board is responsible for inviting tenders, opening bids, reviewing and analysing the results or conducting such analysis itself, and for awarding all government tenders whose cost exceeds three million Omani rials. These procedures do not apply to contracts for projects of the security and defence units, to companies wholly owned by the government, or to any contracts that another law expressly exempts. The Board pursues this role through procedures intended to raise the performance of government bodies, to ensure sound and efficient use of public funds, to guarantee the execution of government projects, and to secure goods, supplies and services of the best quality at the lowest prices. It also works to provide equal opportunities for all companies and establishments to compete for the execution of government projects, to support small and medium-sized enterprises, to prioritise Omani industrial products and to employ the national workforce.

Since its establishment on 2 April 2006 by Royal Decree No. 31/2006, the Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) has taken steady steps toward systematic and scientific advancement in specialised medical education, consolidating its position as a leading academic institution in the region. Each year the Board sees an increase in the number of physicians enrolling in its training programmes.
On 4 November 2020 the Board launched the national electronic health-education platform “Tebyan”, which aims to improve the learning process for health-care personnel in the Sultanate of Oman, enhance the educational experience through innovative, modern means, raise community health awareness and partner with relevant bodies to develop and update innovative medical-education methods.
In September 2021 the Board welcomed a new cohort of physicians for the 2021–2022 academic year to pursue specialised study. Omani physicians join the Board to train in one of nineteen specialty training programmes.

The Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit was created by Royal Decree No. 100/2020 of 18 August 2020. The Unit has legal personality and financial and administrative independence, with the capacity to own, manage and dispose of movable and immovable property.
The Unit is responsible for monitoring the achievement of the objectives and outcomes of Oman Vision 2040 and the performance indicators of the entities charged with realising them; for providing an enabling environment for implementing the Vision, including development and economic-plan projects; for devising appropriate solutions to obstacles; and for creating and strengthening an effective partnership between all bodies concerned with Oman Vision 2040 and the private sector in order to ensure implementation of the Vision and the related development and economic plans and projects.
The Unit seeks to enhance and develop cooperation with government entities so as to enable them to excel, to entrench a culture of innovation and the principles of total quality according to best management practices, to monitor the services provided to the public and verify their quality against approved standards, to establish systems and procedures that guarantee the best services for users of government service bodies, and to follow up policies aimed at simplifying procedures and facilitating services.

Since its inception the Oman Human Rights Commission has worked diligently to realise a clear vision and convey an explicit message regarding human rights in the Sultanate of Oman. It has also sought to monitor and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, responsibilities and obligations in Oman, in accordance with the powers granted to it by Royal Decree No. 124/2008 of 15 November 2008, which established a Human Rights Committee and defined its competences. The Commission enjoys legal personality and independence in carrying out its duties; it is headquartered in Muscat and reports to the State Council.
Royal Decree No. 23/2016 of 18 April 2016 changed the body’s name to the Oman Human Rights Commission. Royal Decree No. 26/2017 of 21 June 2017 appointed a Chair, and Royal Decree No. 29/2019 appointed the members. The Commission is composed of fourteen persons representing several entities, including three Omani women.
The Commission has strengthened its external activity by contacting human-rights organisations and participating in meetings, conferences, workshops and regional and international training courses. It has also responded to a number of international reports addressing human-rights topics in the Sultanate of Oman, coordinating with the competent authorities to verify the information and comments they contain.

The Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science works to organise and facilitate communication between the Arab, Islamic and international organisations active in the fields of education, culture and science, such as UNESCO, ALECSO and ISESCO, and, on the other hand, the relevant bodies and educational and cultural institutions in the Sultanate of Oman. It also promotes awareness of Omani heritage and highlights the country’s efforts in education, culture and science while cooperating with the three organisations in those fields in order to foster understanding and dialogue among peoples and civilisations.
Every two years the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Conservation is awarded through UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme as recognition and appreciation of the outstanding contributions of individuals, groups, institutions and organisations to environmental protection, in line with UNESCO policy and programmes in this domain.
The Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Conservation is the first Arab prize to be granted worldwide in the field of environmental protection. It was established in 1989 on the initiative of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, with the approval and welcome of UNESCO.

The Cyber Defence Centre was established by Royal Decree No. 64/2020 on 10 June 2020 as the authority responsible for cyber defence in the Sultanate of Oman, the national reference point for safeguarding vital interests in cyberspace and the body supervising the development of specialised national capabilities in cyber-security. The Centre is affiliated with the Internal Security Service.
The Centre aims to strengthen the ability of concerned entities and individuals to respond to cyber threats and to build specialised national capabilities in cyber-security by creating partnerships among the relevant sectors at both national and international levels. To achieve its objectives, the Centre exercises a range of competences that include drafting the national cyber-security strategy, its implementation mechanisms and proposed amendments, and verifying implementation once approved by the Council; establishing the regulatory and legal framework and governance mechanisms for the strategy; preparing the national plan for dealing with cyber-security risks and threats and monitoring compliance with it once approved by the Committee, with proposals for its amendment; classifying and identifying the critical cyber-security infrastructure and the entities linked to it; and identifying the sectors and authorities related to cyber-security.