Month-Long “Box Appeal” Fundraiser Comes to a Close in Oman

Already in its fourth year, “The Box Appeal” is a charitable campaign designed to help over 10,000 impoverished individuals across the Middle East to acquire basic supplies at no cost.
First begun in 2007 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Dubai Media City, its operation soon expanded until over 20,000 boxes were distributed across the region over the past four years. The original intention of what was first dubbed the “Shoebox Appeal” was to supply laborers throughout the UAE with everyday necessities whose purchase would have taxed their limited resources. The success of this first effort caught the attention of the Rezidor Hotel Group which decided to bring the charity push to the entire region.

Box Appeal’s First Year in Oman

Radisson Blu Muscat

This year, from August 15 to September 15 the Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotels in Muscat held the “Box Appeal” in Oman for the first time. The campaign has taken on a broader perspective, aiming to help all those in society who have less. These same hotels in locations in the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain as well as Oman participated, helping to collect about 10,000 boxes of basic supplies to distribute to underprivileged people throughout MENA.

“As many as 13 hotels from across the MENA region are expected to take part,” says Michael Jacobi, general manager, Radisson Blu, Muscat. “The two hotels in Muscat are aiming to fill 1,000 boxes collectively, helping to ensure this is the most successful edition of the appeal to date.”

The campaign works simply. Someone who wishes to take part is encouraged to get a small box from either the Radisson Blu or the Park Inn Hotels. They can also acquire a box from City Centre Muscat or Qurum City Centre, the Box Appeal partners. Once they have a box the volunteer then fills it with small, but essential everyday supplies, such as toothpaste, a toothbrush, comb, brush, towel, soap and anything else they feel is useful and appropriate.

Great Community Spirit

A local charity, Dar Al Atta’a will then distribute the boxes to families and individuals most in need. Jacobi added that many additional local companies have promised to lend a hand to the campaign in what Jacobi called an “astonishing show of community spirit.”

Responsible Business Practice

The general manager of the Park Inn Muscat, Rabih Zein, added that,

“The campaign reflects the Park Inn philosophy of responsible business. We have been actively involved in a plethora of charity activities and social service programs such as blood donation and marathon collection. We encourage people across Oman to come forward and collect, fill and return the boxes in the true spirit of giving. Most of us hardly give a thought to these everyday commodities but the boxes will make a difference to someone for who even the basics count as luxuries.”

Michael Jacobi concurred:

“We hope the simplicity of The Box Appeal campaign will draw the attention of the public. Anyone can do this – it is so easy to get involved and contribute,” stated Jacobi.

Ultra Electronics Awarded 207 Million Euro Contract in Oman

Ultra Electronics Airport Systems, the Manchester branch of global aerospace and defense technology, was recently granted a 207 million euro contract by Oman Investment Corporation. The company will provide IT systems for Oman’s two new airports; Muscat and Salalah.

Responsibilities and Ultra’s Accomplishments

Ultra Electronics will be responsible for all operational terminal systems including air control, baggage handling and passenger check-ins for the airports, which will be able to handle a capacity of 58 million passengers per year.

Aidan Douglas, managing director of the project, said “This award is an affirmation of Ultra’s expertise and experience in large scale systems integration and special airport systems projects.”

He continued, stating that the company’s “past successes and continuing engagements with the BAA, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Shanghai Pudong contributed significantly.”

The airports, once completed, will create 450 employment opportunities.

Sustainability Seminar Held in Muscat

The Health Minister of Oman, Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saieedi, and many other Ministry employees were on hand for a seminar on Project Management and Sustainability Methodology in Muscat on Wednesday.

Sustainability Through Management

The goal of the seminar was to introduce ways to achieve sustainability through the efficient use of management, with a special emphasis on usage in the Health Ministry. Of special concern were IT projects which have already been approved and given the go-ahead by a different ministry of the Sultanate, where several Omani employees were trained, accredited and registered as experts in this particular method of management.

Middle East Precedent

This training and accreditation is the first such approval of the use of this methodology in the Middle East, and the accreditation is recognized internationally.

Other institutions in Oman, both in the public and private spheres, are working now to get similar accreditation of international standing.

Approved in UK, Too

In addition, the United Kingdom Trade Ministry has also approved this particular methodology to achieve sustainability as a management tool for many different projects in which they themselves engage.

Dhofar Bank’s CEO Babicci Resigns

In an announcement released on Sunday by the Bank Dhofar in Oman, Kris Babicci, the bank’s Chief Executive resigned and will be leaving his post as of April 24. In the meantime Mohd Redha Jawad has been named as the acting CEO for the bank.

No reason was given for the departure of Babicci, whose resignation was accepted by Dhofar Bank’s board of directors at a meeting of the board on April 13. The resignation was announced in a statement which was issued from the bank to the Muscat bourse.

Bank Dhofar posted fourth quarter earnings of 7.9 million rials in January, representing more than a doubling in earnings since the previous quarter.

Codeshare Deal Forged Between BMI and Oman Airlines

Codeshare Deal Finalized

The second largest airline based in Heathrow Airport in London, British Midland International, BMI Airways, has sealed a codeshare deal with Oman Air which is designed to allow passengers to reserve flights from the UK to the airport in Muscat.

The new arrangement will include flights originating in the British cities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester which stop in Heathrow and switch to one of Oman Air’s Airbus A330 planes at Terminal 3 and head out to the Gulf sultanate of Oman.

Extending Global Reach for BMI

Joerg Hennemann, BMI commercial officer praised the deal: “Our new codeshare with Oman Air further extends our global reach and will enable seamless and convenient travel connections for customers of both airlines between the Sultanate and key regional cities of the UK.”

Everyone Benefits

Peter Hill, chief executive officer of Oman Air also believes the codeshare deal will benefit both parties greatly, explaining that the codeshare partnership “will not only extend the range of options open to each airline’s customers, but will also encourage visitors to both Oman and the UK and promote tourism between the two countries.”

Other Middle Eastern countries serviced by BMI are Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Jeddah, Riyadh, Damascus, Dammam, Tbilisi and Tehran.

US Academicians Seek to Strengthen Bond with Oman

Meeting of Fulbright Hays Delegates

Seven university and college presidents from the United States are currently in Oman as participants in the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program. The program emphasizes higher education in Arab nations and the US.

Fulbright-Hays gives grants to students from Oman who which to undertake research or other academic goals in the United States. The group of university presidents now in Oman wishes to encourage exchanges between student and faculty, promote research, and support connections between educational institutions in Oman and the US.

US Outreach to Arab World

The goals of the delegation were announced at a press conference which was organized by the US embassy in Oman. The press conference was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Oman’s capital, Muscat. In addition the academicians announced to the media that the current visit is an element in the US government’s desire to reach out to the Arab world.

The program of visiting university presidents was funded by the US Department of Education, and administered by AMIDEAST. The goals of the program, also known as “Higher Education in Transition,” hopes to give the participants a chance to learn about best practices, as well as share experiences with their colleagues in Oman. They also hope to develop future programming in the region in conjunction with campuses in the US.

Prosperous Nation Needs Higher Education

The US Ambassador to Oman, Dr. Richard J. Schmierer described the goals of the Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad group at the press conference, saying,

“The embassy is pleased to support efforts to foster linkages between institutions of higher education in the US and Oman and promote the ongoing development of educational exchange and training opportunities for the US and Omani students, faculty and staff.”

Dr. Schmierer added that if a nation wishes to secure an affluent future for its citizens, higher education of the highest quality must be promoted. We are gratified to see our growing partnership with Oman in this field and we thank the members of the Fulbright-Hays delegation and AMIDEAST for their interest, time and efforts in helping to build this key relationship.”

Protests for Better Wages Continue in Oman

Demonstrating for higher wages, private security guards blocked the main airport in the Gulf State of Oman on Wednesday.

Concessions Granted

Despite the fact that Oman’s ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, has granted several concessions since the unrest began there several weeks ago, the unrest has continued apparently unabated. The Sultan, who has been in power for 40 years, as already decided to give some legislative powers to the Oman Council, to double monthly welfare payments, and to raise pension payments. This follows the pattern of other Gulf States who are offering cash to protesters in an effort to quell the unrest and maintain order.

In the latest action by demonstrators, about 400 to 500 security guards, who are privately employed by several different security companies, staged a protest on the road to the Muscat airport.

One protester, who wished to remain unnamed, said that, “Our objective of this protest is for our wages to be raised.”

The protesters left the scene when the police asked them to disperse. No violence was reported, although some travelers did not make their flights in time.

Other Protests in Oman

Workers from the state run oil firm Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) also demonstrated on Tuesday for better wages. Several hundred employees staged their protest at the company headquarters and in the oil and gas fields. This work stoppage was the first to disrupt a Gulf energy firm since the demonstrations swept through the region.

There have been protests at Oman International Bank, Oman Investment Finance Company and the Intercontinental Hotel, which is owned by the government.

There have also been demonstrations for improved political conditions, including sit-ins at the consultative Shura Council in Muscat, in front of the governor’s office in Salalah in the south and also in Sohar. Along with improved wages, and an increase in the number of jobs, protesters also demand an elected parliament and a new constitution.

Oman Air Employees Join National Unrest Movement

This past Sunday employees of one of Oman’s major companies took to the streets outside the headquarters of Oman Air in Muscat, not far from the Gulf state’s international airport in Oman’s capital city. This latest protest comes on the heels of several days of demonstrations in Oman demanding political reforms. Oman, together with Bahrain, the small island state in the Persian Gulf, have been the locales for the largest and most enduring outbursts of unrest in the Gulf states which is part of the general unrest transpiring in the Arab world since January 25th’s explosion in Tunisia and then in Egypt.

No Disruption in Flights

According to several witnesses about 100 employees at Oman Air joined together in the late morning hours to call for better working conditions. The national air carrier’s chief officer for corporate affairs, Philippe Georgiou stated that no flights were disrupted by the demonstration and that the airline is ready and willing to discuss issues with the protesters. Mr. Georgiou told the Associated Press that the demonstrators represented several corporate departments and they have a wide range of demands, one of which being higher compensation.

Mr. Georgiou said of the timing of the protest that, “The general environment is of people expressing their views … in the region.”

Watchful Eye on Oman

The other Gulf nations, especially Saudi Arabia, are keeping a wary watch on the unrest in their fellow regional states, especially Oman. Oman, along with Iran, shares the responsibility of controlling the crucial waterway through which 40% of the world’s oil tanker traffic passes, the Strait of Hormuz.
Oman Air services 41 destinations, mostly in the Middle East and India, with a few routes to Europe and Southeast Asia as well.

Government Shakeup

Protesters have come out to demonstrate throughout Oman, staging sit-ins and similar events, to call on the government to reform the economy and hold investigations into who is responsible for attacks on protesters. In response to the unrest, on Saturday Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the ruler of Oman, fired three key government officials in what was the second installment of government shakeups in the same number of weeks.

One Wounded in Oman as Government Attempts to Disperse Crowds

Tuesday marked the fourth day of protests in the northern port city of Sohar in Oman. According to witnesses, about 200 to 300 people were on the road demanding jobs and political reforms when the army began shooting in the air. “Many people ran,” said one protester who asked not to be mentioned by name. “The man who was shot came to calm down the army.”

The shots fired caused the crowd to begin to disperse, but they soon reformed at a traffic circle near the port, and the troops pulled back.

On Monday the demonstrators successfully blocked the entrance to Sohar port, disrupting the export of the country’s life blood, oil. On average Oman sends 160,000 barrels a day out of the country.

Protests also spread to the capital city of Muscat on Monday. The demonstrations are a rare event in what is usually considered a ‘sleepy sultanate.’ Sultan Qaboos bin Said has ruled the country for over 40 years, and is surprised by the fervor he is witnessing in what is otherwise a stable society.

The sultan is acting to calm the tensions in his country, which erupted on the general wave of protests which are sweeping through the Middle East. On Sunday the sultan offered to create 50,000 jobs and offered unemployment benefits to workers out of jobs of 239 pounds/month. He has also said that he will investigate ways to give more power to the quasi-parliamentary advisory council.

Unprecedented Water and Power Summit Scheduled to Take Place in Oman in May

On the heels of extraordinary developments in the power and water sector in Oman, an unprecedented global conference and exhibition is being scheduled in Muscat this coming May. The conference is being organized by the US-based International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC) together with Global Exhibitions and Conferences (GEC) LLC . The summit will take place on May 22-25 and will discuss a large assortment of subjects including the design and construction of power and desalination plants, as well as their construction and management. Also included will be how to install more effective power and water networks all over the sultanate of Oman. Other sponsors of the event include the Public Authority of Electricity and Water (PAEW), the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources (MRMWR), the Electricity Holding Company (EHC) and the Oman Society of Contractors (OSC.)

The Chief Executive Officer of the most important event management consultant company in Oman, CJ Paul had this to say about the upcoming conference:

"As Oman's power and water requirements continue to rise every year, the government is currently implementing various measures to meet the demand of industries and the country's growing population. The Oman Power and Water Summit 2011 will effectively serve as a forum for discussing the latest developments in the industry, including the range of projects now under construction or set to be implemented soon."