PLANNING COUNCIL

On the 6th of June 1998 the Emiri decision to set up the Planning Council was issued, providing for the establishment of a planning and follow-up unit at each ministry, public corporation and government department as per the instructions of the concerned Minister or authorized official. In its first Article the Emiri Decision ordered the establishment of a legally and financially independent body named the Planning Council. The Article stipulated that the Council have a general secretariat headed by a secretary general, whose appointment is made in accordance to an Emiri Decision based on the nomination of the Council's president.

Objectives of the Planning Council

1. To prepare the State's economic and social policies and plans in line with the basic principles and guidelines specified by the basic statute of the State and to follow up the implementation of these policies and plans after having been ratified by the Council of Ministers.
2. To express its views in the form of recommendations to be submitted to the Council of Ministers after having been ratified by H.H. the Emir.
3. To submit a detailed annual report to the Emir on various projects included in the State's economic and social plan, explaining the extent and scope of success and achievements realized through the application of the plan, as well as the impediments and difficulties the plan had to face in the course of implementation. The report also contains the Council's recommendations on the solutions and remedies required to resolve the difficulties. In preparation to take a decision in regard to this report, H.H. the Emir refers the report to the Council of Ministers for study and recommendation.

The Organization of the Council

1. The Council comprises the Minister of Energy and Industry, a President, a number of members that should include representatives from the Emiri Diwan, Ministry of Finance, Economy and Trade, Ministry of Civil Service Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture and Ministry of Education.
2. The Council forms (from among technicians and experts within or outside its membership) units and committees, each specializing in a particular field of activity and headed by a member of the Council.

Programs and Projects of the Planning Council

The Council is studying an administrative and economic reform program to determine the development trends and reform measures to be taken in all economic and social fields. Administrative reforms include reviewing the organizational structures at the ministries and government bodies to decide which sections and departments to be incorporated, abolished or developed. Development of these units can take the form of raising efficiency standards, reducing operational costs and optimizing performance to attain the final goal of meeting the basic needs of the citizens. Economic reforms include introducing to the financial and monetary sector a number of procedures and policies that aim to sustain the process of economic growth as a whole.

The Council is in the process of implementing the national information network project, which is to provide accurate, updated and electronically processed information to support decision making processes and extend developed services.

Workforce planning aims to optimize the utilization and productivity of the national workforce to include increasing work opportunities for women in suitable fields that conform to the teachings of Islam and cultural traditions, rationalizing the recruitment of expatriate workforce in line with distinct organizational standards and encouraging the employment of Gulf and Arab workforce in compatibility with the requirements of development, social stability and the uniformity of the society.