Wednesday 30 / September / 2026
Muscat: The 13th Intellectual Forum, organised by the National Committee for Bioethics under the theme “Enhancing Family Stability: Declining Birth and Fertility Rates between Moral Duty and National Responsibility,” has recommended the adoption of a national strategy to enhance family stability and raise fertility rates, and the inclusion of family stability indicators within the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.
At the conclusion of its proceedings on Wednesday, the forum called, in the health and reproductive care domain, for the development of reproductive health services to encourage society toward childbearing, the expansion and support of fertility and infertility clinic services, and the establishment of a center for research and treatment of fertility and delayed childbearing. It also called for supporting research into the causes of infertility and reduced fertility.
In the economic and financial support domain, the forum recommended studying the provision of financial incentives and facilities for young low-income families upon an increase in the number of children, establishing an endowment to support the Marriage Fund in cooperation with private sector institutions, and studying an increase in the amount allocated for support from the Marriage Fund and an expansion of the target group.
It also recommended studying an increase in financial allocations for the childhood benefit to support young low-income families, thereby helping alleviate the financial burdens associated with childbearing, and facilitating the provision of affordable housing for young families, including interest-free loans or rent-to-own options.
In the social and awareness domain, the forum called for the development of mandatory and free preparatory and counseling programs for those about to marry, the implementation of a national campaign to raise awareness of the importance of facilitating marriage and family formation and preservation, and the preparation of a national framework to rationalise marriage costs and curb extravagance and exaggeration, thereby contributing to facilitating marriage.
It also recommended coordination among various government and private entities, civil society associations, and specialized centers in providing family counseling.
The forum was convened to discuss rapid changes in demographic indicators, as national data indicate a decline in the birth rate in the Sultanate of Oman from 34.1 to 20.8 births per thousand population during the period from 2015 to 2025.
The forum aimed to address this phenomenon from a comprehensive national perspective combining ethical, social, economic, and health considerations, leading to policies that support family stability.
The forum’s program included the presentation of a number of scientific papers and dialogue sessions distributed across three main themes.
The first theme, “The Demographic, Health, and Social Reality,” addressed population changes, future trends, the risks of societal aging, and psychological and social phenomena associated with delayed marriage and early divorce, in addition to medical factors and causes affecting fertility and available preventive solutions.
The second theme, “Family-Supportive Policies and Their Impact on National Development,” discussed the economic impact of the demographic composition, ways to reconcile development with the targets of Oman Vision 2040, work environments and policies supporting work-life balance, and the role of family counseling as an investment in family stability.
The third theme, “Proposed Solutions and Future Aspirations,” addressed, through a panel discussion, ways to enhance partnership among government institutions, represented by the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, the Ministry of Social Development, the Social Protection Fund, and the Ministry of Health, to facilitate marriage, support family stability, and develop social, financial, and housing initiatives.
The forum sessions concluded with a paper on the impact of Islamic Sharia and the importance of forming and preserving the family, presented by Sheikh Dr. Kahlan Nabhan Al Kharousi.
The opening of the forum was held under the patronage of Dr. Hilal Ali Al Sabti, Minister of Health, in the presence of His Highness Sayyid Dr. Fahd Al Julanda Al Said, Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University and Chairman of the National Committee for Bioethics.
