The International Labour Organization (ILO) in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Oman's Social Protection Fund (SPF) delivered the first training workshop to be held in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of social protection systems. Held in the Omani capital Muscat from 2-5 November 2025, the training strengthened the capacities of 26 SPF officials and other national stakeholders involved in operationalizing the Sultanate's landmark Social Protection Law (52/2023).
The training delivered the TRANSFORM learning package, an innovative capacity development initiative designed to strengthen social protection systems through structured learning, peer exchange and institutional development. In the Arab region, TRANSFORM is steered by an advisory group co-chaired by the ILO and UNICEF, and including representatives from UNDP, UNESCWA and WFP.
As Oman implements some of the most comprehensive social protection reforms in the region, a strong M&E system is essential to guide policy, assess socio-economic impacts, improve service delivery and ensure cost-effectiveness and financial sustainability, trainers noted. The delivery of TRANSFORM's M&E module in Oman is an important step in strengthening accountable, evidence-driven social protection systems for all, including migrant workers, they said.
"Strengthening M&E capacity is essential for governance, sustainability, and the long-term credibility of the reforms introduced under the Social Protection Law", said Radhiya Al-Mahroqi, Director General of Social Protection Policies at the SPF. "The establishment of the National M&E Committee and its active participation in this training demonstrate our commitment to embedding a strong monitoring culture across the newly unified social protection system."
"Delivering the first-ever TRANSFORM M&E module in the GCC is a reflection of Oman's leadership in building robust, transparent, and accountable social protection," said Luca Pellerano, ILO Senior Technical Advisor on Social Protection and STREAM Programme Manager. "Monitoring and evaluation are not technical add-ons; they are the backbone of a system that learns, adapts and delivers real results for people. We are proud to support the Social Protection Fund and national counterparts as Oman operationalizes its ambitious social protection reforms."
Participants in the training included members of the newly established National M&E Committee for Social Protection, formed by the Government of Oman to harmonize monitoring efforts across ministries and institutions working on social protection. The Committee includes representatives of the SPF, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economy, the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) and other relevant bodies. Their participation underscores the Government of Oman's commitment to building a coordinated, system-wide M&E framework that aligns institutional mandates, data systems and governance structures.
"Robust monitoring and evaluation give policymakers the data and clarity they need to refine programmes and measure real impact," said Dr. Bilal Al-Kiswani, UNICEF Oman Programme Manager. "Oman's commitment to this work strengthens a social protection system designed to reach every child, especially the most vulnerable. This training is part of UNICEF's support to the SPF to leverage the impact of the important social protection advancements in Oman for children".
Over four days, the training combined case studies and practical exercises in interactive sessions on building evidence-based culture, reinforcing the "supply side" of national M&E systems, and unpacking the essential components of establishing and operating an effective M&E framework. It explored how robust M&E can enhance policy and programme design, operational management and accountability. It also covered the selection and collection of indicators and data, approaches to balancing data-generation capacity with evidence and accountability demands, and the role of service standards, staff engagement, ethical principles and concrete accountability mechanisms. The training paid particular attention to the development of indicators and approaches to track the impact of Oman's new social protection schemes and facilitate access to them - especially for the most vulnerable segments of society, including persons with disabilities, children and migrant workers.
This initiative is part of the ILO's global mandate to monitor social protection systems worldwide. As custodian of international social protection statistics and publisher of the annual World Social Protection Report, the ILO promotes transparency, comparability and evidence-based policymaking on social protection. This global expertise informs ongoing regional efforts to develop a GCC Social Protection Monitor, in collaboration with GCC-STAT and the GCC Executive Bureau. This regional monitoring and reporting platform will provide standardized, reliable and comparable data on social protection coverage, adequacy, financing and governance across all GCC countries, for both national and migrant workers. This work aims to support evidence-based policymaking by enabling the production of harmonized and disaggregated social protection statistics. These will provide a robust foundation for informed policy design, implementation and evaluation, ultimately improving the effectiveness and impact of social protection systems across the region.
The ILO's engagement in the TRANSFORM M&E training in Oman was made possible through the STREAM Programme. STREAM is a multi-country, multi-partner initiative designed to expand inclusive, gender-responsive and rights-based social protection coverage for migrant workers and their families across the South Asia-GCC migration corridor. Implemented by the ILO in partnership and with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Foreign Policy Instrument of the European Union and the Ford Foundation, STREAM aims to create a world where every migrant worker - no matter their gender, status, or sector - can access the social protection they deserve to live and work in dignity.
