Latest news with #CouncilOfMinisters
Asharq Al-Awsat
22-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia Grants Civil Aviation Authority Financial Independence
The Saudi government has approved a new regulatory framework for the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), granting it expanded powers to achieve financial sustainability and operate independently from the state budget. Under the new structure, approved recently by the Council of Ministers, GACA will gradually transition to self-funding through revenue generated from its services. While it will initially receive allocations from the state budget, the long-term goal is for the authority to maintain its own independent annual budget and a reserve fund equal to twice its previous year's expenditures. The move is part of Saudi Arabia's broader strategy to modernize and privatize key sectors, in line with the national transport and logistics strategy. GACA's updated mandate includes regulating and developing the civil aviation sector, improving oversight, and making the industry more attractive to private investment. GACA is now authorized to invest its revenues to support its financial goals. The Minister of Transport and Logistics—who also chairs the authority's board—and the Minister of Finance will jointly oversee how these investments are managed. The authority can also impose service fees for activities and operations it oversees. However, these fees must be coordinated with the Ministry of Finance and the Center for Non-Oil Revenue Development, until a broader regulatory framework for government service charges is finalized. The new structure empowers GACA to set policies, draft regulations, and monitor compliance across the aviation sector. This includes oversight of airport operations, enforcement of safety and performance standards, and ensuring alignment with the civil aviation strategy. GACA will also handle flight permits for scheduled, charter, military, and diplomatic flights, and approve commercial agreements involving domestic and international carriers. It will set unified standards for smart airport technologies to improve passenger experience, in collaboration with the Communications, Space and Technology Commission. Environmental protection will also fall under GACA's jurisdiction, including the design and supervision of aviation-related sustainability programs, while agreements between Saudi and foreign airlines operating to and from the Kingdom must comply with international treaties and reflect economic, social, and security priorities.
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Oman unveils new national AI safety and ethics policy
MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, has officially launched its Public Policy for Safe and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems. Unveiled earlier this week, the policy 'aims to govern the use and development of Artificial Intelligence (Al) systems in the Sultanate of Oman by establishing a comprehensive framework that combines technical controls and ethical principles'. The policy will apply to all government bodies and private sector organisations which are involved in the development or use of AI Systems across stages including data collection, system design, training, operation, and ongoing evaluation. According to the document, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology will be responsible for monitoring the overall compliance of government administrative units and report to the Council of Ministers, while sectoral regulatory bodies will be responsible for enforcement within their domains. The policy underscores three main ethical principles for the use and development of AI Systems. These include Humanity and Society, Inclusivity and Justice, and Responsibility and Accountability. According to the policy, users and developers must respect human dignity and ensure the right to human intervention in sensitive decisions, in addition to promoting the use of AI technologies in establishing societal well-being and sustainability. They must also ensure that the benefits achieved through AI are distributed fairly across different social groups, and that these technologies do not contribute to increasing economic disparities. Furthermore, users and developers must design systems that ensure no bias occurs based on race, gender, religion, or any other personal characteristic, in alignment with Islamic principles and ethical values. This includes using a wide, diverse set of data in training systems that represents different societal groups, including minorities and individuals with disabilities. In addition, the policy calls for ensuring that technologies are accessible to everyone through public and private sector collaboration, in order to provide technologies at affordable and equitable prices, while focusing on enhancing access for low-income groups. Moreover, the policy mandates the creation of secure systems free from any breaches, in addition to providing clear effective mechanisms for accountability when errors or damages occur, in addition to ensuring the audit-ability of systems to guarantee compliance with ethical standards. The policy represents a major step in regulating Oman's AI sector, which has been identified as a key sector to achieve economic diversification under the country's digital economy programme, which aims to boost the contribution of the digital economy from current 2% to 5% by 2030 and 10% by 2040. 2022 © All right reserved for Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
19-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Major Gulf real estate firms rush to Kuwaiti market
KUWAIT CITY - Less than two weeks after the Council of Ministers approved a draft decree-law for amending certain provisions of Law No. 118/2023 regarding the establishment of companies to create, and economically develop cities or residential areas, also known as the 'Real Estate Developer Law', sources revealed that major Gulf real estate development companies are rushing into the Kuwaiti market to seize the opportunities presented by the new law. They explained that some companies have already started studying the Kuwaiti market to assess available opportunities and the economic feasibility of entering the market. Meanwhile, several companies have already entered Kuwait, and have begun recruiting and building their organizational and legal structures to conduct operations. Among the companies entering the local market is a Saudi company (unnamed by the sources) listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange. The sources confirmed that the total construction area developed by the company in Saudi Arabia exceeds 6 million square meters, in addition to a total of 18,000 housing units, some of which are still under construction. They believe that the development of real estate and housing legislation in Kuwait, the government's commitment to reducing citizens' waiting time for housing, and the involvement of the private sector in resolving the housing issue have all paved the way for many real estate companies to enter the Kuwaiti market. The sources emphasized that this will create real and intense competition, which will positively impact the quality and prices of housing units, as well as the services provided to citizens.
