Muscat: A regional workshop called "Use of the Indicator Simulation Tool for Policymakers in the Arab Region (ISPAR)" officially opened today in Muscat.
This five-day event, which runs until July 10, is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and hosted by the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the National Competitiveness Office.
The workshop is part of a collaborative endeavor to enhance institutional capabilities in Arab nations by using advanced technologies that promote evidence-based public policymaking. This Oman-hosted initiative seeks to create a comprehensive simulation platform that includes a suite of internationally acknowledged indicators for evaluating national performance in critical areas such as economic integration, business environment, innovation, and digital technology.
ISPAR is a flagship tool created by ESCWA to help policymakers model the effect of proposed or expected reforms on their countries' positions in international indices. ISPAR facilitates strategic decision-making by providing improved capabilities for performance measurement, monitoring, evaluation, and obstacle analysis. It also allows for the creation of evidence-based reform scenarios, which will eventually increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and coherence of public policy.
The workshop is conducted as part of ESCWA's Development Account project, "Dynamic Simulation to Address Gaps in International Index Rankings in the Arab Region," with the Sultanate of Oman serving as a pilot country. This selection demonstrates the National Competitiveness Office's dedication to developing a strong system for monitoring and tracking national performance in accordance with Oman's ranking in international indicators.
The workshop is designed for National Competitiveness Office members as well as policymakers from the National Competitiveness Committee's various national teams. The workshop has several important objectives, including: Providing technical support to improve the National Competitiveness Office's international indicators platform, updating the user interface and redesigning the platform architecture to meet current digital standards. Integrating ISPAR's simulation and optimization capabilities into Oman's national platform. Review the methodologies of international indicators listed on Oman's ISPAR country page to ensure consistency in definitions and data sources and familiarize participants with the ISPAR tool's functionalities and practical applications.
Participants are being trained to replicate the effect of policy changes on Oman's rankings in key metrics, investigate interlinkages between indicators to discover high-impact reforms, and build and evaluate different policy scenarios. The workshop also includes sections on creating consistent policy packages for short-, medium-, and long-term implementation, as well as evaluating how reforms fit into overall sustainable development objectives.
ESCWA assists its 21 member countries in their quest for equality and prosperity. Its work focuses on analyzing current regional trends in the economic, social, and environmental spheres, guided by global United Nations frameworks and informed by the Arab region's specific realities and shared characteristics.
Believing in the power of regional integration, ESCWA offers a comprehensive array of knowledge-based tools, statistical resources, and analytical capabilities to enable Arab nations to collectively address cross-border difficulties. The region's shared language, culture, and ambitions create a unified voice and platform for action at the national, regional, and global levels.
