His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik today issued twenty-eight Royal decrees reading as follows:

Royal Decree No. 86/2020 on the cancellation of some laws.

Article (1) cancels the Law on Regulating Sohar Municipality (promulgated under Royal Decree No. 9/97), the Law on Regulating Regional Municipalities (promulgated under Royal Decree No. 96/2000) and Muscat Municipality (promulgated under Royal Decree No. 38/2015).

Article (2) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced on the day following its date of publication.

Royal Decree No. 87/2020 on establishing the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, defining its specializations and endorsing its organizational structure.

Article (1) sets up a ministry to be named “Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth” and defines its specializations in accordance with Annex (1) attached to this decree.

Article (2) endorses the organizational structure of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in accordance with Annex (2) attached to this decree.

Article (3) states that the following shall come under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth: All specializations, origins, rights, obligations and assets of the Ministry of Sports Affairs, the Ministry of Arts Affairs and the National Youth Commission, as well as all that relates to cultural affairs from the Ministry of Heritage and Culture.

Article (4) states that employees of the Ministry of Sports Affairs, the Ministry of Arts Affairs and the National Youth Commission shall be transferred to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, along with their financial grades.  It also states that cultural affairs-related employees of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture shall be transferred to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in accordance with terms to be set by the Council of Ministers.

Article (5) states that the phrases “Ministry of Sports Affairs”, “Ministry of Arts Affairs” and “National Youth Commission” shall be replaced, wherever they occur in laws and Royal decrees, with the phrase “Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth”.

It also states that the phrases “Minister of Sports Affairs”, “Minister of Arts Affairs” and “Chairman of the National Youth Commission”, wherever they occur in laws and Royal decrees, shall be replaced with the phrase “Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth”.

The phrases “Ministry of Heritage and Culture” and “Minister of Heritage and Culture”, wherever they occur in related laws and Royal decrees, shall be replaced with the two phrases “Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth” and “Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth”.

Article (6) cancels the Ministry of Sports Affairs, the Ministry of Arts Affairs and the National Youth Commission, as well as all that contravenes this decree or contradicts with its provisions.

Article (7) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced from its date of issue. ONA