Oman: turning a national vision into everyday governance

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What Oman did

Oman faces pressing long-term challenges, including climate change, water scarcity, demographic shifts and the need to diversify its economy. Vision 2040 provides the national framework for sustainable development, with cross-government infrastructure already in place through the Vision 2040 Unit. Building on this, and aligned with the Strategic Advisory Group partnership between the Omani and British governments, Oman is now working to make intergenerational fairness a core concept of governance.

Photo by Anfal Shamsudeen on Unsplash 

How it Delivered

A dedicated Foresight Office is being established, and programmes are under way to consider how intergenerational fairness can be embedded across government. The Royal Academy of Management is supporting efforts to introduce the concept to public sector officials across multiple sectors, spreading the capability beyond a single unit.

What Made it Work?

Oman started from strength. Because Vision 2040 already gave the country a long-term destination and the structures to pursue it, adding intergenerational fairness was an evolution rather than a revolution. Pairing institutional design with capability building means the idea lives in people as well as org charts.

Future Generations Takeaway

A national vision only matters if it changes how decisions are made on an ordinary Tuesday. Oman is showing how a long-term plan can mature into practical anticipatory governance, offering a replicable model for states balancing immediate priorities with the wellbeing of future generations. Keeping the future open is a daily practice.

This case study is based on one kindly shared with us by the us by School of International Futures (SOIF) and can be found in their digital implementation handbook: 'One Year in Practice: Stories of Global Action for Future Generations'.  We have updated and expanded some case studies with more recent developments and additional sources where relevant.