BAHRAIN’S international and regional partnerships, as well as its contributions to global initiatives have been a key driver of national success and will continue to be even more important in the decades to come, according to one of the kingdom’s top diplomats.
Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa highlighted the kingdom’s successes in tackling the 17th UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG17), which centres around collaborating with other countries and organisations to achieve the UN SDGs.
Dr Shaikh Abdulla also addressed the importance of partnerships going forward, during the launch of ‘Bahrain’s Partnership and Contributions Report’ at the Foreign Ministry’s head offices in Manama yesterday.
“With a commitment of reaching net zero by 2060 as His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, pledged during COP26, we are very much committed to working closely with our partners going forward,” he told the GDN on the sidelines of the event.
“This includes both international specialist organisations, as well as countries in the region and around the world.
“Strategies have already been adopted around energy efficiency and renewable energy and achieving such important milestones will require partnerships.”
Speaking at the launch, Dr Shaikh Abdulla noted that many economically powerful regions were not doing enough to achieve SDG17 and that this inhibited everyone’s ability to achieve the rest of the SDGs.
He also offered Bahrain as a good example of the success possible with shared knowledge, expertise and partnerships.
“Bahrain’s considerable successes throughout the 50 years since it became a member of the United Nations owe much to its global partnerships,” wrote Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani, in a foreword to the report.
“We import most of what we consume, and export most of what we produce; we travel extensively, and welcome millions of travellers from all over the world; we contribute billions of dollars to other countries, both in the form of investments and financial assistance, and we have an economic strategy that revolves around attracting FDI and talented entrepreneurs.
“This spirit of partnership was clearly demonstrated in Bahrain’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, when the government, spearheaded by a dedicated national taskforce, responded quickly and effectively to implement strategies to limit both the spread of the virus and its impact on the national economy.
“These measures received high praise from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has presented Bahrain as a case study of a successful response to the pandemic.
“Indeed, through its response, the kingdom underlined that its development is not mere slogans, and its commitment to humanity not just words, but rather than these values are deeply embedded in our culture and heritage as Bahrainis, and a core part of our upbringing and mindset.”
The report also revealed that the kingdom has voluntarily contributed more than BD500,000 to global initiatives around the world since 2017.
In addition, the Royal Humanitarian Foundation has made significant contributions to almost 40 philanthropic efforts since 2009, including most recently the construction of 20 sports fields in Chechnya, a relief shipment to Ukraine and a project to provide households in Afghanistan with solar power, all of which were made last year.
To highlight Bahrain’s diversity and religious freedoms, the report pointed to 19 religious entities that are recognised by the government, noting that Christians in the country make up 14.5 per cent of its population.
It also highlights the Apostolic Journey made by Pope Francis in November last year (2022), meeting His Majesty King Hamad and Al Azhar Grand Imam Dr Ahmed El Tayeb.
In total, since the launch of the SDGs in 2015, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry has signed 274 memoranda of understanding with countries around the world.
Dr Shaikh Abdulla praised the fruitful co-operation between the ministry and the UN Development Programme in Bahrain, in co-ordination with government institutions and specialised UN agencies to issue the report, which is divided into six sections: Opening opportunities for the rest of the world; South-South co-operation; Development and humanitarian assistance; International awards, conferences and UN days; Regional and global organisations and recognition; and Cultural contributions.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))