Kingdom of Bahrain

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, in Bahrain to attend the launch of the Global Assessment Report on Risk Reduction, today visited a joint UNDP and Ministry of Social Development project in the Capital Mall in the Seef Area where he met with a number of Bahraini productive families.
The Capital Mall, inaugurated in 2008 by Her Highness Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, is part of the Ministry of Social Development productive families project that aims at enhancing small economic activities carried out at home by needy families to improve socio-economic conditions of the people working in informal traditional businesses especially those that are home based. The Productive Families project provides integrated support services, which includes, Business Development Services, Product & Design development/improvement and Sales & Marketing support.
The aim is to make Bahrain a centre of productive families; to develop the crafts industry and promote the concepts of self-employment and innovation. It encourages development via partnership with the private sector which also means a shift from welfare to productivity, preserves traditional crafts by enhancing their competitiveness, and develops a basic infrastructure and legal cover for the productive families' projects.
While touring the Centre, the UN Secretary General told the families “your efforts to establish your own businesses and expand them are very important to development of Bahrain.” He thanked the women and men entrepreneurs for taking the initiative and creating job opportunities for themselves; pledging the UN will always be there to provide whatever help it can.
Productive families had an opportunity to display their impressive handicrafts from baskets and swords to pottery and jewelry to the UN Secretary General who expressed admiration and encouragement.
He thanked the Minister of Social Development, Dr. Fatima Al Balooshi - a women leader, for her support particularly in this initiative and said that he was particularly pleased that more than 65% of the beneficiaries of the microfinance project are women entrepreneurs.
UNDP, the Ministry of Social Development and Ahli United Bank joined efforts and resources to further expand the scope and reach of the micro-financing activities in the country by launching the “Provision of Sustainable Micro-Finance Credit and Services to Needy Citizens of Bahrain” programme. An agreement between the three parties was signed in January 2008, whereby an equal amount of was pledged by each of UNDP, the Ministry and Ahli United Bank. The main objectives of the Project are to create an enhanced environment for equitable job creation and sustainable economic growth in order to reduce unemployment in Bahrain.
The UN Secretary General praised this initiative saying “this is a good example of partnership between the government, the UN, NGOs and the private sector. I hope to see more of such multi-stakeholder partnerships to promote sustainable human development and create job opportunities, particularly for women and youth.”

The first edition of the biennial Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk was launched today in the Kingdom of Bahrain under the patronage of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
Keynote speakers included H.E. Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, H.E. Abdulrahman Hamad Al Attiya, GCC Secretary-General, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Goodwill Ambassador for the World Health Programme HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, Major General Abdullatif Al Zayani, Chief of Public Security and Chief of Bahrain National Disaster Management Committee, and Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization and Ibrahim Osman, Deputy Secretary general of the International federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Also present at the opening ceremony were senior government officials and foreign delegates.
Prime Minister H.E. Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa said natural disasters and tragedies, which struck parts of the world, should act as catalysts to promote scientific research in curtailing risks. He also called for an international effort to pre-empt man-made disasters.
"By hosting such a global event, Bahrain joins other nations in aspiring for a secure and stable world," the Premier said. He called for technology-transfer to enable underdeveloped countries to better cope with disasters and reduce life-threatening risks.
H.E. the Prime Minister acknowledged the efforts of the UN and its affiliate agencies to combat disasters and alleviate suffering. He also thanked Bahrain's national disaster contingency committee for their pre-emptive contingency planning, the development of early-warning systems and fostering awareness to ensure a faster response to potential disasters.
The Global Assessment Report offers government leaders and their advisers guidance on the essential actions needed to achieve a safer world in the face of burgeoning natural hazards. The Report’s recommendations are supported by extensive technical and statistical analysis.
Prepared by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (ISDR) Secretariat, the Report aims to focus international attention on the challenges and opportunities posed by disaster risk and to consolidate political and economic commitment to disaster risk reduction.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony, the UN Secretary General warned of the increased potential risk of disasters as a result of global climate change which would largely affect the poor and developing nations. He commended the Report for its recommendations on preparedness and called on governments and world leaders to invest in disaster risk reduction to decrease poverty, safeguard development and adapt to climate change.
HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein went further to “call for a global structural assessment of all schools and hospitals, the first to be completed by the end of 2010 and the remainder by the end of 2011.”
Technical workshops were also held to explore key findings highlighted in the Report under the themes of Global disaster risk, Disaster risk and poverty, and Progress in reducing disaster risks.
Please click here to view the complete speeches of the keynote speakers and photos.

The Kingdom of Bahrain re-confirmed its commitment to the protection of human rights by being the leader in the GCC to host a workshop on The Criminalization and Prevention of Torture in Light of the Convention against Torture and its Protocol. The workshop was organized by UNDP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; with representatives from the Swiss-based Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) conducting the training. APT is an independent, politically neutral NGO that specializes in initiatives for the prevention of torture.
About 40 participants from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Islamic Affairs, and the Public Prosecution participated in the workshop which examined international human rights law and the definition of torture in Bahrain’s laws.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Nezar Al Baharna, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, declared the workshop another step towards achieving Bahrain’s human rights goals by 2012, when the Kingdom will submit its second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to the Human Rights Council. He said it was important for law enforcement bodies to be aware of the Kingdom’s international commitments and local law, as well as procedures to prevent or eliminate torture.
Bahrain is a signatory to the Convention against Torture and is dedicated to implementing its commitments. Discussions also revolved around the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) which seeks to prevent torture and other forms of mistreatment by allowing inspection of prisons by independent bodies. APT Middle East and North Africa Programme Officer, Esther Schaulfelberger, said that ”It must be seen that if state organs abuse their power through torture and mistreatments that they will be punished, so torture must be a crime.”
Bahrain has developed a national plan towards meetings its voluntary commitments made to the Human Rights Council in its UPR Review last year. This plan is being implemented with the support of UNDP. Dr. Al Baharna pledged that recommendations from the workshop will be followed and that more capacity building workshops will be held.

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