Kingdom of Bahrain

The Ministry of Social Development and UNDP signed a project document today to develop two national strategies; the National Childhood Strategy and the National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities. The agreement, which comes as a result of thorough discussions with different stakeholders, including government and non-government institutions, was signed by H.E. Dr. Fatima Al Balooshi, Minister of Social Development and Mr. Sayed Aqa, UNDP Resident Representative in Bahrain at a formal ceremony at the Ministry of Social Development premises. Also present at the signing ceremony were representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance.

The second phase of the joint UNDP and Ministry of Industry and Commerce Globalization Programme entitled: ‘Support to Enhancing Institutional Capacity for Global Economic Environment and Governance’. The Programme Document was signed by H.E. Dr. Hassan Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce and Mr. Sayed Aqa, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative at a ceremony held at the Ministry’s premises.

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark will visit Bahrain on 18 April 2010 to meet high ranking officials in the country and strengthen UNDP’s partnership with the Kingdom in the areas of human development, progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and women empowerment. She will also discuss UNDP’s support to the development agenda in Bahrain through policy advice and technical cooperation with a number of ministries and government institutions, and will meet with representatives from Civil Society Organizations, and other UNDP partners.
Helen Clark will also chair the annual regional meeting of UNDP’s Resident Representatives in the Arab States region (18 offices), which will be held in Manama, 18-21 April under the theme “Delivering Results that Count”. The meeting will discuss UNDP and UN development programming plans for the coming year including issues of UN reform, coordination of UN development assistance under the “delivering as one” concept, acceleration of progress on the Millennium Development Goals in the Arab countries, and climate change.
Helen Clark will be accompanied by Ms. Amat Al-Alim Alsoswa, the Assistant Administrator and Regional Director of UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States.

An opening ceremony was held to launch the E-Train Forum organized by Bahrain Institute for Public Administration, the Economic Development Board, and E-Gov Authority. The opening address was given by Dr. Raed Shams, Conference Chair & Director General of the Institute of Public Administration, Bahrain. Dr. Shams gave tribute to the event, the first of its kind in the GCC, which serves to reiterate the commitment of the public sector to the goals of Economic Vision 2030 and the National Strategy in promoting recent advances in e-training. Experiences in e-training were shared from four continents.
Speaking at the event, keynote speaker Mr. Sayed Aqa, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative said that “though it is easy to use existing knowledge in foreign languages, arabizing e-content and creating new Arabic content are crucial to make sure the vast majority of people who only speak Arabic are not left behind. Denying access to knowledge creates obstacle to human and economic development.”
A presentation was also given by Mr. Aqa on Knowledge Based Society – An Enabling Environment for E-training, showing that Arab countries have, over the past quarter of a century, witnessed tangible progress regarding the spread of knowledge among their citizens, from a reduction in illiteracy rates to an increase in the number of persons obtaining university degrees. Arab countries have recorded an improvement in technological performance that surpasses that observed in any other region of the world in 2008.
Four Arab countries including Bahrain are in the list of top 50 countries that are ready for a knowledge society. With a population of 60 million illiterate and 9 million eligible children out of school every year, other Arab countries, however, have a long way to go to achieve a knowledge society. With political will and vision, the situation can change. The recent UNDP/Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum Foundation report - Towards Knowledge society in the Arab Countries - Reality and Challenges – propose an action plan based on three pillars. These are the provision of an enabling environment which includes freedom of information, prioritizing knowledge based on social and economic needs of the communities, and openness and intercommunication to benefit from global knowledge.
The Forum included over 300 participants from various countries who were split into three groups exploring a variety of topics from e-Training Best Practices and e-Training Methodologies & Implementation to e-Training Technologies & Infrastructure led by expert facilitators from Tunisia, Italy, USA, UK, Egypt, the UAE, India, Malaysia and Morocco. The participants further gained from the presentation of Adriana Mendoza, Learning Specialist from UNDP Headquarters in New York, on UNDP Virtual Development Academy; A Blended Learning Approach. Panel discussions focused on e-Training best practices in the Public Sector and building capacities for e-training.

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark met with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Tawfeeq Almansoor. During their meeting, the Ambassador presented the Administrator with a check of US$ 1 million as Bahrain´s contribution to recovery efforts in Haiti. UNDP will be using these funds for the Haiti Recovery Programme, and the contribution will go to the UNDP Cash for Work Programme to help the people of Haiti.
The cash-for-work programme is at the heart of UNDP’s efforts in Haiti. It makes cash available to most needy Haitians, so they can purchase goods and services of their choosing at this time of crisis, thereby having a positive impact on the local economy whilst directly benefiting families. Once enrolled, each person is hired for 24 working days. So far the project has put 75,916 Haitians to work: 62,213 who completed their 24 working-day cycle; and another 13,703 workers are currently enrolled in an ongoing cycle. The contribution by Bahrain will help more Haitians to benefit from the programme.
Each worker is paid 180 gourdes, or about $4.50 at current rates of exchange, for six hour’s labour --slightly more than Haiti’s minimum wage, which is important so as not to distort the local labour market and draw jobs away from the private sector that is critically important in ensuring long-term recovery. About 40 percent of the workers are women—with many more being indirect beneficiaries.
The work includes removing building rubble from the streets; crushing and sorting of reusable material; disposal of debris; and restoring essential public facilities to lay the foundations for mid-term recovery and development after the recent devastating earthquake. Furthermore, it involves clearing sites for safe re-settlement, repairing surface water drainage and improving road access to and through affected areas.
In her meeting with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations, the Administrator also discussed her upcoming visit to the Kingdom in April that aims to further strengthen UNDP partnership with Bahrain to address human development priorities at national, regional and global levels.

Under the patronage of HE Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, UNDP and the OECD/MENA Investment Centre hosted a regional workshop on “Strengthening Integrity in the Private Sector in Arab Countries”. The workshop was held in Bahrain on 16-17 March 2010 in the Diplomat Hotel, with the support of EDB and UNDP’s Programme on Governance in the Arab region (POGAR).
The regional workshop provided an interactive forum that brought together public and private sector representatives and civil society from Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Egypt, in addressing integrity challenges in the private sector. It explored means to improve and identify ways to address these challenges in line with international instruments and best practices, including the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and the OECD Anti Bribery Convention.
Mr. Sayed Aqa, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative conveyed that UNDP views corruption as a result of and the cause for malfunctioning governance institutions in the private and public domains - a “governance deficit” that seriously undermines efforts to reduce poverty, realize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and promote social people-centered sustainable development.
Integrity is the key to achieving long term economic growth confirmed HE Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB). “Integrity within the private sector is particularly relevant to the economies of the Gulf as we look to the sector to drive economic diversification and growth. Relying on a subsidised public sector for jobs and growth is no longer an option. A strong and vibrant private sector that people can trust is vital to all our futures.”
Participants at the workshop included Mr. Alexander Bohmer, Head of OECD /MENA Investment Program; and H.E. Mr. Abed Shakhanbeh the Chair of the Arab Anti-Corruption and Integrity Network (ACINET) and the Chairman of the Jordanian Anti-corruption Commission.
The workshop included several topics for discussion and dialogue between Arab participants, international experts and specialists from OECD countries. Among the topics addressed were the role of governments in strengthening integrity in the private sector, and means to improve public-private cooperation on corporate integrity.
UNDP, in cooperation with a number of partners including UNODC, OECD, and …(seek Arkan’s input) is preparing to launch a new MENA regional anti-corruption project and the outcomes of this workshop will be utilized as building blocks for future work under this project, as well as other projects in specific countries.
The workshop concluded with a press conference that was attended by representatives of the organizing entities, media representatives and the ACINET Chair.

The Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) held a seminar to launch the E-training Pilot Phase in collaboration with UNDP. Eight government Ministries have participated in this phase in which two courses will be piloted, with a total of 113 participants. The pilot phase is to last for three weeks, with close monitoring and evaluation by UNDP and Tata company, the firm selected to administerthe process of installing and running the two courses. The aim of the seminar was to give the Ministries’ representatives a clear idea on the content, the procedure of administering these two courses, and the best way of receiving the backstopping service from BIPA.
In his introductory speech at the opening of the seminar, Mr. Ishaaq Ameen, Assistant Director General at BIPA, stressed the importance of e-training for the public sector as an essential part of BIPA’s strategy within the economic view of the Kingdom of Bahrain. He confirmed BIPA’s determination to put up more electronic courses during the year 2010. In his speech at the Seminar, Mr. Ali Salman, UNDP Programme Analyst, praised the achievements made by BIPA and wished for a successful pilot phase, which would be the first step towards the creation of an environment in interactive training.

Mr. Sayed Aqa, UNDP Resident Representative, attended the launch of Manama Charity Fund’s Ashoora 2009 Activities. In his speech at the opening ceremony, Mr. Aqa stressed on the significance of focusing on linkages between religious duties and the promotion of human development and protection of the environment. He pointed out that “Fulfilling our religious duties to make this world a better place for all does not mean that we have to be concerned only about own wellbeing, but to make life better for others through good work and sacrifice. He concluded that “supporting such events is part of UNDP’s continued commitment to encourage and enhance the development and human rights efforts of national NGOs.”
These series of activities are partially funded by UNDP and aim to highlight the following issues: (a) Environment sustainability - raising awareness about the effects of pollution, climate change and solid waste management (b) Community based health initiatives - free medical checkups and medicine management, and (c) Human rights issues – linking the human rights declaration with religious goals for all individuals irrespective of color, creed and socio-economic background.

UNDP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked Human Rights Day 2009, the 61st anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by stressing the enduring need to eliminate all forms of discrimination. The event was attended by the UN Country Team, government officials, ambassadors, MPs, media, and representatives of national NGOs.
“No country is free of discrimination,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a message for the Day whose theme this year is ‘Embrace Diversity, End Discrimination.’ “Discrimination targets individuals and groups that are vulnerable to attack: the disabled, women and girls, the poor, migrants, minorities, and all those who are perceived as different,” he said, pledging UN commitment to fight inequality and intolerance wherever they are found.
In Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay deplored the fact that discrimination is still rampant 61 years after the Declaration’s adoption. “Women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours and produce half of the world’s food, yet earn only 10 per cent of the world’s income and own less than one per cent of the world’s property,” she said.
Speaking at the event in Bahrain, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr. Nezar Al Baharna, outlined Bahrain’s recent achievements and efforts in human rights since undergoing its Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council in 2008. “We have achieved many of our goals such as establishing the National Institution for Human Rights, and enacting the Family, Labour, and Press laws” he said.
Sayed Aqa, UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator thanked the Government and the UPR Steering Committee for their relentless efforts and dedication to implementing Bahrain’s voluntary UPR commitments. He added “I congratulate the people and Government of Bahrain for their commitment to promote, protect and realize the human rights of all individuals in the country.” The starting point for addressing any challenge is to define the challenge and record its existence elaborated Mr. Aqa. “In Bahrain, key human rights challenges were detailed in the UPR Reports of both the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and NGOs and concrete legislative and executive steps have been taken to address these challenges. Challenges, indeed, remain that require continued commitment and more practical actions to fulfil legally binding commitments, but more importantly it requires our moral responsibility – on the part of all of us as individual human beings towards each other.”
Bahrain Human Rights Society President, Dr. Abdulla Al Derazi encouraged all to consider “What we have achieved in human rights, where we are, and where we are heading” while praising the significant achievements in recent years. Atiyatallah Rohani gave a statement on behalf of Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society in which he lauded the initiatives undertaken by H.M. the King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in protecting, promoting and respecting human rights.

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