Kingdom of Bahrain

Marking the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day, a press conference was held at UN House on 30th November 2008. The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is “Lead – Empower – Deliver”, building on last year’s theme of “Take the Lead”.
The Government of Bahrain is the first of the GCC countries to formulate a National Committee for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and to adopt a multi-sectoral response to the epidemic. While AIDS levels are currently low in Bahrain, actions to control its spread must be taken.
Speaking at the press conference, Dr. Somaya Al Jowder, head of the National Committee on AIDS Prevention, stated that although Bahrain appeared to be winning the war on AIDS, it is difficult to get information from the groups at risk or from the persons infected with the disease, as there continues to be a stigma attached to the subject. She added that 70 percent of AIDS cases in Bahrain were transmitted through needle sharing by drug users, followed by heterosexual contact and unprotected homosexual contact.
Although progress has been made in Bahrain, said Dr. Al Jowder, the Committee still strives to ensure AIDS patients are given their full rights. She stated further that the first anonymous AIDS testing centre has opened in Bahrain.
Representing the UN Country Team, the Acting Resident Coordinator, Dr.Habib El Habr, delivered the statement of the UN Secretary–General Ban Ki-moon on the occasion of World AIDS Day, in which he stated that AIDS infection rates were on the decline and that this mirrors the dedication of the people all over the world to take the lead to stop AIDS. “We have to end the stigma and discrimination that still stop many people from learning how to prevent HIV and get treatment. And we need resources”, the message said.
On the occasion, UN Development Programme Deputy Resident Representative Firas Gharaibeh read out the statement of UNDP administrator Kemal Dervis. The message highlighted this year’s World Aids Campaign aimed at renewing the focus on the need for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.

Towards promoting and enhancing the situation of Human Rights and building on its increasingly strong partnership with the United Nations Human Rights bodies, the Kingdom of Bahrain is convening a conference on Comparative Universal Periodic Review (UPR) experiences in the field of Human Rights.
In cooperation between Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNDP, the UN Human Rights Council, and the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, the two-day conference will open at 10:00 a.m., 19 November 2008, at the Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel, Manama.
Addressing mainly “Arab League” countries, this first Conference of its kind aims at sharing best practices, identifying challenges encountered and ways to tackle them while promoting good practices in the Arab States region.
The conference is gaining regional and international momentum with invited speakers from each continent, including the UK, Morocco, South Africa, Philippines, Canada and Argentina. These speakers will each share their country’s experiences in the UPR process.
Key speakers at the conference include the Deputy President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Alberto J. Dumont, and Dr. Ebrahim Salama, from the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mr. Patrick Van Weerlet, human rights advisor from UNDP New York, will take part in the wrap up session of the conference.
Expected attendance includes all political societies and human rights NGOs in Bahrain as well as concerned government bodies. International human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are also expected to participate.
Every Member State of the UN is to undergo "a universal periodic review, based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfillment by each state of its human rights obligations and commitments". The Kingdom of Bahrain was the first country to undergo the UPR by the Human Rights Council in May this year.
By hosting this conference, Bahrain is taking a measurable step in creating dialogue between countries who have undergone the UPR earlier this year and others yet to be reviewed; between members of the UN Human Rights Council and other member states of the UN; and between both governmental and nongovernmental national stakeholders in the UPR process in Bahrain. It emphasizes the importance of sharing experiences related to different stages of UPR processes with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of the UPR.

As part of the worldwide campaign on Stand Up and Take Action (SUTA) Against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals, the UN family in Bahrain, joined by Bahrain Training Institute colleagues and a UN Humanitarian mission visiting from New York, gathered at UN House on October 19, 2008 to show their commitment in support of this noble campaign. The Stand Up and Take Action initiative is planned to coincide with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This year, the call has gone out to governments to keep their promises to achieve the Millennium Goals and to end extreme poverty by 2015.
The staff of all UN Agencies in Bahrain joined together to stand up against poverty. The pledge was read by all 30 participants in unison in which all urged for “no more excuses – end poverty now.” T-Shirts with the campaign logo were distributed to each staff and a group photo was taken to be uploaded to the SUTA website. The event at UN House was also documented through a video clip and will be submitted to New York for their compilation.
More than 20,000 people in Bahrain participated in the UN campaign. Campaigners at various schools, institutes and organizations showed their commitment to the cause by pledging to take action against poverty. The Bahrain campaign was mobilized by the UN information Centre, Bahrain Training Institute, Al Shabeeba, and the Art of Living. Participating individuals, schools, colleges and organizations will plant and nurture 100,000 plants by July 2009.
More than 116 million people – nearly two percent of the world population – stood up and committed to take action at events in 131 countries on October 17-19 as part of “Stand Up and Take Action.” The mobilization, which was ratified by Guinness as breaking the world record for the biggest mass mobilization on a single issue, sends a clear message to world leaders that citizens will not stay seated while promises to end poverty remain unfulfilled.