Kingdom of Bahrain

The eGovernment Authority of Bahrain and UNDP signed a Project Document to support the creation of the Arab Center for eContent Development. The Center, which will be headquartered in Bahrain, will help grow Arab eContent and raise its quality to international standards; aiming towards building a knowledge-based society.
The Document was signed by His Excellency Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatallah Al Khalifa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Mr. Sayed Aqa, UNDP Resident Representative in Bahrain, at a formal ceremony in UN House, Hoora. The ceremony was attended by CEO of eGovernment Authority Mohammed Al Qaed and a number of senior executives from the eGovernment Authority as well as UNDP.
As per the terms of the agreement, the eGovernment Authority and UNDP will co-finance the creation of the Center equally at a total cost of USD486, 000. The Center mainly aims to develop Arab eContent by increasing its presence on the web relative to other languages, improving Arab online search engine capabilities, and building skills in the area of eGovernment. The Center will also audit the quality of eContent and issue accredited certifications in this regard.
Moreover, the center will serve both the private and public sector both locally and regionally, and is expected to play a major role in fostering a robust business environment and creating sustainable economic growth, in line with the objectives of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.
“We are truly honored that Bahrain, represented by the eGovernment Authority, is quickly becoming a pioneer in world-class technical initiatives that serve the general public,” said His Excellency. “This latest program will further solidify Bahrain’s position globally in the area of eContent, and create a better tomorrow for Bahrain and our fellow Arab nations.”
“The focal point of this initiative will be to train and develop Bahrainis and attract local and foreign investments to pursue similar partnerships which will, in turn, create even more lucrative job opportunities for our youth,” His Excellency added.
Mr. Sayed Aqa referred to UNDP’s 2006 Report issued in Bahrain and highlighted that “knowledge based society is not only crucial for economic growth, but for sustainable development across the board, for the development of citizens of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The discussions and research suggested that Bahrain possess fundamental elements, which enables it to create a Knowledge-Based Society (KBS) in Bahrain.”

A Project Document was signed today between UNDP Bahrain, the Shura Council and the Council of Representatives (Nuwab) towards “Strengthening the Capacity of the Parliamentary Secretariats and Members of Parliament”.
Present at the signing ceremony were H.E. Ali Bin Saleh Al Saleh, Chairman of the Shura Council, H.E. Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Dhahrani, Chairman of the Council of Representatives, and UNDP Resident Representative Mr. Sayed Aqa.
On the occasion, Mr. Aqa elaborated that “This Project builds on the achievements of the last two projects between UNDP and Parliament, aiming to continue building the capacity of the Parliamentary Secretariat and Members of Parliament in order to improve business processes of Parliament and provide better services to both the Shura and Nuwab and ultimately the electorate, the citizens of Bahrain”. This Project will focus on improving management skills, producing a comprehensive training programme for all Secretariat Staff, as well as an Induction Manual for new staff.
Mr. Aqa added that “the project is aligned with the Economic Vision 2030, in which one of the key aspirations is an ‘efficient and effective Government focused on developing high-quality policies’ and ‘a more productive and accountable public sector’. The strengthening of legislatures is an essential element of ‘good governance’ which the Arab Human Development Reports (AHDRs) have identified as a cornerstone for enhancing human development, reducing poverty and achieving the MDGs. UNDP looks forward to working with both the Shura and Nuwab to make this a reality in Bahrain. ”
H.E. Ali Bin Saleh Al Saleh, Chairman of the Shura Council, affirmed, during the signing ceremony, that the legislative authorities in Bahrain are seeking to boost the competencies of their various sectors and praised the important contribution of UNDP in encouraging sustainable development in the Kingdom.

The 2009 Human Development Report Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development, was launched on Wednesday 28 October, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the United Nations House, Manama. H.E. Dr. Majeed bin Mohsen Al Alawi, Minister of Labour, participated in the launch event which included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, other governmental and non-governmental institutions and various media.
This Report is the latest publication in a series of global Human Development Reports, which aim to frame debates on some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity, from climate change to human rights. Migration, both within and beyond borders, has become an increasingly prominent theme in domestic and international debates. The starting point is that the global distribution of capabilities is extraordinarily unequal, and that this is a major driver for movement of people. Migration can expand their choices —in terms of incomes, accessing services and participation, for example— but the opportunities open to people vary from those who are best endowed to those with limited skills and assets. These underlying inequalities, which can be compounded by policy distortions, is a theme of the report. It’s findings make a clear point that “migration is a process to mange NOT a problem to solve. HDR09 shows how a human development approach can be a means to redress some of the underlying issues that erode the potential benefits of mobility and/or force migration.
Dr. Al Alawi commended Bahrain’s rank of 39 in the Human Development Index, especially for its consistent performance since the inception of the ranking system. Bahrain has an HDI of 0.895, placing fourth among the six GCC nations. Saudi Arabia and Oman rank below Bahrain. Dr. Al Alawi commended Bahrain’s rank of 39 in the Human Development Index, especially for its consistent performance since the inception of the ranking system. Bahrain has an HDI of 0.895, placing fourth among the six GCC nations. Saudi Arabia and Oman rank below Bahrain.
UNDP Resident Representative, Sayed Aqa, elaborated that “while migration had enormous gains for the poor, as well as for the destination and countries of origin, migrants do not take away jobs or put pressure on public services as otherwise envisaged”. He added that “this report provides policy makers with important and feasible recommendations but requires political courage to implement them to enhance human development.”

The United Nations Country Team in Bahrain gathered government officials, NGOs and civil society organizations to inform and mobilize citizens about the Stand Up and Take Action Against Poverty Campaign and to encourage people to participate and engage their community and leaders to fulfill their promise to end poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
People from all walks of life will gather at events across the globe from 16 to 18 October 2009 to “Stand Up” and ensure commitment towards the eradication of extreme poverty by 2015 as dictated in the MDGs.
UN Acting Resident Coordinator and World Meteorological Organisation Representative in Bahrain, Dr. Jaser Rabadi invited participants to log onto the campaign’s website (www.standangainstpoverty.org) and register their event to become part of the global movement to eradicate poverty.
“They just have to stand up and make a pledge to act against poverty and call upon world leaders to fulfill their engagements to halve poverty and to end extreme poverty by 2015” said Dr. Rabadi.
Addressing a press conference at UN House, Dr. Rabadi reiterated the importance of the campaign worldwide.
“These problems have not been resolved and have continued for a long time but many of the challenges can now be better addressed than ever before.”
Last year more than 116 million people participated in "Stand Up," shattering the Guinness World Record for the largest mobilization of human beings in recorded history.

Under the umbrella of the UN Secretary General’s campaign “Unite to End Violence against Women”, the UN Country Team held, today at the UN House, the first meeting of the Bahraini Network of Men. The establishment of this Network was initially announced last March during a UN celebration of International Women’s Day.
The Network of Men aims to advocate against Violence against Women as well as to raise awareness, especially among men and boys, of its enormous social, economic and development costs.
“Violence against Women poses a serious threat to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs…While even the most comprehensive surveys to date underestimate the costs, they all show that the failure to address violence against women has serious economic consequences,” said Sayed Aqa, UN Resident Coordinator.
The Network is composed of a diverse group of Bahraini men who are committed to support and be part of the efforts to end Violence against Women. The Network unites religious scholars, businessmen, politicians, legislators, and media persons in an effort to ensure commitment across Bahraini society to end violence against women through advocacy and raising awareness.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr. Nezar Al Baharna, was one of the first to join the Network of Men and stated “Laws alone cannot win the battle against domestic violence as this also requires a change in general attitudes within society”.
H.E. Lulwa Al Awadhi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women, briefed the group on the status of Bahraini women with respect to the issue of violence and pledged the support of the SCW to the Network.