Bahrain's Foreign Undersecretary meets ECOSOC President

New York, Sept.26 (BNA): On the sidelines of the meetings of the UN General Assembly UNGA – 73 in New York City, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs and DERASAT Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, met today with the President of the UN Economic and Social Council Ambassador Inga Rhonda, who is also the Permanent Representative of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations in New York. During the meeting, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah stressed that the Kingdom of Bahrain is keen to strengthen its existing relations with the United Nations and its agencies in various fields of cooperation, based on a real growing partnership. He highlighted that the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has made pioneering achievements and distinguished gains characterized inclusiveness and sustainability at all levels of development. He outlined the positive cooperation process between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Economic and Social Council, whether in terms of its participation in previous sessions or in hosting the Council’s meetings. In this regard, he described Bahrain's election to the UN NGO Committee for the years 2019-2022 as a new international recognition of the Kingdom’s credibility and sound position. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah said that the Kingdom of Bahrain has not only taken the lead in the human development index and achieved many Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and linking them to human rights in the broad sense, but also represents an international center for development and youth initiatives and projects. He also shed the light on the implications of the King Hamad Award for Youth Empowerment to achieve the SDGs as a noble royal step towards global youth, to spread the concepts and objectives of sustainable development among this important group especially that the award was a great success and recognized in its first version. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Trustees noted the achievements and advancement of the Kingdom in the implementation of sustainable development 2030, within the Government plan of action, where the Kingdom is moving in accordance with a comprehensive strategy of development in various dimensions. This In order to strike a balance and integration between the three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental and to invest in human resources and women partnership, which constitute a fertile and constructive field for cooperation with the United Nations. He also referred to the decision of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister, No. 19 /2018, to establish the Coordination and Follow-Up Committee between the Kingdom of Bahrain and United Nations agencies, because of the strategic partnership 2018-2020. This is to support the implementation of the Government's plan of action and priorities, taking into account the needs and satisfaction of citizens, in accordance with the highest levels of international quality standards. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah also praised the cooperation between the Bahrain Center for Strategic and International Studies and Energy and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bahrain to keep pace with Bahrain's economic vision 2030, which has contributed to the rise of the Kingdom's ranking seven places at the global level. It was thanks to the optimal use of international statistics in the statistical update report of the United Nations Development Program and accurate reflection of the conditions of human development in Bahrain. This is in addition to the inauguration of the National Human Development Report by DERASAT soon in 2018, which will focus on sustainable economic growth paths in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Center also organized a consultative workshop with academics and those interested in sustainable development. It was part of a series of national consultations during the preparation of the first national voluntary report to implement the sustainable development goals, in addition to the participation of the Center in the committee on the Assessment of government service centers, established pursuant to Resolution No. (9) of 2017 by His Royal Highness Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, with the aim of raising the efficiency and effectiveness of government services, and developing them to meet the aspirations of citizens and residents. The Undersecretary said that, in line with Bahrain’s commitment to the goals and principles of the United Nations, we are pleased to channel cooperation with the Economic and Social Council for mutual benefit and to establish integrated and sustainable strategic policies. Policies that cover economic, social and environmental aspects, with emphasis on specific areas such as entrepreneurship investments, renewable energy resources, enhanced statistical and informatics capabilities, and advanced training programs, in accordance with the principles of sustainability, competitiveness and equity. For her part, Ambassador Inga Rhonda expressed her pride in the fruitful cooperation with the Kingdom of Bahrain in spreading its unique development experience and anticipating the future transformations of the international economy, based on rigorous academic and researches She stressed the importance of concerted international efforts to implement the development agenda and according importance to the private sector in supporting sustainable development and increasing foreign direct investment, wishing the Kingdom of Bahrain further progress and prosperity.