Bahrain's MoFA undersecretary receives UN-Habitat officials

Manama, (BNA): Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Undersecretary for International Affairs Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa received Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat), Maimunah Mohd Sharif, and the Regional Director of UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States, Zena Ali Ahmad. At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah welcomed the fruitful cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and UN-Habitat, commending the participation of Ms. Sharif during the 5thArab Housing Conference during the period December 11-12. The undersecretary expressed his appreciation for the efforts exerted by UN-Habitat, which contributed in directing the international attention towards the development issues, as well as its role in supporting the efforts of States and communities in the field of urban development. He also expressed the pride of the Kingdom of Bahrain to sign the Strategic Partnership Framework between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Nations on October 24, 2017, which is the first of its kind in the region, and a model of partnership with this international organization. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah pointed out that the Kingdom of Bahrain shares with the UN-Habit its vision and objectives, to ensure a safe and stable life for humankind, a more prosperous future and continue achieving the sustainable development goals at an advanced level. In this regard, he reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to work with UN-Habitat in order to strengthen the efforts to implement the development goals, first and foremost to work to make cities and human settlements inclusive, secure and sustainable. The undersecretary affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was able to provide its citizens with adequate houses and achieved great success and progress in the implementation of housing projects in different parts of the country. He added that the Kingdom has also achieved many comprehensive development achievements at the highest level and efficiency, in accordance with the principles of sustainability, competitiveness, and justice, including the housing sector, which witnessed a qualitative leap in the provision of housing solutions and sophisticated programs in order to meet the society’s requirement. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah added that The Kingdom has a leading international experience in the field of urban development and is at the top of the Government’s priorities for programs. He also praised the cooperation between Bahrain and the United Nations and its specialized programs in the field of housing, including the "Bahrain Housing Policy Revision" which is within the Strategic Partnership Framework. The undersecretary highlighted the remarkable steps taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain in achieving the SDG's 2030, as reported by the United Nations and the relevant international agencies. He also added that this represents the outstanding success of the integrated vision of sustainable growth and enhancing citizens’ living standards, through appropriate and qualitative plans and strategies, covering all areas of development. The undersecretary also discussed the highlights of the Bahrain Human Development Report, published by the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which contributes to the SDGs and enhances institutional effectiveness, in order to strengthen the position of the Kingdom of Bahrain on the global sustainable development map. The Executive Director of UN Habitat, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, commended the Kingdom of Bahrain's keenness to construct a firm partnership with the United Nations, especially the (UN-Habitat) Programme. She also expressed her appreciation to the Undersecretary for International Affairs for introducing initiatives and consolidating partnership, particularly with regard to supporting strategies and indicators that serve the areas of sustainable development in Bahrain, in addition to actively contributing to the preparation of the its first Voluntary National Review (VNR) that was presented last July, as well as the Bahrain Human Development Report. The Regional Director of UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States, Zena Ali Ahmad, noted the significant achievements made by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the areas of housing, urban development and urban planning, stressing that joint cooperation will be strengthened in the future, thanks to the strategic partnership framework agreement, the national policies of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the goals of sustainable development 2030.