Municipalities Affairs Minister, UN Resident Coordinator discuss cooperation

Manama, Aug. 13 (BNA): Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Wael bin Nasser Al-Mubarak, received the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Activities in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Khaled El-Mekwad, with whom he discussed areas of cooperation in fields of mutual interest. The minister commended the tremendous efforts exerted by the UN in Bahrain, in cooperation with its national public and private sector partners, to serve the priorities of development in Bahrain, stressing the kingdom’s keenness to strengthen its ongoing partnership with the UN. Al-Mubarak reviewed the kingdom’s efforts to expand afforestation projects, noting that the number of trees in Bahrain will be doubled by 2035, in line with the national commitment to protecting the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change. He also affirmed the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry’s keenness to enhance its partnership with the relevant UN agencies to support the national programmes in many fields, especially those related to agriculture and fisheries, which will contribute to improving the kingdom’s ranking in the relevant global indicators. Khaled El-Mekwad lauded the remarkable progress made by the kingdom in the field of urban development, affirming the UN’s keenness to continue its cooperation with the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry in various programmes and fields aimed at achieving sustainable development goals.