Undersecretary, UNICEF official review Bahrain’s child right strides

Manama, May 19 (BNA): The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, received in the Ministry’s General Court today, the UNICEF Representative for Gulf Area, Eltayeb Adam and his accompanying delegation, who are currently visiting the Kingdom. The United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Amin El-Sharkawi was present. The Undersecretary for International Affairs praised the constructive partnership and cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the UNICEF, underscoring the role of the organisation in protecting the rights of the child at the international level. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah highlighted the pioneering efforts and achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to protect and support the rights of the child. He added that such efforts come in line with the Kingdom’s obligations to human rights and reflect its determination to achieve the goals of sustainable development 2030. He added that among these efforts were the new legislation issued in accordance with the international conventions the Kingdom has signed. These include the Child Law 2012, the Family Law 2017, and the National Childhood Strategy (2013-2017), which was renewed for 5 additional years. In addition, the Kingdom has also taken several initiatives such as the establishment of the Child Protection Centre, a child helpline, and the Juvenile Court. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah affirmed the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to provide high-quality health services according to international standards for all children without prejudice. He added that all children, of both genders, enjoy the right to free and advanced education. He noted the role of the Royal Charity Organisation in this regard. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs affirmed that the Kingdom places great importance on supporting children’s rights, which was recognised by the United Nations Child Rights Committee concerned with reviewing the Kingdom’s combined fourth to sixth periodic report on measures taken to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child last October. The Undersecretary highlighted the growing cooperation with the United Nations and its specialised agencies, stressing the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to develop coordination and joint work with various UN organizations, including UNICEF, through the Strategic Partnership Framework Agreement (2018- 2022). For his part, the UNICEF Representative praised the progress of the Kingdom of Bahrain in all areas related to the protection of the rights of children and family, commending the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to build a strong partnership with to support the implementation of national strategies and action plans and achieving sustainable development goals 2030. The meeting also discussed several issues related to the work of UNICEF, particularly the UNICEF subregional programme of cooperation for the Gulf, 2019–2023.