Bahraini Women Day report recommends boosting participation of women in diplomatic field

Manama, Dec. 14 (BNA): The recommendations of the final report of Bahraini Women Day are based on four key pillars, Hala Al Ansari, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) has said. Bahraini Women Day, an initiative by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and President of the SCW, is celebrated annually on December 1. The theme for this year was Bahrain women in the diplomatic field and the recommendations were drafted to boost and sustain the participation of Bahraini women in diplomacy practices. The first pillar, Professional development, focuses on providing more opportunities to increase the number of Bahraini women in international diplomacy, not only in Bahrain's diplomatic missions abroad, but also in international organizations and on ensuring the sustainability of their participation, Al Ansari said. Sub-topics are lifelong training by pairing the diplomatic studies programs of the Mohammed bin Mubarak Academy for Diplomatic Studies with gender balance plans; intensifying training programs to prepare women for international action; and focusing on diplomatic, cultural and political self-learning skills, she added. The second pillar, equal opportunities, focuses on activating remote work for diplomatic missions, reconsidering the diplomats' accompanying status by including parents for instance and not confining it to the spouse, and extending the care umbrella for the children of diplomats stationed abroad to include children since their birth and not until they reach the primary education stage. Under the third pillar, house of expertise and knowledge management, Bahrain's diplomatic missions are transformed into mini centers of expertise in the field of women's advancement, documenting diplomatic history, establishing a communication network for diplomatic experiences, and developing awareness and information programs to attract new generations and continue to invest in success stories. The recommendations were formulated following the completion of the 2020 Bahraini Women's Day program that included seminars, lectures and focus groups and during which extensive discussions were held with local and international experts in diplomacy, Al Ansari said during a Bahrain Television program co-organized by the SCW and the Ministry of Information. "We are keen that by the end of the Bahraini Women's Day celebrations, we have finalized all the literature related to this year's theme, drawn the recommendations and worked on implementing them with the concerned partners, particularly through equal opportunity committees. We are also working to include the recommendations in the executive plan of the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women," Al Ansari said. The National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women (2013 – 2022) aims to ensure family stability within familial bonds, empower women to contribute competitively to progress based on the principle of equal opportunities and include women's needs in the development programs in order to enhance the standards of the quality of their lives, excellence of performance and lifelong learning. Such aims are achieved through integrating with allies and partners of the Supreme Council for Women within institutional work. Al Ansari said that despite the exceptional conditions imposed by the coronavirus, the Supreme Council for Women was this year able to carry out around 70% of its plans and programs for Bahraini Women's Day. “The pandemic has posed great challenges to us, but we are fortunate to have in Bahrain advanced infrastructure in the fields of technology and communication. We have been able to fully activate work systems and carry out up activities remotely, including organizing Bahraini Women Day events throughout this year. The exceptional circumstances led the Supreme Council for Women to cancel the annual celebration that it used to hold on December 1, in compliance with health precautionary requirements. However, the Council focused more for its activities on the media," she said.