MLSD Minister: We are Continuing Our Partnership with the Supreme Council for Women to Reach more Achievements for Advancing Bahraini women

21-08-2021

Manama, 21 August (BNA): Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan extended his sincere congratulations to Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), on the twentieth anniversary of the SCW. He affirmed that the SCW stands as a pioneering model of policy‑making, planning, and programme implementation that delivers economic, social, and cultural returns for Bahraini women and families. This is achieved through the National Strategy for Bahraini Women and the programmes launched by the SCW since its establishment, which have reflected positively on the status of Bahraini women and strengthened the Kingdom’s position among leading countries in women’s support and empowerment. Humaidan stated that the SCW’s strategies and programmes have succeeded in supporting and empowering Bahraini women across all fields, enabling them to demonstrate a successful, distinguished presence with competence at local, Arab, and international levels, thanks to the unlimited support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the country’s great King, may God protect and preserve him, the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, and the exemplary leadership of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, may God protect her, over the past twenty years since Amiri Order No. 44 in 2001 establishing the Supreme Council for Women. He noted that the Royal patronage of the SCW’s celebration of Bahraini Women’s Day 2021, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of its establishment and held under the theme "Bahraini Women in National Development: A Journey of Progress in a Giving Nation" , sends a clear message affirming the continuation of generous Royal support for Bahraini women and the sincere desire for them to keep achieving further accomplishments through participation in all areas of national development. Humaidan affirmed that the Ministry of Labour and Social Development continues to partner with the SCW to realise further achievements in advancing Bahraini women at economic and social levels, by launching initiatives that encourage women’s integration into the labour market and investment of their energies in driving production, development, and the renaissance of the Kingdom. In this context, the Ministry has raised the proportion of women in employment operations from 25 % four years ago to 48 % of all newly employed citizens in the private sector in 2020, while women constituted 78 % of home‑based business owners among participants in the Ministry’s “Khatwa (Step)” programme for home‑based businesses, which aims to empower women economically. He also referred to the Khatwa (Step) programme, its successes, and the awards it has earned at Arab and international levels, most recently the Arab Government Excellence Award for the Best Government Community Development Project in 2020. He attributed this success to the continuous support of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa for productive families, embodied in numerous initiatives, including Her Highness’s award to encourage productive families launched at local and Arab levels, based on a firm belief in empowering productive families to work, produce, and develop. Humaidan explained that the Ministry of Labour and Social Development was among the first ministries to establish an Equal Opportunities Committee, in cooperation with the SCW. He highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to promoting a culture of equal opportunities and integrating women’s needs, in cooperation with NGOs, within the institutional integration strategy with the SCW and in implementation of the approved national plan to advance Bahraini women and enhance their role in society. He emphasised the Ministry’s determination to continue working and developing towards further achievements for Bahraini women and families across all fields.