07-04-2021

The Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development and Assistant Undersecretary for Community Development, Mr. Khalid Abdul Rahman Ishaq Al-Kooheji, participated in the Fifth Arab Conference for Child Rights, organised by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States via videoconference. A delegation comprising Bahraini stakeholders concerned with children’s affairs also took part. The conference addressed emerging challenges facing children in Arab countries, particularly the adverse impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on their health, education, and social well-being. It also examined successful regional experiences in this context. Moreover, participants discussed the establishment of an Arab network through social media aimed at raising children's awareness of the pandemic. In his address, Mr. Khalid Abdul Rahman Ishaq Al-Kooheji, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development and Assistant Undersecretary for Community Development, reviewed the efforts undertaken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to combat the pandemic, highlighting the preventive and precautionary measures implemented to safeguard the health of all, particularly children. He underscored the Kingdom’s commitment to children’s rights as an integral part of the proactive measures initiated by the esteemed Government to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. These efforts were carried out under the wise directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the great King of the country, may God protect and preserve him, the decisions of the esteemed Government, and the national endeavours led by the National Campaign to Combat Coronavirus, spearheaded and overseen by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Deputy Supreme Commander, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. These collective efforts contributed significantly to mitigating the negative impacts of the crisis. As a result, by God's grace, the Kingdom garnered widespread international acclaim for its precautionary and well-considered preventive measures. These achievements embody the Kingdom of Bahrain’s pioneering stature and capacity to confront disasters and crises, grounded in a steadfast commitment to preserving the safety and health of all segments of society—citizens and residents alike—and safeguarding the well-being of children. Mr. Al-Kooheji further highlighted Bahrain’s success in sustaining education and rehabilitating children throughout the pandemic. He noted that the Ministry of Labour and Social Development launched several initiatives and programmes to optimise children’s time at home through digital networks. This was complemented by the Kingdom’s concerted efforts in the field of education, which included providing comprehensive educational materials and resources to students and forming 45 working teams dedicated to preparing new model lessons uploaded daily to the digital educational content platform for various academic levels. He also detailed the measures implemented to protect female workers in the childhood sector, whereby the Kingdom paid full salaries to female employees working in kindergartens and nurseries who were not insured by the General Organisation for Social Insurance, through the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) for a period of nine months. This support was subsequently extended at 50% of the salary for three additional months. Moreover, Mr. Al-Kooheji referenced the royal directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the great King of the country, may God protect and preserve him, to increase the monthly allowance for RHF-sponsored orphans and widows He concluded his speech by emphasising the Kingdom of Bahrain’s success in mitigating the pandemic’s repercussions, thanks to close cooperation between government sectors, the private sector, civil society organisations, and the executive and legislative authorities. Mr. Al-Kooheji noted that Bahrain’s experience represents a model to be emulated in promoting citizens’ rights and advancing healthcare, education, and social services as fundamental pillars of comprehensive national development.