The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa, today met in her office at the Ministry General Court with United Nations Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Mr. Amin Al Sharkawi.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Mr. Sharkawi, noting UNDP efforts and initiatives and its diversity and comprehensiveness in all fields, stressing the Kingdom's keenness to continue cooperating and coordinating with the United Nations at various levels.

Dr. Shaikha Rana said that the Kingdom of Bahrain was in the process of preparing to review its fourth report to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in July 2019.

The Kingdom of Bahrain, as a state party, submitted its report in March 2018, which revealed its progress in ensuring women's rights and showed its efforts to empower women and young girls in in national legislation, strategies, policies and programs, she noted. This, she added, reflects the interest of the Kingdom of Bahrain to support the United Nations by presenting its experience to the member-states.

The Undersecretary also discussed the latest developments regarding World Conference on Justice and Competitiveness, which will be held from 14-15 November 2018 by the Supreme Council for Women (SCW).

The conference, she explained, aims at facilitating interactive dialogue to explore ways of empowering women to participate in public life, in policy, legislation and decision-making.

Mr. Amin Al Sharkawi expressed his happiness at the meeting with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and commended her participation in the Second Eurasian Women's Forum held on 19-21 September 2018 in St Petersburg, Russia. He praised the continuous efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain to empower women in various fields in order to lead in the empowerment of women and ensuring their rights.

 Mr. Al Sharkawi also noted the important efforts of the Supreme Council for Women and the Bahrain Institute for Political Development the Elections Advisory Program, which focuses on providing legal, political and media training for women in preparation for the upcoming municipal and parliamentary elections. He described the program as an important step on the reinforcement of women’s political participation and reflective of the Kingdom of Bahrain's commitment to its obligations under the terms of the agreements signed with the United Nations in the field.

He stressed keenness of the United Nations and its agencies to strengthen cooperation with the Kingdom of Bahrain to help it advance the development process and achieve the highest levels of sustainability, competitiveness and justice, wishing the Kingdom of Bahrain progress and prosperity.