Bahrain : His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
To mark the International Day of Education, the Cabinet commended the Kingdom’s education professionals, thanking them for their efforts to best continue the education process in exceptional circumstances throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The Cabinet encouraged the education sector workforce to continue supporting government programmes that will further develop the national education sector, and contribute towards the Kingdom’s comprehensive development, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The Cabinet activated a unified system for the internal auditing of government agencies.
The new system ensures greater oversight over the agencies and is based on specific audit frameworks.
The Cabinet also adopted the unified guide for the internal auditing of government agencies.
The guide is a project of the Government Priority Framework, with the aim of further strengthening the government’s internal audit capacity, assist internal auditors adhere to the best professional auditing standards and practices, and strengthen public sector’s internal audit framework.
In this regard, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister directed the activation of the consolidated system for internal auditing and for the guide to be circulated across all ministries and government agencies.
The Cabinet condemned and denounced the Houthi attacks on civilian targets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, affirming that they violate international law.
The Cabinet expressed condolences to the victims’ families and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
The Cabinet affirmed Bahrain’s support for Saudi Arabia and the UAE as they respond to the terror attacks and implement measures to protect their national security.
In this regard, the Cabinet welcomed the statement by the United Nations Security Council and the League of Arab States that condemned the attack on the United Arab Emirates.
The Cabinet discussed a number of memorandums during the meeting with the following outcomes:
The approval of the following memorandums:
1. A memorandum by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism regarding measures aimed at further strengthening investment and commercial activity.
2. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government’s response to two proposals submitted by the Council of epresentatives.
The Cabinet reviewed the following topics:
1. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance regarding the complete electronic transformation of government revenues and payment services, to efficiently provide 24-hour services to citizens and residents without the need for personal attendance at ministry buildings.
2. A memorandum by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism regarding the electronic transformation of 22 services within the Ministry’s Industrial Development Sector.
3. A memorandum by the Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs, regarding the latest developments in the installation of smart meters, and the completion of 100% of installations for citizens in their first residence with open accounts.
The smart meters will ensure accuracy and efficiency in calculating consumption.
The Cabinet then took note of Ministerial reports, regarding: the topics that were discussed during the meeting between Bahrain’s delegation headed by the Minister of Finance and National Economy with officials of the Hellenic Republic; and the follow-up of the implementation of Cabinet decisions from January 2021 to January 2022.