Bahrain : The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, HE Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, today chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
The Cabinet highlighted the importance of the meeting held between His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the President of the Republic of Maldives, HE Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in strengthening Bahrain-Maldives relations and developing new opportunities from recently agreed MoUs.
The Cabinet commended the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasising the importance to continue developing initiatives that will strengthen the private sector’s role in the Kingdom’s economic growth, foster private sector’s development, and create opportunities for Bahraini citizens. These initiatives include strengthening urban development, developing real estate projects, and providing employers with greater flexibility in paying and sourcing labour.
The Cabinet followed-up on the implementation of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister’s directives on the new set of labour market reforms that will replace the Flexi Permits, including increased inspections to identify employers engaged in illegal activity. Moreover, the Cabinet approved the mechanisms to be used to suspend the infrastructure connectivity fee for new builds in areas with pre-existing amenities, and the exploration of investment opportunities for cross-sector public-private partnership.
The Cabinet commended the Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, on the victory of the Royal Endurance Team in the FEI Endurance World Championship 120 kilometre race held in Spain, highlighting the outstanding role played by HH Shaikh Nasser in leading the Bahraini endurance sport globally, and emphasised that this international achievement is an indication of the Kingdom’s tenacity and determination.
The Cabinet then welcomed Bahrain’s success in being elected to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council for the next four years, which occurred during the International Telecommunication Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest, Romania, emphasising that the election results reflect the international community’s confidence in Bahrain and its progress in communications and modern technologies.
The Cabinet discussed several memorandums during the meeting with the following outcomes:
The approval of the following memorandums:
1. A memorandum by the Government Executive Committee on the formulation of legislation that strengthens the rule of law, safeguards rights and supports development.
2. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on a draft decision on the issuance of regulatory requirements for the construction of various areas in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
3. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on an MoU between Customs Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan on cooperation in customs affairs.
4. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on the government’s response to four proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives.
The Cabinet also reviewed a memorandum by the Minister of Education regarding the Kingdom’s educational status in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report on the Human Development Index (HDI), which showed that the Kingdom of Bahrain’s education development continues to remain in line with the educational indicators prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cabinet then took note of ministerial reports regarding:
Participation in the Transforming Education Summit
Participation in the 77th session of the UN General Assembly
Participation in the state funeral for the former Prime Minister of Japan
Participation in the 117th meeting of the GCC Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee
Participation in the joint meeting of the Ministers of Finance and Governors of the Central Banks in the GCC countries with the Director General of the International Monetary Fund
The most prominent and successful initiatives from the outcomes of the exploratory visit to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Participation in the 48th Arab labour Conference’s sessions in Cairo
Participation in the eighth meeting of the Committee of GCC Labour Ministers
Participation in the meeting of OPEC and OPEC plus
Participation in the eighth meeting of the committee of GCC Social Affairs and Development Ministers
The official visit of a delegation from the Ministry of the Ministry of Electricity and Water Affairs the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The participation of Bahrain’s delegation in the World Green Economy Summit 2022 and the World Tourism Organization conference to celebrate World Tourism Day, as well as the participation in the Arab Media Forum.
