Kingdom lauds cooperation with UNDP

New York : Foreign Ministry Undersecretary of International Affairs Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, who attended the ministerial meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, 24 February, praised its firm cooperation ties with Bahrain. 

The Undersecretary of International Affairs took part in the ministerial session held to mark the occasion, entitled “Protecting Planet, Sustaining Development,” where he was one of the key speakers. 

He said that since its establishment, the UNDP has been keen to assist members to upgrade their capabilities to achieve a prosperous future through an effective economy and dependence on the available capabilities and resources. 

The Kingdom of Bahrain, he added, fully backs UNDP’s work since it opened in Bahrain in 1978 through active partnership to implement various projects, programmes and priorities that were set up by the Kingdom. 

Shaikh Abdullah said the Kingdom of Bahrain has placed the issue of sustainable development as a top priority and integrated the economic, social and environmental aspects within its programs and projects. 

He said the concept of sustainable development, which has gained an international dimension and interest, has a special importance to the Kingdom of Bahrain and was placed in government programmes to ensure a prosperous future for Bahrain. The Kingdom of Bahrain, he said, depends on diversifying its economy and create new jobs and investment in the energy industry to push the country’s economic growth, and it is among the group of small island states, which have a special status, adding that it is important to think in creative and new innovative ways to reduce the deterioration of the environment in these countries. 

He noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain has developed in this regard various projects in accordance with the government’s programme 2015-2018 and economic vision 2030 in line with the new sustainable development goals for 2030 adopted by the General Assembly in September 2015.

The UNDP was established in 1966, comprising of 170 states, and it assists countries in the development of policies related to the revitalisation of the economy.