Kingdom joins global call to protect freedom of religions

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, participated in a high-level event entitled “Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom”, hosted by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The minister expressed appreciation for the President of the United States for hosting the event, which reflects his keenness to reinforce international co-operation in order to guarantee religious freedom in all parts of the world. 

He also stressed the importance of enhancing the efforts aimed at consolidating intercultural openness and communication. The event aims to support religious freedom, combat various forms of persecution, address attacks on places of worship, and ensure respect for the cultural and religious heritage of states. Separately, Shaikh Khalid, met the President of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly,  Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, in the presence of the President of Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa. 

The minister extended his congratulations to Mr Muhammed-Bande on being elected as the President of the current session of the General Assembly, wishing him success in fulfilling his tasks in enhancing the role of the UNGA for the benefit of all countries. Shaikh Khalid stressed the keenness of the Kingdom to further develop co-operation with the United Nations due to its vital role in establishing international peace and security and enhancing sustainable development. 

For his part, the President of UNGA hailed the development of the Kingdom in various fields, commending its efforts in achieving the sustainable development goals. He also noted the Kingdom’s policy which focuses on supporting global co-operation to overcome all challenges. The meeting also discussed the main issues and topics enlisted in the current UNGA agenda.  Shaikh Khalid also participated in the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage and the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his sincere appreciation to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, for his role and efforts in holding such high-level meetings that discuss important issues to the international community. Shaikh Khalid affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain attaches great importance to universal health coverage, which comes at the forefront of its strategic priorities to achieve the sustainable development goals related to health.

He added that the Kingdom has a distinct experience in providing primary health care services, and is keen to provide therapeutic and preventive health services of high quality and efficiency in accordance with the best international standards and practices. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also pointed out that the Kingdom has launched many initiatives to protect the environment and preserve its natural resources, as it also strives to enhance co-operation with the countries of the world to achieve these goals.