Deputy Premier chairs regular weekly Cabinet session

Manama, June 24 (BNA): Deputy Prime Minister, HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, chaired the regular weekly Cabinet session, at the Gudaibiya Palace today. Bahrain’s Tier 1 ranking welcomed The cabinet welcomed the kingdom’s success in maintaining its Tier 1 status in the US State Department’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. The milestone is the fruitful outcome of the remarkable progress made by the kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, in preserving and protecting human rights, and reflects the effectiveness of the measures and procedures taken by the government, led by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, to combat cross-border crimes, such as trafficking in persons, the cabinet said. The session also commended the efforts exerted by the Executive Committee, under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to follow up on the measures taken by the competent anti-human trafficking authorities, including the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, the relevant Ministry of Interior’s departments, the Labour and Social Development Ministry and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, a statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, said. "Peace to Prosperity" workshop welcomed The cabinet welcomed the "Peace to Prosperity" economic workshop to be hosted by the kingdom in partnership with the United States of America, stressing Bahrain’s keenness to contribute to everything aimed at creating opportunities to support the Palestinian economy and building a prosperous future for the brotherly Palestinian people, as part of its constant approach in championing the Palestinian cause and backing all initiatives that benefit the countries and peoples of the region. In this regard, the session stressed that countries of the region and the Middle East would benefit from the "promising" economic opportunities that the workshop would offer, welcoming the countries, as well as regional and international organisations and companies participating in the key economic gathering aimed at stimulating investments and economic initiatives that would lead to achieving peace in the region. King Hamad Causeway project’s preliminary steps reviewed HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak was informed about the latest preliminary steps of the King Hamad Causeway project that would connect Bahrain to sisterly Saudi Arabia. Commenting on a presentation given by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, the deputy premier gave directives to speed up the completion of the technical and engineering steps, and to finalise the procedures of the project’s tenders, including the appointment of the project’s main consultant. Houthi militias’ terrorist acts condemned The session condemned and denounced the multiple forms of the Houthi militias’ terrorism, citing their targeting of innocent civilians and repeated attacks on Abha International Airport, describing them as acts that violate international laws and put security and stability at risk. The cabinet called on the International Community to shoulder its responsibilities and protect innocent civilians from such terrorist attacks, reiterating Bahrain’s full-fledged support for Saudi Arabia and backing of the measures it deems necessary to safeguard its security and stability. Private sector’s salary system to be developed The cabinet endorsed a number of edicts aimed at developing the salary system at the private sector, in line with its keenness to ensure that workers’ salaries are paid according to schedule, as well as boost mutual trust among the production parties. Under the edicts, employers shall pay the salaries of their workers through Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB)-licensed banks, under the supervision of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA). They also stipulate the establishment of an electronic database at LMRA to ensure employers’ commitment to paying employees’ salaries, and be used in any judicial disputes related to salary payments. The session requested the Labour and Social Development Minister to issue the edicts, in addition to their executive procedures, based on a recommendation by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs, as highlighted in the memorandum presented by the Deputy Premier and committee chairman. State budget to be more responsive to women’s needs The cabinet referred to the Executive Committee a draft-law on amending Article (8) of the General State Budget Law to ensure that the state budget would be more responsive to integrating women’s needs in the development programmes. The bill, based on a recommendation submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs, in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Women, aims to achieve the principles of fairness and equal opportunities, and to harness the available resources to ensuring the participation of men and women on equal footing. Foreign Minister’s memo referred to ministerial committee The cabinet referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the kingdom’s signature and ratification of the statute of the Women Development Organisation in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s Member States. Future Generations Fund’s financed statements approved The session approved the financial statements of the Bahrain Future Generations Fund (FGF) for the fiscal year ending on December 31, 2018, and referred them to the Council of Representatives. Audited by the National Audit Office and presented by the Minister of Finance and National Economy, the financial statements revealed that the assets of the FGF had increased by 41% over the past four years, reaching USD 782 million, and that the cumulative return on investment in the FGF posted an increase of 20% over the past five years. Bahrain to participate in ECOSOC’s High-level Political Forum The cabinet approved the kingdom’s participation in the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, to be held under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in July, as highlighted in the memorandum presented by the Cabinet Affairs Minister. The kingdom’s delegation will be led by the Minister of Housing, and comprise representatives of the National Information Committee, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Information and e-Government Authority (iGA). Memo on government purchases referred to ministerial committee The session referred a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism on the government procurement in Bahrain to the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs. Parliamentary proposals The cabinet endorsed a proposal submitted by the Council of Representatives on activating an edict on granting two paid rest hours for workers with disabilities or those in their custody, noting that it is already implemented on the ground after the issuance of Edict 80/2018. The session also referred the government’s replies to the Council of Representatives regarding a proposal on the 100 Arab Start-Ups programme, announced by the Economic Development Board (EDB), and another on establishing a trans-border central land transport station operating like airports. Ministerial Reports The cabinet was a report presented by the Labour and Social Development Minister about the 108th Session of the International Labour Conference. In this regard, HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak lauded Bahrain’s landmark achievements as a result of its cooperation with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The session was also informed about the outcomes of the participation of Transportation and Telecommunications Minister in the International Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2019. It was also notified about the results of the 110th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)’s Executive Council, through a report submitted by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism.