HRH Premier calls for adopting values derived from human conscience

New York, Sep. 29 (BNA): Amid a big presence of political, international and diplomatic figures, the second session of the "Bahrain Visions Forum: Shared Visions for a Successful Future", organsied by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa's Court for the second year, convened this year under the theme "Values Required to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals", as a reaffirmation of the Kingdom of Bahrain's commitment to support the efforts of the international community towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , which are considered as an important foundation for building a better future in which the people of the world enjoy a secure and stable life. Present at the event were Mr. Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Mutawa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Hossam bin Isa Al Khalifa, President of HRH Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Award for Sustainable Development, and Dr. Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), Peter Zegarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Hungary, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and UAE Minister of Happiness, Ohood Al Roumi. The forum was also attended by Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, and Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with the participation of a large number of officials and diplomatic corps and officials of the United Nations, the press and media. Mr. Jonathan Granov, President of the Institute for Global Security, delivered the opening speech of the forum, in which he praised the unanimous adoption by the General Assembly of the initiative of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister to declare April 5 an International Day of Conscience. He praised the partnership between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Global Security Institute in organising the forum, to be a platform for leaders to exchange views and leading ideas to face global challenges, pointing out the importance of the forum this year in highlighting issues related to sustainable development. On behalf of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Mutawa, delivered a speech at the Forum, in which he called on the international community to adopt the values derived from human conscience and develop them into integrated mechanisms so that they make a reference for every effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and support the steps of states and peoples towards human well-being everywhere. HRH Premier also called on the international community to be more positive and strong in confronting and addressing the causes of insecurity and instability, and that the system of collective action be able to lay the foundations of a lasting peace that would provide the conditions for countries to continue their development in the interest of their peoples. The Prime Minister affirmed the commitment of the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to support the efforts of the international community to move forward towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, as an important foundation for building a better future in which the peoples of the world enjoy the requirements of a safe and stable life. HRH Premier expressed his hope that the International Conscience Day on April 5 of each year, which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in response to his initiative, will be a new, constructive, systematic and consistent way to mobilise the international community's efforts to promote peace for the security of peoples and communities and achieve sustainable development goals. HRH the Prime Minister called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to adopt the appointment of ambassadors of global conscience, in order to stimulate the human conscience to contribute to the resolution of issues facing humanity in the political, economic, social and environmental fields. He stressed the need for the human conscience to be strongly present and proactive in responding quickly and consciously to alleviate the suffering of human beings in areas experiencing tragic situations as a result of conflicts and the resulting psychological, material and environmental damage. HRH Premier pointed out that the "Bahrain Forum Shared Visions for a Successful Future", in its second session this year under the slogan "Values Required to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals", is an opportunity to exchange views and ideas on the themes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aimed at developing a common vision that enhances the chances of success of countries on their way towards the implementation of these goals and to ensure that no one is left behind. The Prime Minister expressed his pride in the role and influence of the Forum, through its role as an intellectual platform for responsible elites of thought leaders, policy and decision-makers from all countries of the world, to exchange views in order to develop serious and appropriate solutions to the most prominent current issues of concern to the whole world. HRH Premier pointed out that the themes of the forum are consistent with the Kingdom of Bahrain's approach to consolidating the concept of global conscience as a human value drive to help solve the problems and issues facing humanity at present. At the end of the speech, HRH the Prime Minister expressed his thanks to the United Nations General Assembly and the attendees for their participation in the Forum, expressing his hope that these efforts and joint efforts will culminate in stimulating the efforts of the international community towards peace, stability and development to bring peace and tranquility to the lives of peoples and continue to build human civilisation. Then, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered a speech in which he affirmed Bahrain's strong commitment to sustainable development goals and working with its partners to raise the standard of living in the region and provide a safe environment for future generations. He stressed that the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamdal Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the First Deputy Prime Minister, set SDGs at the forefront of its national strategy and has made them the cornerstone of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030. He highlighted Bahrain's interest, since 1919, in providing free education to Bahrainis, health care and housing, and implementing policies that ensure economic development and job growth. The minister attributed Bahrain's progress to the values of its people and society, stressing that Bahrain has been for centuries and will continue to be an example of coexistence and pluralism, which has given the Bahraini society a dynamic and resilient ability that has pushed it forward in the path of development. The Foreign Minister also pointed out that Bahrain is proud of its heritage and that part of the protection of this heritage is to protect the natural environment and the natural environment that supports and preserve our lives. "As we pursue our development goals, we cannot ignore the effects of the region around us, nor the actions of countries in our region that do not share our commitment to progress," he said. "In the past few months and weeks we have seen a worrying escalation from Iran. There is no doubt that Iran was responsible for the attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and attacks on commercial cargo ships in the waters of the Persian Gulf, he added. He stressed that the Iranian regime has long put its own political interests on the interests of the Iranian people and hindered Iran from achieving its potential and take its place among the respected and future countries of the world, and we sincerely hope for the region and our .development that Iran and countries with similar tendencies to reconsider their actions and change their methods. The Foreign Minister expressed Bahrain's appreciation for its partnership with the United Nations and all its related organs and agencies, and looks forward to continue working through the strategic partnership framework that Bahrain has signed with the United Nations. Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University, President of the Centre for Sustainable Development in the United States of America and a keynote speaker thanked, in his speech, the Kingdom of Bahrain for its inspiration to 192 Member States of the United Nations to take the agenda of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals seriously as a guide for the common collective future, despite the challenges experienced by the region. He praised His Royal Highness the Prime Minister's invitation and call on the United Nations to appoint ambassadors for the international conscience after the adoption of April 5 International Day of Conscience. It is to establish the foundations of a stable and secure world order that will live in peace and development. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Dr. Anwar Gargash, expressed his thanks to the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain for the good initiative to establish this forum, pointing out that Bahrain has long been considered a leading country in the region, and one of the first countries to introduce modern management, and the first to introduce education and health care. He said that the Kingdom of Bahrain is a compass for the Gulf region, saying, "If Bahrain is fine, the rest of the Gulf is fine and if Bahrain is in crisis, we know that we will all be in the Gulf in crisis," pointing out that Bahrain has gone through good times and difficult times but overcame them thanks to the wisdom of its leadership and the steadfastness of its people. The forum witnessed a number of statements by the attendees. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Peter Szegarto, stressed the urgent need of the world to spread the culture of coexistence between different cultures, praising Bahraini initiatives that seek to find solutions to conflicts and peaceful coexistence among peoples. Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) praised the organisation of this annual forum "Bahrain Visions Forum" in this important global forum, and said that this initiative proceeds from the keenness of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, with his wise leadership and insightful vision to promote the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence to ensure the prevalence of the values of diversity and pluralism and the preservation of national unity in Bahraini society. He also praised HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa's recognition of the importance of such initiatives and deliberations to explore and develop future visions and aspirations, and to create a suitable environment and provide means of success to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Mrs. Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General and former Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program, commended the Kingdom of Bahrain for the establishment of this important forum, for sharing common visions, learning from the experiences of others and sharing ideas for a better world. She commended the initiative of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister and the courage of HRH to submit a proposal to launch the International Day of Conscience, which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly on April 5th of the year, out of the conviction of His Highness that if humans lose conscience, peace and stability couldn’t be established in the world. Mrs. Michele Koninx, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, praised the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the International Security Institute in raising awareness at the level on the evolving relationship between stability and peace in all parts of the world. Countries. She pointed out that more efforts should be directed to support young people in conflict-affected areas, and to focus on the issues of education and provide a means of decent life and social stability.