HRH Princess Sabeeka receives Swiss ambassador

Manama, Mar. 26 (BNA): Her Royal Highness Prince Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), received here today the Non-Resident Swiss Ambassador to Bahrain, Maya Tissafi, in the presence of Foreign Minister, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. HRH Princess Sabeeka asserted the SCW’s keenness on going ahead with the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it had signed with Switzerland on the sidelines of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s visit there in May, 2016. Under the MoU, the two sides shall cooperate in the field of women advancement through raising the level of women’s participation in public life and consolidating their human rights, as a positive indicator of the maturity of Bahrain’s experience in the field of women. HRH Princess Sabeeka stressed the SCW’s commitment, since its establishment in 2001, to working closely with all public and private sectors and the civil society to develop and improve women-supporting policies, services and initiatives, highlighting the Bahrain’s landmark achievements in the field of women, including the issuance of the Family Law, the Anti-Domestic Violence Law, the establishment of an independent Family Courts Compound, among other initiatives related to family stability. The SCW President pointed out that Bahrain has also entered into a partnership with the UN through the launch of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women Empowerment, renewing her call for all institutions across the world to participate in the award. She expressed hope that joint work with Switzerland will be enhanced in order to take advantage of its initiatives in the fields of research and innovation, which, she said, will contribute to encouraging Bahraini women to carry out more research and be more innovative in the fields of science and technology.  The Swiss ambassador expressed her admiration for the kingdom’s experience in the field of women advancement, affirming that SCW-led experience is a role model to be emulated within the framework of sustainable institutional work. She welcomed joint cooperation and exchange of expertise, noting that the two friendly countries will benefit from each other’s experiences and success stories. The Swiss envoy praised the SCW’s initiatives at the level of integrating women’s needs in development, women-responsive budgeting, equal opportunities mechanisms and all initiatives aimed at consolidating family stability and cohesion, in addition to the Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women Empowerment which promotes Bahrain’s experience worldwide.  Refereeing to her field visits for women-related facilities, the ambassador expressed admiration for the Family Courts Compound’s facilities and equipment, the Protection Office at the Muharraq Police and the Bahrain Women's Competence Development Centre (Riyadat), hailing the services provided for Bahraini women in various fields.