HRH Prime Minister stresses importance of meeting citizens’ needs; HRH Crown Prince says government relishes challenges, has passion for achievement

Manama, Sep. 18 (BNA): The Kingdom of Bahrain today held a new high-level government forum under the patronage of the Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and attended by the Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Bahrain’s Government Forum 2016 brought together government executives from all levels to explore ways in which even greater sustainable diversification and economic prosperity can be delivered to meet citizens’ needs and aspirations During the Forum, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister called on all government officials to work towards meeting Bahraini citizens’ needs, saying that the key performance indicator of any government official is the satisfaction of the citizens with the services provided. His Royal Highness further highlighted that if citizen satisfaction is not reached, government officials should review their performance and make further improvements in order to reach this goal. The Prime Minister went on to urge government officials to consistently work together, to be fully committed to coordination, and to use studies and research to overcome challenges, saying that this is particularly important when addressing economic challenges His Royal Highness noted the importance of turning all challenges into opportunities for further development, and underlined the importance of continuously monitoring and evaluating government performance, saying that all plans and programmes should be in line with Economic Vision 2030 and the Government Action Plan. His Royal Highness the Prime Minister went on to state that "if the development programmes and plans do not succeed in improving citizens' lives and the quality of the services provided for them, they have to be modified and re-directed towards meeting the citizens' expectations and fulfilling the aspirations of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for ensuring prosperous lives for all Bahrainis.” A speech was then given by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, in which he stated that the government relishes a challenge and has a passion for achievement, saying that this will underpin the future growth and development of the Kingdom to benefit Bahraini citizens, in line with the directives of His Majesty King Hamad. His Royal Highness added that Bahrain’s citizens are at the core of the Kingdom’s development goals, and the success of Bahrain’s development depends on the achievement of meeting citizens’ aspirations. The Crown Prince went on to identify the objectives and tools for the next phase of Bahrain’s development - which are based on the principles of sustainability, fairness and competitiveness - outlining that these include reforming the role of the public sector from the central driver of growth to one that serves as a regulator, active partner with the private sector; supporting innovation to stimulate competitiveness; and investing in citizens’ futures to further improve their living standards. His Royal Highness added that in order to achieve these goals, four government tools must be utilized, including improving the quality and efficiency of public services, further developing legislative and regulatory frameworks, facilitating various government related procedures and continuing to invest in high quality infrastructure projects. A short documentary video was then shown to display the most significant government achievements across various sectors, and a number of short success stories were displayed regarding government programmes and initiatives. Also during the Forum, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister distributed a series of awards to high performing entities. The “Educational Excellence Award” was given to the Amna bint Wahab School, following outstanding institutional evaluations by the National Authority for Qualifications and Quality Assurance of Education and Training (QQA) over three consecutive years. The “Customer Service Excellence Award” was given to the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and the Capital Municipality based on their high standard of customer support through the national system of complaints and suggestions portal, Tawasul. The “Government Best Practices Award” was given to three entities, including the Ministry of Interior for introducing the maritime e-security project, which provides new security devices onboard vessels, faster rescue and protection operations and coverage of Bahrain’s territorial waters by radar electric sensors. The Ministry of Health also received the award for applying best practice on the use of antibiotics, which has helped reduce government costs by over BD 8 million and which contributed to halting various malpractices which helped increase patient immunity and health; and, to the Central Bank of Bahrain for introducing an innovative accounting practice which transformed Islamic Takaful companies into highly profitable entities, and was praised by leading Islamic finance economists. CBB’s initiative helped strengthen confidence in Islamic finance, and assisted in increasing the competitiveness of the Islamic banking and finance sector. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also gave a presentation about Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, which was launched eight years ago by His Majesty the King. The Crown Prince noted during the presentation that it is the government’s “responsibility to continue to work diligently to meet the needs and aspirations of Bahrain’s citizens.”His Royal Highness added that it is “exactly this commitment that will underpin continued efforts to translate the Vision 2030 goals into tangible results.” The Government Forum also featured a number of panel discussions throughout the day, including a session led by the Deputy Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, about ‘Bahrain’s Vision 2030 Achievements’, and a ‘Sustainability and Advancing Infrastructure’ session led by the Deputy Prime Minister, His Excellency Shaikh Khaled bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. Subsequent session topics included the ‘Private Sector Role in Driving Growth’, with panellists including the Minister of Oil, Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, and the Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board. Separately, a panel featuring presentations by the Minister of Education, Minister of Labour and Social Development, Minister of Housing, Minister of Health, and the Youth and Sports Affairs Minister discussed the topic of “Enhancing Public Services”, and the Cabinet Affairs Minister, His Excellency Mohammed Al Mutawa, gave a presentation outlining the government’s current priorities and Bahrain’s next phase of development.