Cabinet Affairs Minister meets UN-Habitat Executive Director

New York, July 19 (BNA): Cabinet Affairs Minister Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Mutawa stressed Bahrain’s resolve to continue adopting policies to meet the kingdom’s aspirations in terms of achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2030. He lauded cooperation between Bahrain and the United Nations and its specialised agencies through strategic partnership between both sides. Al Mutawa was speaking at a meeting on Wednesday with the United Nations Under-secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Maimuna Mohammed Sharif, in the presence of Housing Minister Bassim bin Yaqoob Al Hamar. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the High Profile Political Forum on sustainable development of the UN Economic and Social Council. The Cabinet Affairs Minister congratulated Maimuna Mohammed Sharif on her appointment as the UN-Habitat Executive Director, wishing her success in boosting the international efforts to provide assistance for developing countries in facing urban growth challenges. He stressed Bahrain’s keenness on boosting relations with the UN-Habitat and honouring its obligations in sustainable development. He pointed out His Royal Highness the Premier’s winning of the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award in tribute for his achievements concerning urban development in Bahrain. He also pointed out the international prize named after HRH the Premier to encourage housing and urban development initiatives. The Cabinet Affairs Minister cast light on Bahrain’s backing of the UN-Habitat activities, pointing out a meeting held with officials from the Global Urban Observatory (GUO) during which methodical developments of indices and goals pertaining to urban development and used by the international community were discussed. He said officials from GUO were invited to visit Bahrain for more discussions regarding practical steps to provide regional support in cooperation with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on cities and sustainable communities indices and statistics. The Housing Minister lauded cooperation between Bahrain and the UN-Habitat, pointing out technical support provided by the UN-Habitat in reviewing housing policies. He invited the UN-Habitat Executive Director to visit Bahrain by end of this year to attend the 5th Arab Ministerial Forum for Housing and Urban Development which will be hosted by Bahrain from December 11 to 13. He stressed that her presence will be an opportunity to meet Arab Housing Ministers and come up with visions to enhance cooperation between the UN-Habitat and Arab countries. The UN-Habitat Executive Director hailed Bahrain’s efforts to support the programme and honour its international obligations in the field of sustainable development. She lauded the initiatives of HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa in backing the programme’s goals and harnessing the international efforts in sustainable development.