Undersecretary meets UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office director

Manama, Sept. 27 (BNA): The Undersecretary of International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, met with Executive Director at the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office, Mrs. Jennifer Topping, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. During the meeting, Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, praised the role of the Trust Fund Office in contributing to the financing and implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and praised the outstanding efforts of UNDP to achieve these comprehensive and ambitious goals. The Undersecretary of International Affairs, reviewed the positive cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Nations during the past period, stressing that the framework of strategic partnership between the two sides represents an unprecedented step in the region to frame joint cooperation through practical programs and creative initiatives, that contribute in the implementation of government action plans in line with national priorities and of the SDGs, he said: “We have a common history of constructive cooperation and we look forward to new and dynamic areas that support our promising partnership.” He discussed the steps taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the framework of the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, to invest in people, resources and thought, in addition to adopt best management and development practices, in order to serve the basic purpose, which focuses on enhancing the standard of living of citizens and ensuring access to services of the highest quality, pointing out to the high assurance of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, that "development which the goal is not the citizen, is useless and we do not want it." He also pointed out that despite the global economic crises and the turbulent regional environment, the Kingdom of Bahrain has succeeded in achieving a real economic growth rate, providing the best basic services, empowering civil society, with the partnership of various groups such as women and youth, under the rule of law and an advanced democratic process, in addition to working to create a stable and prosperous regional environment. In addition to that he explained that the Kingdom of Bahrain attaches special importance to cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), particularly in the areas of strengthening corporate governance, building capacity and readiness, completing various projects for various governmental and private entities, as well as benefiting from the outputs of scientific and applied research and statistics to innovative solutions within the knowledge economy. He also reviewed a number of national initiatives to support the foundations of innovation and creativity, and the use of technology in stimulating the development process, as one of the most important pillars of the future industry, in this regard, he appreciated the UNDP initiative on building the largest and fastest learning network in the world to find new and unconventional methods to activate different development paths and overcome potential constraints. Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has a unique and significant civilizational reform and developmental record, enjoys high international credibility, and represents a leading international model in achieving development goals, noting that the Kingdom of Bahrain played an important role in the negotiations for the preparation of those goals, the development of means of implementation, the formulation of the funding framework, and the mechanism of follow-up and review. For her part, the Executive Director at UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office, appreciated the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, expressing its aspiration to develop joint cooperation and wishing the Kingdom continued progress and prosperity.