His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
The Cabinet extended its congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on the upcoming Hijri New Year 1446 AH, wishing the Kingdom of Bahrain and all Arab and Islamic nations further progress and prosperity.
In implementation of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s Royal Order to preserve the historical and cultural identity of Bahrain’s buildings and cities, HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister directed the relevant authorities to establish a comprehensive plan to redevelop the historical area of the Manama Souq to preserve its historical and cultural identity in line with infrastructure requirements needed in the area.
In line with HM the King’s directives and the Kingdom of Bahrain’s presidency of the 33rd Arab Summit, the Cabinet recognised the importance of monitoring the recent developments and military escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The Cabinet stressed the imperative of avoiding military escalation and preventing the conflict from expanding in the region in order to safeguard Lebanon and achieve regional peace and stability.
The Cabinet emphasised the importance of relevant authorities to continue combating human trafficking in order to protect the rights of workers and employers and further solidify the Kingdom’s position through developing labour market procedures. This follows the Kingdom of Bahrain achieving Tier 1 ranking in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for the seventh consecutive year. The Cabinet emphasised that this achievement reflects the visions and aspirations of HM the King and His Royal Highness to establish fairness and provide an environment that safeguards workers’ and employers’ rights.
The Cabinet directed the relevant authorities to monitor and facilitate the needs and requirements of the areas during Ashura to ensure its success.
The Cabinet then discussed several memorandums during the meeting, approving the following:
1. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance regarding the annual report and audited financial statements of the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
2. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance regarding the Kingdom’s contributions and participation in international organisations.
3. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on the government’s response to a draft law and three proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives as well as a law submitted by the Shura Council.
4. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding an MoU between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China to strengthen housing cooperation as part of bilateral collaboration for the Belt and Road Initiative.
5. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding an MoU on comprehensive cooperation in intellectual property and an MoU on fast-track patent examinations between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Korean Intellectual Property Office in the Republic of Korea.
6. A memorandum submitted by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture regarding the acquisition of several properties to be used for the public benefit of urban development.
The Cabinet then reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Works regarding the most prominent performance and achievement indicators of the Council for Regulating the Practice of Engineering Professions for 2023.
The Cabinet then took note of the following ministerial reports:
1. Outcomes of participation in the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum
2. Outcomes of the official visit of the Minister of Industry and Commerce to Washington, DC, USA
3. The external participation of ministers and the visits of foreign delegations to the Kingdom of Bahrain in July 2024
BNA(R)
