The Deputy Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, today chaired the weekly cabinet meeting, held remotely.
The Cabinet commended HM the King’s continued appreciation of first responders, and their contribution to the success of national mitigation efforts. In this regard, the Cabinet noted HRH the Crown Prince’s directives to grant two additional promotional ranks in the civil service or equivalent for first responders in the Kingdom of Bahrain – a step that recognises their efforts to safeguard the health of all.
The Cabinet noted the progress of the Kingdom’s National Vaccination Campaign, which has to date administered 2 million vaccine doses within 6 months of its launch, protecting 69.4% of the total population with at least one dose. The Cabinet noted that the Campaign, which has increased its vaccination capacity recently, is making real progress, adding that citizens and residents share responsibility to ensure all doses, including booster doses, are taken punctually to protect themselves and others from the virus, including the “Delta” variant.
The Cabinet welcomed the outcomes of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister’s recent visit to the United Kingdom, which included meetings with HRH the Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the UK, which has furthered bilateral cooperation, and has opened new opportunities across various sectors between Bahrain and the UK.
The Cabinet then extended congratulations to students completing their school year with outstanding grades, despite the challenges presented by the global spread of the COVID-19, and commended the efforts of guardians, as well as the Ministry of Education in ensuring the academic year has ended smoothly. The Cabinet directed the Ministry of Education to continue its plans and programs to support the Kingdom’s educational development process.
The Cabinet emphasised the importance of continuing to implement sustainable infrastructural and energy projects, in line with the Kingdom’s development goals. In this regard, the Cabinet highlighted the Al Dur phase 2 independent water and power plant, which was inaugurated by HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, adding that the project supports ongoing housing, development and investment initiatives in the Kingdom.
The Cabinet reviewed developments on HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister’s directives on the forensic audit report on observations of non-compliance within the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning and the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. The observations of non-compliance were referred to the Public Prosecution Service, the General Directorate of Anti-corruption and Economic and Electronic Security, or the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs, depending on jurisdiction and the nature of the violation. In this respect, the Cabinet highlighted the importance of all parties to cooperate with the National Audit Office and implement the recommendations in its report to establish in-work integrity and preserve public funds.
Later, the Cabinet reviewed the reports of various Ministers who participated in the 2nd Islamic Summit on Science and Technology of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in the consultative meeting of the Arab Foreign Ministers, in the meeting of the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level in its extraordinary session on the file of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), in the meeting of the 148th session of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (June 16, 2021), and the participation of the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the 109th session of the International Labor Conference (3-19 June 2021), as well as participation in the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Food Safety Committee in the GCC (June 17, 2021).
Furthermore, the Cabinet extended congratulations to Antonio Guterres, for securing a second term as Secretary-General of the United Nations, wishing him and the UN further success in achieving its goals.
The cabinet discussed a number of memorandums during the meeting and outlined the following outcomes:
Firstly: The approval of the following memorandums:
1- A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on an MoU between the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior and the city of Miami, which aims to develop cooperation in the field of community policing and combating transnational crime.
2- A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding an MoU between the University of Bahrain and the University of Houston, which aims to enhance cooperation in academic programs, research and teaching development.
3- A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government’s responses to 5 proposals, and two legislative proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives, and one proposal submitted by the Shura Council.
Source: Bahrain News Agency