New York : The Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and with the ongoing efforts of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, reaffirmed its commitment to continuing humanitarian initiatives that support international solidarity and partnership. These initiatives emphasise wisdom and dialogue to end wars, resolve and prevent conflicts, combat extremism and terrorism, and promote tolerance and understanding among peoples.
This came in a speech by Bahrain’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Jamal Fares Al Rowaiei, during the Security Council’s open debate on “Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace: The New Agenda for Peace – Addressing Global, Regional, and National Aspects of Conflict Prevention.”
Ambassador Al Rowaiei highlighted the Royal Order establishing the King Hamad Award for Peaceful Coexistence, which aims to encourage individuals and organizations for their pioneering efforts in promoting dialogue among civilizations and peaceful coexistence. The award seeks to honour and support significant efforts to promote the values of peaceful coexistence and global solidarity, reject extremism, violence, and hatred, and preserve human achievements by positively influencing the societies in which they operate. It also raises awareness of the importance of cultural and civilizational convergence to achieve global peace.
The ambassador added that this international award is part of HM the King’s pioneering initiatives at regional and international levels to promote global peace and coexistence, including the call for adopting an international convention to criminalise religious, sectarian, and racial hate speech.
In an increasingly interconnected and evolving world, Ambassador Al Rowaiei emphasised the serious risks posed by ongoing crises and conflicts to international peace and security. He highlighted the need to focus on conflict prevention and peace maintenance at national, regional, and international levels, referencing the United Nations Secretary-General’s “A New Agenda for Peace.” This agenda underscores the importance of developing national strategies for preventing and responding to the various factors that lead to violence and conflict, ensuring the consolidation of tolerance and solidarity values.
The ambassador also stressed the importance of regional and international diplomatic efforts to achieve comprehensive and sustainable peaceful solutions to end wars and resolve all conflicts, particularly the need to end the suffering of the Palestinian people through a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the provision of humanitarian aid.
He noted that the thirty-third session of the Arab Summit, hosted by Bahrain last May, reflected the Kingdom’s commitment to joint Arab action to meet the aspirations of the people and future generations for sustainable development and a life of freedom, safety, and dignity.
The ambassador further explained that Bahrain’s Summit adopted several significant initiatives announced by HM the King within the “Declaration of Bahrain.” These included the call for an international conference for peace in the Middle East to resolve the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution, with Bahrain expressing its readiness to host this conference. Additionally, the Kingdom supported the full recognition of the State of Palestine and its admission to United Nations membership, provided educational and health services to those affected by conflicts in the region in cooperation with international and regional organisations, and promoted Arab cooperation in financial technology, innovation, and digital transformation.
