Manama : 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 highlighted His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s commitment to promoting the values of coexistence and openness to all cultures and religions, which are fundamental to the Kingdom’s identity.
The Cabinet welcomed and commended the Royal Order issued by HM the King, establishing the King Hamad Award for Peaceful Coexistence, which is in line with the Kingdom’s vision of enhancing global peace and coexistence and promoting dialogue and coexistence among civilisations.
The Cabinet expressed its congratulations on the 23rd anniversary of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW). In this regard, the Cabinet noted the role of Consort of His Majesty the King and President of SCW, Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, in enhancing women’s empowerment furthering the accomplishments of Bahraini women.
The Cabinet commended Bahrain’s international success at the Paris 2024 Olympics, including winning four medals (two gold, one silver and one bronze), adding to the Kingdom’s accomplishments across the sports sector.
The Cabinet congratulated all those from the Kingdom of Bahrain and Arab nations who supported Team Bahrain at the Olympics to achieve these impressive results, which elevate Arab accomplishments in the Olympics and international competitions.
The Cabinet emphasised Team Bahrain’s commitment to enhancing the Kingdom’s international sports standings.
In light of the report submitted by the Minister of Health on the cochlear implant programme at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, the Cabinet followed up on the HRH’s directives for the swift completion of cochlear implant surgeries for those on the waiting list for the surgery. The report outlined the support provided by the concerned authorities in implementing these directives, as well as details on the swift completion of the directives during August 2024 – a move that furthers healthcare services for citizens.
His Royal Highness directed all ministries and government authorities to facilitate the procedures for issuing licenses, including the development of regulations that simplify and reduce the steps of issuance, to enhance the Kingdom’s investment environment and development to benefit the citizens.
The Cabinet affirmed the Kingdom’s support to all regional and international efforts to consolidate global security and peace, avoid further tension and conflict, and ensure stability and security to promote regional progress and prosperity.
The Cabinet then discussed several memorandums during the meeting, approving the following:
1. A memorandum submitted by the Government Executive Committee on the Government Priorities Framework 4.0.
2. A memorandum submitted by the Government Executive Committee regarding several priority draft laws aimed at keeping pace with development needs that benefit citizens.
3. A memorandum submitted by the Minister of Finance and National Economy regarding the annual report and audited financial statements of the Future Generations Reserve Fund for the fiscal year ending 31 December 2023. The report outlined the total assets of the Future Generations Reserve Fund, which amounted to USD 768.9 million in 2023, an increase of 25.2% year on year. The report further revealed that the Fund achieved a total gross income of USD 64 million and a positive return on average investments of 9.6%.
4. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance regarding the progress in developing 500 government services within 7 months across 24 government entities.
5. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on the government’s response to five proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives.
6. A memorandum submitted by the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning regarding a draft resolution on housing regulatory procedures. The changes made in the procedures aim to serve and benefit citizens in this field. The memorandum includes the cancellation of the condition that stipulates that a family shall not benefit from housing services if the wife inherits a property. The changed criteria will only include a review of the monthly salary income when granting a family the nomination certificate and the monthly salary income will not be reviewed again during the housing allocation process.
7. A memorandum submitted by the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning regarding a draft resolution amending the regulatory requirements for construction in housing project areas, contributing to the possibility of expanding the building areas of housing and residential units.
The Cabinet then took note of the ministerial report on the outcomes of the visit to the State of Kuwait for the signing ceremony of the tourism cooperation agreement between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Kuwait.
