His Majesty King was speaking he received at the Gudaibiya Palace, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, the heads of the delegations to the United Nations Public Service Forum 2013, held for the first time in the Middle East under HM’s patronage.
At the beginning of the meeting, HM King Hamad delivered the following keynote speech:
“In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate
“Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Messenger and Prophet Mohammad and upon his family and companions.
“Your Highnesses and Excellencies,
“Honorable Guests
“Peace and Allah’s Mercy and Blessings Be Upon You
“It is with Allah (God’s) blessings and great help that the United Nations Public Service Forum 2013 is convening here in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
“On this occasion, we take great pride in noting that the kingdom of Bahrain has always been a pioneer in all public service fields. We should also recall the efforts of our honorable ancestors in building Bahrain as a modern state, the efforts which began some 150 years ago, when the Customs Department was established in 1860, as the first governmental body.
“Bahrain’s history has witnessed many achievements in public service fields such as health, education and the judicial system. The first hospital in Bahrain was established in 1893 and the first government boys’ school started in 1919. The Kingdom was also a pioneer in girls’ education which began in the 1920s.
“Moreover, the foundation of the judicial system of Bahrain dates back to 1937, while the 1950s and 1960s witnessed the issuance of important government and civil society laws and regulations.
“Nonetheless, the interaction and communication between government agencies and citizens, businessmen, and civil society organizations is indispensable, where governments strive to utilize modern technology to enhance the quality of services provided to its citizens. Thus, Bahrain has set up the e-Government Authority to be closer to the end beneficiaries, and to communicate with the various government entities transparently and efficiently. Accordingly, the government’s efforts have succeeded in delivering more than 250 electronic services, and the Kingdom of Bahrain has attained high rankings in international indices, and earned international praise, with achievements are continuing.
“Dear valued Brothers,
“It is a great pleasure to have brothers and friends joining us at this event and we welcome them warmly in Bahrain. We greatly appreciate the genuine and ongoing support of the international organizations, and brotherly and friendly countries, for our ambitious march towards further development and prosperity in all areas.
“The tremendous challenges that are facing public service sectors around the world necessitate the exchange of experiences, expertise and best practices among our nations to provide state-of-the-art services to the citizens. And we hope this is what has been accomplished at this Forum, which has gathered experts from more than 80 countries.
“We thank you warmly for your attendance and participation.
“God bless all of us to best serve the Kingdom of Bahrain and its noble people.
“May the Peace, Mercy and Blessing of Allah be Upon You.”
Then, Under-secretary-General of the UN for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo delivered the following statement:
“Your Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain,
“Tour Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister,
“Your Royal Highness, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister,
“Excellencies,
“Ladies and Gentlemen,
“It is my great pleasure and honour to be your guest today in the hospitable Kingdom of Bahrain.
“I wish to express my deep appreciation and that of the United Nations to the Government of Bahrain for hosting the 2013 United Nations Public Service Forum, Day and Awards Ceremony.
“Thank you for working with us to make this event a success- it is the first time such an event is being organised in the Middle East and North Africa region.
“I am delighted that almost 1,000 participants from over 100 UN member states took part in this global forum on public governance.
“I am also very pleased that the Deputy Ministers of Ethiopia and Kyrgyzstan, as well as over 40 Ministers and Deputy Ministers are actively participating in this major event.
“This event has helped us promote international and regional cooperation, providing government officials and other stakeholders a timely opportunity to exchange good practices, experiences and lessons learned.
“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all winners. Your achievements will inspire more dedicated public services and more innovations in service delivery.
“I also want to congratulate the e-Government Authority of Bahrain on winning an Award for “Integrated Service Delivery Platform”. DESA has worked over the years with the e-Government Authority of Bahrain. This collaboration has enriched our common efforts to promote transformative e-government and innovation.
“Your Majesty, on behalf of all participants and delegations, I would like to express to the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and to the people of the Kingdom of Bahrain, my deepest gratitude for hosting this global gathering and for all your contributions to its success.