HRH Prime chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at the Gudaibiya Palace in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, welcomed the results of the Arab African Summit held in Kuwait, where on behalf of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa the Crown Prince headed the Bahraini delegation.
The Cabinet praised the organization, set up, and all efforts made by Kuwait acknowledging its role in building stronger Arab-African relations, and applauded the results of the Bahraini delegation’s participation and the bilateral meetings conducted by HRH the Crown Prince and their significant impact on the political and economic levels, as well as international coordination.
In light of the effects of the heavy rains Bahrain witnessed recently, HRH the Prime Minister ordered the Ministerial Committee for Services and Infrastructure to investigate the efficiency of the infrastructure, the effectiveness of the measures taken by ministries to prepare for rainy seasons, and the procedures implemented to deal with the impact of heavy rains. The Prime Minister commissioned the committee to submit a plan that addresses any shortcomings revealed by this rainy weather crisis. The Cabinet took note through a joint memorandum submitted by the Minister of Municipalities and Urban Planning and the Minister of Works, of the measures taken to disperse rainwater, install waterproofing, and provide shelters to families with damaged homes, as well as preventing flooding of the roads.
The Prime Minister directed relevant authorities to make Bahrain more accessible by improving the procedures for entering the country and removing any obstacles to improve access for visitors and businessmen to better serve the Kingdom’s economic, commercial, and investment opportunities. In this regard, the Cabinet praised the Jewelry Arabia Exhibition, which was held under the patronage of HRH the Prime Minister and was inaugurated on his behalf by Deputy Prime Minister HH Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, noting that this exhibition is both a commercial and touristic event that supports the Kingdom’s exhibition and conferences sector, as well as stimulating tourism.
The Cabinet stressed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has accomplished tangible achievements in developing the judicial, security and media systems, and in terms of freedom of speech, implementing law and order, education, and pushing for more reforms in various aspects in response to the 26 recommendations from the BICI report, of which 19 have been fully implemented and the rest are in progress. The Cabinet reassured that Bahrain has treated the BICI recommendations with complete seriousness and has expedited implementing these recommendations with full transparency, as part of Bahrain’s commitment to continuous reform on all levels, promoting openness and preserving diversity.
The Cabinet also stressed the importance of dialogue and cooperation with Asian nations, as well as building strategic relationships between regional blocs including the ASEAN and GCC countries, to enhance political and economic cooperation, in addition to creating Asian alliances that will act as vital partners in international affairs. The Cabinet welcomed in this regard the Twelfth Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Forum and the Third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of GCC Countries and ASEAN hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Cabinet also noted the beginning of the Regional Meeting of the Arab Countries in the field of Natural and Cultural World Heritage, which was held in the headquarters of the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Cabinet emphasized the importance of the upcoming GCC Summit considering the circumstances the region has been through on both economic and political levels, which confirms the need for further GCC cooperation and the necessary work to move this cooperation to the union phase. In this regard, the Cabinet reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the subjects listed on the work agenda of the 34th cycle of the Supreme Council of the GCC countries, which will be held in Kuwait.
The Cabinet directed the relevant authorities to tighten control measures on nurseries and evaluate the efficiency of the current control mechanism to ensure these nurseries’ ability to provide proper care suitable to the needs of this age group. The Cabinet reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Social Development in this regard.
The Cabinet approved a draft law bill to amend some provisions of the Labor Law in the private sector related to Law 36/2012. Based on this amendment the term “General Federation of Trade Unions of Bahrain” will be replaced with the relevant Trade Association (as determined by the Minister) wherever it is mentioned in the private sector labor law in alignment with amendments made to Decree Law 35/2011 with regard to provisions of the Trade Union Law. The Cabinet commissioned the relevant authorities to take necessary Constitutional and Legal measures in preparation to refer it to the Legislative authority.
The Cabinet approved a draft decision to implement policies and controls on privatization; the amendments in the draft decision include what has been agreed upon in the National Consensus Dialogue regarding the economic aspect. Based on this decision a committee to be established entitled the “Supreme Committee for Privatization” will handle privatization recommendations, programs, and follow up the implementation.
The Cabinet approved a draft law bill to ratify the protocols of the Rules of Origin system of trade preferences among member states of the Organizations of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Cabinet assigned the specialized authorities to take necessary Constitutional and Legal measures in preparation to refer it to the Legislative authority.
The Cabinet approved four decree drafts on the Kingdom of Bahrain joining the following four UNESCO treaties: (1) on protection of intangible cultural heritage adopted in Paris on 14 October 2003; (2) on the protection of underwater cultural heritage adopted in Paris on 12 November 2001; (3) on the means used to ban import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property illegally adopted in Paris on 14 November 1970; and (4) on protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions adopted in Paris on 20 October 2005.
The Cabinet noted some employment indicators for the 3rd quarter of 2013, most importantly the decrease in the quarterly unemployment rate between the second and third quarter of the year 2013 (where is decreased from 4.7% to 4.4% respectively), as well as the employment of 4965 citizens during this quarter.
The Cabinet referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs, Memorandums of Understanding in the field of Rights, between the Government of Bahrain and several friendly countries.
The Cabinet discussed six suggestions and approved the following four: (1) on speeding up the process of issuing service cards for the elderly; (2) on developing studies and plans to address personal loans; (3) on installation of CCTV cameras outside of commercial malls and vital buildings; and (4) on the establishment of a health center for Diabetics.
The Cabinet took note of the Shura Council and House of Representatives’ adoption of the draft law bill ratifying the security agreement between the GCC Countries.
Regarding Ministerial Reports, the Cabinet took note of the results of the official visit of the Minister of Interior to the Republic of Egypt and the Republic of France during the period of 17-21 November, including the meetings conducted during these visits. The Cabinet also took note of the results of the participation of the Bahraini delegation (headed by the Minister of Education) in the General Assembly of UNESCO’s 37th cycle in Paris, and welcomed the achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain in its participation in this conference.