Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), received at SCW headquarters in Riffa today Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, in the presence of Bahraini woman diplomats.
The meeting was held on the occasion of SCW’s approval of the Bahraini Women’s Day 2020 theme which is consecrated to celebrate women in “diplomatic work. The celebration will take place in conjunction with the kingdom’s celebration of the 51st anniversary of its formal diplomacy and the Diplomatic Day.
HRH Princess Sabeeka underscored the unlimited royal support to Bahraini women which helped them attain leading and diplomatic posts and become key contributors in decision-making and building modern Bahrain. She also praised the growing presence of Bahraini women in the diplomatic field, pointing out the appointment of the first woman as Foreign Ministry Undersecretary at the Arab level. She also underlined the key role played by Bahrain embassies and diplomatic missions abroad in casting light on the national women empowerment efforts.
HRH Princess Sabeeka praised the tireless efforts of the Foreign Minister in carrying out the royal directives which resulted in many honourable achievements for Bahrain and contributed to boosting the kingdom’s pioneering status at the regional and international level. She stressed the importance of following up on the kingdom’s commitment to international agreements related to women, pointing out the need to document the diplomatic march of Bahraini women to highlight their contribution and ability to overcome challenges.
HRH Princess Sabeeka lauded the setting up of Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies, expressing appreciation of programmes aimed at developing young diplomatic competencies.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs hailed the SCW’s efforts to push ahead with Bahraini women’s advancement in various fields. He praised the council’s initiative to allocate the Bahraini Women’s Day theme for this year to celebrate Bahraini women in the diplomatic field. He stressed the Foreign Ministry’s keenness on participating actively in the occasion and highlight the accomplishments of Bahraini women in the diplomatic field. He took pride in the achievements of Bahraini women who have been able to take up leading posts in diplomatic work and the Foreign Ministry’s departments.
The SCW Secretary General Hala Al Ansari highlighted the diplomatic march of Bahraini women since their first access to the Foreign Ministry in 1972. She pointed out the appointment of the first woman as Bahraini Ambassador to France in 1999 and the first female Foreign Ministry Undersecretary at the Arab level in 2017. She pointed out that celebrating Bahraini women in the diplomatic field aims to highlight their success stories, opportunities and challenges to ensure sustainability of women’s advancement.
For her part, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa Al Khalifa gave a briefing on the programme of the Bahraini Women’s Day 2020 which includes a youth seminar for Bahraini students, a workshop on the index of women’s participation in development, discussion sessions on women’s diplomatic work and cultural programmes.