Her Excellency Ms. Amna bint Ahmed Al Rumaihi, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, met with Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), on the sidelines of Her Excellency's participation in the Urban October Conference held in the Sultanate of Oman.
Minister Al Rumaihi reaffirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain's commitment to continuously developing housing policies and programmes in response to economic and social changes. She highlighted the importance of diversifying housing and financing options, expanding partnerships with the private sector and banking and real estate institutions, and developing cities and urban communities based on principles that prioritise quality of life, sustainability and integrated services.
Her Excellency also highlighted the Kingdom of Bahrain's experience in developing its housing finance system, including the diversification of financing instruments and the introduction of flexible programmes that provide citizens with a wider range of options, contributing to accelerating their access to housing services and enhancing the sustainability of the housing system.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed areas of cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and UN-Habitat, as well as ways to strengthen the exchange of expertise and experiences in housing and sustainable urban development. They also reviewed several initiatives and programmes implemented by the Kingdom to develop its social housing system and strengthen private sector partnerships to provide citizens with diverse and sustainable housing solutions.
For her part, Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, commended the outcomes of the Social Housing Innovation Conference and Exhibition 2026, recently hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain. She highlighted the positive impressions conveyed by the UN-Habitat delegation that participated in the conference regarding its organisation, content and the topics addressed, as well as its role in providing a platform for exchanging expertise and experiences and showcasing innovative solutions in the social housing sector.
Rossbach underscored the importance of the topics addressed during the conference, particularly public-private partnerships and the development of innovative housing and financing solutions. She emphasised the importance of continuing to exchange international expertise and experiences to support efforts aimed at providing adequate housing and achieving sustainable urban development.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed the importance of continuing cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and UN-Habitat and exchanging expertise in areas of mutual interest, contributing to the development of housing and urban planning policies and supporting sustainable urban development efforts.