Engineer Bassem bin Yaqoub Al-Hamr, Minister of Housing, raised the highest verses of congratulations and blessings to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the beloved monarch of the country, may God preserve and protect him, and to His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the distinguished Prime Minister, may God protect him, and to His Royal Highness the Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, on the occasion of the World Housing Day, which falls on the fifth of October, recalling the high care that the wise leadership and the esteemed government have given to the housing process that has extended since the sixties of the last century.
Al-Hamar emphasized that this occasion represents an appropriate opportunity to shed light on the esteemed government's efforts in implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, especially the eleventh goal related to “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”
The minister said that the comprehensive development process led by His Majesty the King of the country, may God protect him, has witnessed a great priority in achieving sustainable development through development and service projects in the Kingdom, based on the wise leadership’s keenness on continuous interest in raising the level of services and improving their quality, which will result in improvement. The standard of living of citizens, noting also the goals set by the Kingdom of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 that are in the same direction, and have actually born fruit through the great development that the housing and infrastructure sectors are witnessing under the umbrella of the esteemed government program.
The Minister of Housing added that the Kingdom of Bahrain has a pioneering experience in cooperation with the UN Habitat program, especially after the adoption of the urban agenda in 2016, as the government included in its current and previous work programs a set of plans, programs and initiatives that contribute to achieving sustainable development goals, which reflects the interest Government and keenness to achieve these goals.
Eng. Al-Hamar referred to the international praise that the Kingdom has received in dealing with the files of cities and human settlements, recalling that His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Honorable Prime Minister, was granted the Honorable Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Urban Development and Housing for the year 2006 by the United Nations Human Settlements Program In Geneva, pointing out that the United Nations and its Member States have repeatedly praised the Bahraini housing experience in this field when participating in forums and meetings related to the United Nations.
The Minister of Housing also stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain obtained a joint seat with the friendly Republic of Indonesia in the Executive Office of UN-Habitat during the elections that were held on the sidelines of the first UN-Habitat conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi last year also reflects the prestigious position the Kingdom enjoys in this field. International level.
Speaking about the Kingdom's implementation of the eleventh goal of the sustainable development goals in the Kingdom, the minister emphasized that the housing process in the Kingdom of Bahrain witnessed a turning point in 2014, represented by the issuance of the Royal Decree issued by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the country, to build 40 A thousand new housing units, 25 thousand of which were delivered during the period of the previous government action program (2015-2018) thanks to the new cities of Bahrain, which provide approximately 35 thousand housing units distributed over 5 typical housing cities, taking into account all modern international standards in the fields of planning And the provision of services and a safe and healthy environment for citizens. The private sector also contributed 12.5% to the provision of housing services in the previous government work program, as a result of the initiatives launched by the Ministry of Housing to activate the partnership with the private sector, which will play a pivotal role in implementing the housing commitment contained in the current government work program (2019-2022) regarding Work to provide 25 thousand new housing units, in addition to government efforts in this regard.
The Minister also clarified that in the framework of the Kingdom's keenness on the sustainability of housing services, the Ministry has begun to review the housing policy through a cooperation document between the Government of Bahrain, the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Office for Human Settlements, which aims to review current housing policies and prepare the necessary studies to reach Recommendations to ensure the development of these policies, in addition to developing the quality of services provided by the Ministry to citizens, in order to achieve long-term sustainability.
Engineer Al-Hamr also confirmed that the Ministry of Housing, and within the framework of its government commitments, will continue to provide the eleventh goal of the sustainable development goals with further progress and achievements, by continuing the housing process and developing its housing initiatives and plans, with the aim of achieving the quality of life for citizens, and ensuring the sustainability of the housing file.
