Her Excellency Ms. Amna bint Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, stressed that the outcomes of the Housing Cities Route in the Kingdom of Bahrain reflect the Kingdom's desire to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, particularly Goal 11, which states that "cities and human settlements are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable."
This came at the participation of Her Excellency Mrs. Amna bint Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, in the round table on "The role of governance in achieving a sustainable urban future", in the presence of Ambassador Fawzia bint Abdullah Zeinel, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Arab Republic of Egypt, which is on the agenda of the World Urban Forum in its twelfth edition, currently held in the Arab Republic of Egypt Minister Al-Rumaihi participated in the work of this session in the presence of a number of ministers and senior government officials from participating States, as well as officials of international organizations.
Minister Al-Rumaihi said the Government's interest in providing sustainability for housing cities In the planning and operational stages of the establishment of these cities, where the selection of the sites of these cities has been given considerable attention in the visions of urban and urban development This is reflected in the provision of 3 coastal sites for the implementation of Salman City, Al-Hadr Housing City and the city of Sizra Housing, Besides the development and reconstruction of the southern region by providing the projects of Khalifa City, in addition to choosing the distinctive location of the Ramli suburb project.
The public plans of these cities also included all the necessary elements to provide sustainable urban communities, through the provision of residential complexes, upgraded infrastructure services, facilities and services serving residents and visitors, attention to the provision of waterfronts and public beaches, green spaces and open areas.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Planning added that the involvement of the private sector in the provision of housing services, both through the Housing Finance Programme and the Government's Land Development Rights Programme, is actively contributing to sustainable urban development in the Kingdom.
The Government's Land Development Rights Programme contributed to the development of housing projects, infrastructure services in housing cities and a number of areas that the Government was developing in various governorates The Housing Finance Programme also contributes to the goal of providing citizens with sustainable and immediate housing, on the one hand, On the other hand, real estate developers are encouraged to provide their own residential projects in various regions s development ", which contributes to accelerating growth and urbanization in those regions.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the efforts of the Government of Bahrain in planning cities and various areas in the Kingdom's governorates. in accordance with developed standards, aimed at providing urban sustainability and promoting all areas with residential, commercial, educational, health, environmental and service components; Referring to the continuous development by the Planning and Urban Development Authority of reconstruction specifications and the issuance of a number of guidance manuals, including the Housing Project Areas Reconstruction Guide and the Urban Heritage Areas Reconstruction Guide.
The Minister addressed the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning's courses of action to provide housing services to citizens. The private sector was a key partner in the implementation of two of them, through the Government Land Development Rights Programme and the Housing Finance Programme, which provided a diversity of housing choices and flexibility in choosing the geographical location, type and size of service in line with family requirements.
The Minister reviewed the most significant efforts of the Government of Bahrain to develop urban development projects for heritage and historical areas, including the project to develop the city of Muharraq, the project to develop the historic area of the Manama market through the development of neighborhood designs, the construction and restoration of tranquil units, the development of tourist and heritage facades, and infrastructure services.
Updates on the development of housing policies, the legislative review of the Ministry's regulations, the transformation of all housing services into digital services, and the implementation of electronic connectivity with the relevant authorities, thereby contributing to the improvement of services provided to citizens.
In a related context, the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning participated in the discussion session to follow up on the updates of the joint resolution submitted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, Egypt, France, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan and the United States of America during the Nairobi General Assembly meeting, entitled "Housing for all".
During the session, Minister Amna al-Rumaihi reviewed the housing programmes and plans that the Kingdom is working to implement in order to provide social housing services to citizens with low incomes. stating that the Kingdom is keen to develop its housing policies to provide flexibility and diversify citizens' housing options for housing services without waiting periods, Through the activation of partnership programs with the private sector to provide subsidized housing financing to citizens in addition to involving real estate companies in the provision of housing units through the Government Land Development Rights Program, which is expanding the number of projects during the current phase.
In terms of the sustainability of housing cities, the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning said that the Government had taken into account the sustainability criteria set out in Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals, through their inclusion in the public plans of those cities, which, together with housing projects, included the provision of commercial, educational, health and sports facilities, and which were coordinated with the relevant authorities for their implementation.
Minister Al-Rumaihi also held bilateral meetings with Her Excellency Mrs. Ana Claudia Rosbach, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, His Excellency Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayaf, Secretary of the Riyadh Region, and H.E. Ms. Nancy Ante, Minister.
The meetings reviewed ways of cooperating jointly in the areas of planning, urban development and housing services, exchanging experiences, experiences and visits, with a view to strengthening plans and programmes in the areas of housing, planning and urban development. A number of topics related to the efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 were discussed in the light of the discussions of the Forum's sessions.
