Her Excellency Mrs. Amna bint Ahmed Al Rumaihi, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, headed the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain participating in the UN-Habitat General Assembly meeting held at the headquarters of the United Nations Human Settlements Program in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, during the period from 29 to 30 May 2025.
The Kingdom of Bahrain’s participation in this meeting comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s keenness to support international efforts aimed at achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, especially the eleventh goal related to "making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable." During the General Assembly meetings, the Kingdom’s delegation reviews efforts to develop housing programs.And urban planning policies in the Kingdom, within the framework of the government program 2023-2026 And preparations for the next strategic plan of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme for the period 2026-2029.
During the dialogue session held under the title “Adequate Housing for All”, Her Excellency Minister Al Rumaihi confirmed that the social housing sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain receives great attention and care from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the great King of the country, may God protect and preserve him, and is at the top of the priorities of the government’s programs headed by His Highness Royal Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him.
The Minister added that the Royal Directive completed to provide 40,000 housing units represents a bright sign in the housing process extending since the 1960s, noting that the Royal Directive to provide 50,000 new housing units comes as an extension of the high care that His Majesty the King attaches to the social housing sector, as well as Expanding the partnership with the private sector in providing housing projects and diversifying financing options To provide adequate housing for citizens, which contributes to achieving prosperity for Bahraini families.
The Minister also referred to the results of the Innovation Conference in the Social Housing Sector, which was organized by the Ministry in cooperation with the Housing Bank last April under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him.The conference witnessed broad participation from the private sector and the signing of More than 30 agreements and memorandums of understanding aim to strengthen the housing financing system and provide more diverse and flexible options for citizens.
Minister Al-Rumaihi said that the Kingdom of Bahrain is working, through housing plans and paths, to complete the implementation of housing city projects, including Salman City, Khalifa City, Al-Hidd Housing City, and Sitra Housing City, in addition to housing projects being implemented in various areas in the Kingdom’s governorates.
Minister Al Rumaihi explained that the Kingdom of Bahrain seeks to increase real estate inventory through two tracks, represented by the government land development rights program, which includes implementing residential projects on government lands, adding that the Ministry recently launched the private land development rights program, which provides government support for implementing housing projects on owned lands.For the private sector, to meet the needs of beneficiaries of housing financing.
During the session, the Minister announced the launch of the financing program “Tasheel+” as the latest financing product within the Ministry’s efforts to provide adequate housing for citizens, in addition to the Bayti programs, off-plan sales, and government and private land development rights, which aim to accelerate the pace of providing housing solutions and enhance urban and economic integration.
Minister Al Rumaihi explained that the partnership with the sector contributed to accelerating the pace of providing housing services, and reducing waiting times by 17% during the period from 2022 to 2024, in addition to pumping direct investments exceeding 1.8 billion Bahraini dinars, with indirect effects that included more than 50 economic sectors, and this This confirms the importance of strengthening the partnership with the private sector in order to achieve the sustainability of this sector and raise the quality of housing services.
At the level of developing legislation and laws supporting and regulating the residential sector, the Minister indicated that a number of legislation and standards have been updated to keep pace with the aspirations of citizens and provide them with more flexibility, as these updates included developing standards for calculating monthly income, updating standards for the fifth category, excluding wife’s inheritance, and organizing nomination certificates.In addition to updating the regulatory requirements for reconstruction, issuing a guide for reconstruction in urban heritage areas, and implementing secondary infrastructure In addition to issuing regulatory requirements for housing areas.
Regarding urban planning efforts, the Minister of Housing said that the planning of 96 unplanned areas with a total area of 84 km was completed within four years, linking them to infrastructure networks and allocating spaces for public and community facilities, which contributed to raising the quality of life for residents.
Her Excellency the Minister concluded her intervention by emphasizing that the royal directive from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the country’s King, may God protect and preserve him, to accelerate the pace of implementation of housing projects to provide 50,000 housing units, represents a new starting point towards a stage that depends on expanding the partnership with the sector.Private and devoting the concept of housing sustainability, in line with the aspirations of citizens and enhancing Bahrain’s position regionally and internationally in this vital field.
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