Ahmed Mourad (Cairo)
The Bahraini monarch, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, spent nearly 6 continuous decades serving the Kingdom of Bahrain, which constituted a comprehensive development process during which he achieved dozens of successes and achievements, both internally and externally. During the reign of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain transformed, in just 20 years, from an emirate to a modern constitutional monarchy that enjoys a prestigious regional and international status.
Scientific and mathematical upbringing
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on January 28, 1950. When he reached the age of six, he joined primary school, and studied the Arabic language, the Holy Qur’an, the principles of religion, and Arabic and Nabatean poetry, in addition to his eagerness to learn swimming, shooting, and horsemanship.
At the secondary level, the study was at the Lees School in the British city of Cambridge, and on September 14, 1967, he joined the Mons Military College for Officers in the city of Derchot Hampshire, from which he graduated in February 1968.
35 years old, crown prince
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa assumed the mandate of the Covenant on June 27, 1964, when he was 14 years old at the time, and he spent about 35 years in the Covenant mandate. His career in national work began after his graduation from the Mons Military College for Officers.
His first national assignment was to establish the Bahrain Defense Force in August 1968, and he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the force. At the same time, he assumed the presidency of the Defense Directorate. Upon the establishment of the State Council on January 19, 1970, he was appointed as a member of the Council.
King Hamad bin Isa was appointed Minister of Defense in the first formation of the Council of Ministers of Bahrain following its independence on August 14, 1971, and the following year he joined the Command and Chiefs of Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas City, and at the same time he received a course in foreign correspondence at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington. And he obtained a national diploma in military administration, and he also obtained a military certificate of honor from the United States of America in recognition of his achievements in military affairs, and his name was placed on the honor board for officers.
King Hamad bin Isa returned to Bahrain with many scientific and military experiences and skills that he had received abroad, and was keen to employ them in developing the work of the Bahrain Defense Force, and worked to establish the air defense wing of the force, especially after he obtained a training course on helicopters, and graduated in January 14, 1978, a highly qualified pilot.
The national tasks of King Hamad during his tenure were not limited to the military aspects, as he was appointed in 1975 as head of the Supreme Council for Youth, and he achieved many successes in this field, especially in equestrian sport. Next in the World Arabian Horse Organization.
King Hamad bin Isa also worked during his assumption of the mandate of the Covenant to strengthen and consolidate the system of scientific and technological research and historical studies, and in this context he established in January 1978 a center for historical documents concerned with the history of Bahrain and the Arab region, and this center collected multiple documents from many countries that have historical relations with Bahrain through different ages. He also founded the Bahrain Center for Studies and Research in 1981, assumed the presidency of the center himself, and was keen to participate in its various events, activities and seminars.
From an emirate to a kingdom
In March 1999, King Hamad bin Isa assumed the leadership of the country, succeeding his father, Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and at that time Bahrain was still an emirate. It is a national document that aims to bring about radical changes in the national approach to action. The draft charter was put to a referendum in February 2001, and citizens approved it by more than 98%.
In 2002, the country’s constitution was amended in a way that consolidated many national gains and human rights, and on February 14 of the same year, King Hamad bin Isa announced the transformation of Bahrain from an emirate to a constitutional kingdom.
Democratic march
King Hamad bin Isa continued his reform programme, and worked to strengthen political life and the democratic, legislative and judicial process in Bahrain. In this context, the Constitutional Court was established to be the first specialized constitutional judiciary known to Bahrain. It is specialized in monitoring the constitutionality of laws and regulations, and it also constitutes the Supreme Judicial Council to preserve rights and freedoms. And public and private property in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
Municipal council elections were held in April 2002, and in October of the same year elections for the House of Representatives were held, whose first session was held on December 14, 2002.
The democratic march in the Kingdom of Bahrain has continued for more than 20 years in accordance with the principles of the integrated reform program set by King Hamad bin Isa. Last November, the sixth parliamentary and municipal elections were held, and the participation rate in these parliamentary elections was the largest in 20 years, reaching 73%. 500 candidates, including about 100 women, competed to win 40 parliamentary seats, in addition to 90 seats for municipal councils.
Vision 2030
King Hamad bin Isa worked on implementing a comprehensive development program in the economic sector, which over two decades resulted in many successes and achievements, most notably the transformation of Bahrain into an important commercial, financial and tourism center in the Middle East, as well as its transformation into a regional center for many multinational companies. .
And he launched in October 2008 the Kingdom’s vision for the year 2030, and it represents a future road map, and it included many ideas and plans to develop the Kingdom’s economy and improve the standard of living for its citizens. Through this vision, the Kingdom succeeded in making remarkable progress in the process of economic reform, and increasing the efficiency of government agencies’ performance. Which made the Kingdom’s economy one of the most diversified Gulf economies.
King Hamad bin Isa was keen to establish an advanced infrastructure characterized by a modern communication environment, transport and communications infrastructure, and to conclude dozens and hundreds of international agreements with most countries of the world, which provided huge investment opportunities. Bahrain has witnessed in recent years an increase in support for the non-oil sectors of GDP In addition to the development of oil and natural gas resources, and the establishment of modern and advanced institutions in the aluminum, petrochemical, metallurgical, engineering, food and pharmaceutical industries, with the presence of 11 industrial zones.
Within the framework of the comprehensive development plans adopted by the King of Bahrain, interest comes in strengthening the mechanisms and programs of the digital economy, and employing artificial intelligence techniques in the productive and service sectors.
In the oil and gas sector, King Hamad bin Isa directed the implementation of a group of major projects in this sector, such as the largest expansion project for the Bapco refinery, the expansion of the Bengas Company, the opening of the liquefied gas port, the sixth production line project in the Alba Company, and the operation of the new pipeline with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia.
In November 2021, the Kingdom of Bahrain launched an economic recovery plan that includes a package of development and strategic projects worth more than $30 billion.
Labor market
King Hamad bin Isa sought to reform the labor market and employment, and during the reign of His Majesty, labor unions were established for the first time under Decree Law No. (33) of 2002, as well as the establishment of the Labor Market Regulatory Authority and the Labor Fund known as “Tamkeen”, which contributed to reducing the labor rate. Unemployment from 16% in 2006 to 4% in 2014, which is lower than the lowest global rates, with the provision of subsidies to job seekers estimated at an average of $360 per month under Decree-Law No. (78) of 2006, which is an unprecedented step in the Arab world. .
advanced positions
The successes and achievements of King Hamad bin Isa have received great regional and international appreciation, which is evident in the Kingdom’s access to advanced positions in many regional and international indicators and classifications. In the annual report of the Boston Consulting Group on the evaluation of sustainable economic development for 2019, Bahrain came in first place. in the Arab world, and the third at the level of the Middle East countries in terms of indicators related to education.
According to the 2019 Human Development Report issued by the United Nations Development Programme, Bahrain ranked 45th in the world out of a total of 189 countries.
In 2018, Bahrain was chosen as the best country in the world out of 68 countries to reside and work for foreign workers, and in the same year, the Kingdom advanced from 47th to 43rd place among 152 countries included in the annual report of the Boston Consulting Group on levels of well-being around the world.
The Kingdom has also made great progress in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals by incorporating more than 78% of these goals into the government’s work programme.
Bahrain ranked first in the Arab world and 47th globally in the human capital index issued by the World Bank in 2018, and ranked fifth in the world in the index of future orientation towards technology in production, according to the report on readiness for the future of production issued by the World Economic Forum for the year 2018.
Bahrain ranked 39th in the world at the top of countries with high human development, and the third in the Arab world, according to the 2010 Human Development Report issued by the United Nations Development Program.
women’s earnings
Since the first years of his assumption of power, King Hamad bin Isa paid attention to women’s issues and activating their role in public life, hence the participation of 6 female cadres in the Supreme Committee for the preparation of the National Action Charter, which granted women many unprecedented rights, including the right to participate in public affairs, and enjoy with political rights.
On August 22, 2001, the Supreme Council for Women was formed under the leadership of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King, with the aim of empowering women economically, socially and politically.
During the reign of King Hamad bin Isa, Bahraini women gained their political rights to run for office and vote. The first of these rights was their participation in the general referendum on the draft National Action Charter, and then came their participation, whether by running or voting in the municipal and parliamentary elections that took place in 2002, which qualified them to Enter Parliament to become a representative of the people.
The Bahraini woman is the first woman in the Gulf countries to win a parliamentary seat in 2006, and the first Gulf woman to win a municipal seat in 2010. After that, three women won seats in the Parliament in the by-elections in 2011. Three women also won membership in the House of Representatives, and three Women members of municipal councils in the 2014 elections. In a precedent that is the first of its kind, the Bahraini woman represented by Mrs. Fawzia Zainal succeeded in reaching the seat of the presidency of the House of Representatives, in addition to the seat of the second deputy speaker of the Shura Council.
In the recent parliamentary and municipal elections that took place last November, 11 women were able to achieve an unprecedented number in the history of parliamentary and municipal elections in Bahrain, after 8 women won membership in the House of Representatives and 3 seats in municipal councils.
In 2004, the first female minister in the history of Bahrain was appointed, represented by the former Minister of Health, Nada Abbas Haffadh, and she continued in her ministerial position until 2007.
During the reign of His Majesty the King, Bahraini women assumed many leadership positions in many sectors of the Kingdom, as the percentage of them assuming leadership positions in the official state agencies reached 44%, while the percentage in middle administrative positions reached about 41%, and the percentage of women working in the diplomatic corps reached 44%. 31% of the total number of employees in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and 11% of judges.
The percentage of Bahraini women in the national workforce reached about 35%, 64% of doctors, and 59% of university graduates, in addition to her presidency of about 24 women’s civil societies. The percentage of women owning commercial records has reached 34%.
external successes
The era of King Hamad bin Isa was associated with an effective and active foreign policy, and he worked to strengthen Bahrain’s position regionally and internationally by establishing relations and partnerships with various countries of the world, in addition to his interest in consolidating the principles of world peace, and from this standpoint came his keenness to participate personally in most conferences and forums International organization concerned with spreading world peace and alleviating the suffering of peoples.
Within the framework of the Bahraini monarch’s interest in promoting the principles of peace at the regional and international levels, Bahrain signed a historic peace agreement with Israel on October 18, 2020, and the two countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations, and on September 30, 2021, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid opened his country’s embassy in the Bahraini capital. . The two countries also signed memorandums of understanding for cooperation in several fields.
At the international level, it embodies the permanent partnership between the United Nations and the Kingdom of Bahrain within the framework of the strategic partnership (2018-2022). The United Nations provides advisory and programmatic support to Bahrain in a wide range of sectors. Bahrain also became a party to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change after signing the agreement on April 24, 2016.
On the other hand, the historic visit of the Pope of the Vatican, Pope Francis, to Bahrain in early November embodied King Hamad bin Isa’s approach to consolidating the concept of human coexistence. This was preceded by the inauguration of the King Hamad Global Center for Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence in November 2017.
In December 2021, Bahrain inaugurated the largest Catholic cathedral in the Gulf region, covering an area of 9,000 meters, in order to achieve the vision of the Bahraini monarch to achieve rapprochement between religions and cultures.
In light of the balanced and effective foreign policies of King Hamad, Bahrain has gained a prestigious regional and international position, and Bahraini diplomacy has achieved many successes during his reign, including the election of the Kingdom as a member of the United Nations International Human Rights Council for the years (2019-2021) for the third time in the Council’s history, with a percentage of A vote of 86%, in addition to winning membership in the Executive Committee of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in November 2018, and winning the position of Vice-President of the Executive Office of the United Nations Environment Assembly.
On November 2, 2019, Bahrain signed the document of accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which contributes to the development of Bahrain’s relations with ASEAN countries.
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