His Royal Highness
Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

The Deputy Prime Minister, His Excellency Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, today chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.

The Cabinet extended its congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on receiving the Leader Medal, the highest honour awarded by the Arab Parliament to Arab leaders, in recognition of His Majesty's efforts in serving Arab interests and supporting joint Arab action. In this regard, the Cabinet commended HM the King’s role in advancing Arab cooperation by spearheading initiatives that benefit Arab nations and their citizens.

The Cabinet emphasised the importance of HM the King’s forthcoming state visit to the Sultanate of Oman, during which His Majesty will meet the Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said.

The Cabinet noted the robust ties between Bahrain and Oman across various sectors.

The Cabinet highlighted the Kingdom’s achievements in regional and international sports, which were made possible through the support of HM the King.

The Cabinet recognised the financial reward extended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the Bahrain National Football Team following their victory at the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup.

This marks Bahrain’s second triumph in the competition.

The Cabinet also recognised the monetary incentives extended by the Personal Representative of His Majesty the King, His Highness Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and His Majesty the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and the First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of the General Sports Authority and President of Bahrain Olympic Committee, His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

These incentives reflect the Kingdom’s commitment to motivating its citizens to pursue excellence in sports and other sectors.

The Cabinet also expressed gratitude to private organisations and institutions that joined efforts to reward and support the national team.

Based on the directives of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Development have been assigned to collaborate on the registration of the violators of the Khatwa Programme, whose retirement pension payments were suspended, to receive unemployment benefits for job seekers.

Furthermore, the ministries will evaluate their potential eligibility for support services, provided by the Ministry of Social Development.

This process will be carried out after verifying that they meet the required conditions and regulations.

The Cabinet underscored the achievements of Bahraini women across various sectors, particularly in entrepreneurship, and highlighted the importance of the Global Women Economic Forum.

Held in Bahrain under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the Consort of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), the forum witnessed broad Arab and international participation.

The Cabinet commended the outcomes of the joint government-parliament meeting, which was served to update the Council of Representatives on the implementation of the government programme (2023-2026).

The Cabinet emphasised its commitment to strengthening integration and dialogue between the Executive and Legislative Authorities and to maintaining coordination in achieving the government’s development objectives.

The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to advancing infrastructure projects in line with urban development and economic growth.

Special mention was made of the Muharraq Ring Road, inaugurated by the Deputy Prime Minister, HE Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, on behalf of His Royal Highness, with the Cabinet expressing appreciation to the Ministry of Works for its efforts.

The Cabinet also emphasised the importance of the Amakin-Pearls initiative, part of Phase 2 of the Sa’ada project, and noted the private sector’s role in driving infrastructure and development projects.

The Cabinet welcomed the Capital Governorate’s recognition by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a "Healthy Governorate," making it the first in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve this designation.

This milestone was attributed to the collaborative effort of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health.

On the occasion of the Bahrain Diplomatic Day, observed annually on 14 January, the Cabinet highlighted the Kingdom’s diplomatic achievements in strengthening its regional and global presence.

These accomplishments reflect the Kingdom’s comprehensive development goals, led by HM the King and supported by HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

The Cabinet extended its congratulations to HE Joseph Aoun, newly elected President of the Republic of Lebanon, following his victory in the presidential elections and his swearing-in ceremony.

The Cabinet wished HE Joseph Aoun success in his tenure and expressed hopes for Lebanon’s continued progress and prosperity.

The Cabinet extended its condolences to the United States of America over the tragic loss of life caused by the forest fires in California, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

The Cabinet also extended its condolences to the People's Republic of China for the fatalities and injuries caused by the recent earthquake in Tibet.

The Cabinet wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

The Cabinet then discussed several memorandums during the meeting, approving the following:

1. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Community Services regarding proposals to enhance employment contracts in the private sector.

2. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding a draft law amending some provisions of the decree that regulates advertisements.

3. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on the draft resolution regarding banning the fishing, selling and trading of small fish and crustaceans.

The memorandum also covered a draft resolution on regulating the “Bahraini fisherman” license and limits on Bahraini fishermen per boat.

4. A memorandum submitted by the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture regarding property acquisition for public urban development purposes.

5. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government's responses to three proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives.

The Cabinet then reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Community Services regarding the labour market indicators for 2024. The memorandum revealed the creation of 27,147 jobs for Bahraini citizens, surpassing the annual target of 20,000 set under the Economic Recovery Plan.

The Cabinet extended its gratitude to all private sector companies and institutions that contributed to the employment of Bahrainis in 2024.

The memorandum also showed that 19,859 citizens have received training during 2024, surpassing the annual target of 10,000 set under the Economic Recovery Plan.

In addition, the Cabinet noted the following ministerial reports:

1. Outcomes of the official visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, upon the request of His Majesty the King, to the Syrian Arab Republic.

2. Outcomes of Bahrain’s participation in an Expanded Arab Ministerial Meeting on Syria.

3. Outcomes of the visit by a delegation of technical and vocational education officials from GCC education ministries and institutions, to learn about the Kingdom’s expertise in technical and vocational education.

4. Bahrain’s participation in the 14th Conference of Arab Ministers of Education.