HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister chairs the weekly cabinet meeting
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today chaired the weekly cabinet meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
The Cabinet commended His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During the trip, His Majesty met with the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to review how the longstanding relationship between the two countries and ways to further enhance ties.
The Cabinet extended its congratulations to Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Consort of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women, for her inclusion in UNESCO’s Contemporary and Historical Women Leadership Initiative that marks International Day of Women in Multilateralism 2022.
The Cabinet noted that Her Royal Highnesses’ inclusion reflects the success of the policies and programmes implemented by the Supreme Council for Women under the leadership of Her Royal Highness.
The Cabinet affirmed that Bahraini citizens remain at the core of all public sector programmes and initiatives and that the government continues to develop plans to ensure the sustainability of projects and services provided to citizens.
The Cabinet noted the importance of expanding efforts to achieve His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s vision that ensures Bahraini citizens are at the centre of development efforts.
The Cabinet reiterated the government’s commitment to enhancing the standard of living for citizens. In this regard, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince Prime Minister, directed the Ministry of Labour and Social Development to double the distribution of social assistance allowances to those entitled to social security and a disability pension during the holy month of Ramadan.
The decision was made to reduce living costs for low-income families during Ramadan. The Cabinet noted that the government amended social security distribution and financial support for low-income individuals in January 2022 by increasing financial support for low-income families and social security beneficiaries by 10%.
His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, also directed the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, to monitor the supply of consumer goods to ensure there is ample availability of quality and affordable commodities as Ramadan approaches and in light of current global challenges.
His Royal Highness also directed the Ministry to intensify inspection campaigns to monitor markets and ensure price stability.
The Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism then briefed the Cabinet on the Ministry’s efforts to ensure the availability of basic commodities and the ability to respond to market needs.
The Cabinet welcomed the decision of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that extends Bahrain’s management of air traffic over international waters in the north of the Arabian Gulf from the UAE’s flight information region (FIR) borders to Kuwait’s FIR borders.
The Cabinet noted that this decision reflects international confidence in the Kingdom’s management of its flight information region and neighbouring maritime airspaces.
The Cabinet condemned terrorist drone attack that targetted a petroleum refinery in Riyadh, endangering civilians and damaging facilities.
The Cabinet affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain stands in solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it implements measures to preserve its security, stability, and territorial integrity.
The Cabinet also condemned a missile attack on Erbil in the Kurdistan region of the Republic of Iraq. The Cabinet also confirmed Bahrain’s support of Iraq’s measures to maintain its security and territorial integrity and prevent terrorist activity.
The Cabinet discussed several memorandums during the meeting with the following outcomes:
The approval of the following memorandums:
1. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding 10 ministerial decisions issued by the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs, and Endowments regarding the enactment of the Personal Data Protection Law, which includes a number of rules, procedures, and regulations.
2. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government’s response to three proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives.
The Cabinet took note of ministerial reports regarding Bahrain’s participation in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in the Republic of Turkey, the 157th session of the League of Arab States Council, and the first edition of the World Defense Show in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Cabinet also reviewed the visit of the Minister of Health of the State of Israel to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
