New York, July 18 /BNA /: Executive Vice President for E-Transformation Dr. Zakaria Al-Khaja represented the Kingdom of Bahrain in a panel discussion entitled The Role of Digital Cooperation in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which was held at the United Nations Headquarters. in New York.
The event coincided with the high-level political forum for sustainable development 2023, in the presence of the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, Amna bint Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, and the Minister of Sustainable Development, Noor bint Ali Al-Khalif.
The Kingdom of Bahrain presented its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) Report on Progress in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while sharing knowledge and best practices on global digital cooperation.
Dr. Al Khaja highlighted the Bahraini digital initiatives that directly contributed to the sustainable development goals. He stressed the importance of developing sustainable services and ensuring their quality, strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors, strategic planning, and digital transformation. All of these efforts are aligned with and support the Sustainable Development Goals.
He also highlighted the government’s plan (2023-2026), which includes a set of policies and initiatives that are in line with the sustainable development goals.
He talked about the importance of developing and maintaining services, ensuring their quality, strengthening partnerships with the private sector, strategic planning, and digital transformation, adding that all these measures directly contribute to achieving the goals of sustainable development.
Dr. Al Khaja also explained Bahrain’s belief in the key role of the private sector as a partner in the development process.
To support this approach, Bahrain has issued the “Guideline for Regulating Partnerships between the Public and Private Sectors” that outlines the process towards effective partnerships, covering service efficiency and quality through a competitive environment among private sector service providers, benefiting from private sector expertise, attracting new investments, and creating opportunities. a job.
Dr. Al-Khaja highlighted specific areas that have been subject to privatization. For example, in the Ministry of Interior, minor traffic accidents are now handled by insurance companies, which issue accident reports under the supervision of the General Directorate of Traffic (GDT).
In the judicial field, the private sector has been entrusted with the task of dealing with notary services in accordance with the regulations of the notary public in Bahrain, including registering documents and enhancing the efficiency of the notary service through integrated legal controls and requirements.
Dr. Al-Khaja also discussed initiatives such as delegating the task of pre-employment medical examination services to expatriate workers to the private sector under the supervision of the Ministry of Health.
In addition, Bahrain has established strategic partnerships with leading technology companies, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco to take advantage of advanced technologies, especially cloud computing.
He gave an overview of Bahrain’s efforts to support digital transformation processes that are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. For example, in line with the goal of eradicating poverty, the Kingdom provides electronic services that promote social solidarity and reduce poverty, such as zakat, financial support, and government subsidy assistance.
To achieve quality education, the Information and eGovernment Authority provides services such as student exam results and issuance of student certificates. In connection with the UN’s Goal 9, which focuses on industry, innovation and infrastructure, Bahrain has established building permit and record-keeping systems.
It also supports Goal 16, which emphasizes peace, justice, and strong institutions, through services such as court procedures, prosecution services, and Islamiat. Bahrain’s model of public-private partnerships contributes to achieving Goal 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr. Zakaria also discussed Bahrain’s mobile strategy, which aims to streamline the number of applications targeting individuals, investors and visitors. The Kingdom has also established an ecosystem that provides joint government services, including the National Payment Platform, National Gateway Infrastructure, and Government Data Network (GDN).
He highlighted Bahrain’s efforts during the pandemic, including prioritizing public health, mitigating its impact on the economy, achieving economic recovery, and ensuring financial sustainability, noting that Bahrain succeeded in providing health care services, free tests and vaccinations to all citizens and residents during that period. a period.
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will be held, under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, from 10 to 19 July 2023. The Forum focuses on accelerating recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and fully implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels. It also reviews the goals of sustainable development and the main efforts made to achieve them.
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