6th Annual Derasat Forum features three UNCT Bahrain female members

On 14-15 June, experts, policy makers, and participants from Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and other parts of the world, with the participation of women leaders from diverse backgrounds, converged for the two-day annual forum of International and Energy Studies (Derasat), a Bahraini think tank, in Manama.  

This year’s event, organized in collaboration with Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Women (SCW), national women’s machinery mandated to follow up on the progress of Bahraini women and ensure their rights, was titled “The Role of Women in Policymaking, Think Tanks, and Research”, and featured three female members of the United Nations Country Team in Bahrain. 

This was the first time that Derasat’s flagship event had focused squarely on the role of women in driving knowledge, governance, and decision-making, and exploring the gaps and opportunities that exist to bridge those gaps to advance national development priorities. 

In her introductory speech, H.E. Professor Hala Mohammad Jaber Al-Ansari, Secretary General of the SCW stated that "Bahrain is ready to do anything to enhance the Bahraini women's expertise and to raise the levels of their qualitative participation before the quantity", highlighting the importance of addressing women's roles in policymaking and research in the Arab region, a topic often overlooked.  

Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Derasat, underlined in his remarks “the importance of supporting women to help them achieve scientific and academic progress in addition to their societal responsibilities, and to harness the necessary programs to enable both genders to achieve the parity that the United Nations aspires to by 2030”. 

Reflecting on her own life journey, Dr. Tasnim Atatrah, WHO Bahrain Representative and Head of Office Bahrain, said: “When I used to go on field trips with my school as a kid, my teacher would make sure that we were all on the bus by carefully counting heads before we left. It is surprising how this early memory of making sure no one was left behind still resonates in today’s complex world of global health and development.” 

 

“Leaving no one behind” is a core principle of the Sustainable Development Goals. Equity, human rights, and gender equality are central to all the goals. To realize this inclusive vision, we have to first ensure that everyone makes it on to the bus of the SDGs, including women and girls”, Dr. Atatrah said.  

Fernanda Leonardi, Head of UN-Habitat joined inspiring women in the Panel on Women in Policymaking, which explored challenges and opportunities for women leaders to shape our society leading towards gender equality and sustainable development. 

In an interview with Bahrain’s The Daily Tribune newspaper, Lonardoni highlighted Women’s representation in the Bahrain Parliament, Municipal Councils, and Government Entities. “There are five women ministers in Bahrain’s cabinet which is almost equal in percentage of global standards,” she said, praising Bahrain’s progressive reforms are in the right direction for achieving gender equality by empowering women.  

Josephine Moss, Regional Coordination Specialist at the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States highlighted that women’s empowerment is a critical accelerator for sustainable development, as empowering 50 per cent of the population will necessarily improve development results for all. 

“One of the most effective ways to ramp-up this process is to advance women’s leadership and participation in decision-making at all levels and in all sectors”, Ms. Moss said.