United Nations in the Kingdom of Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain joined the United Nations as a Member State in 1971, and since then, it has joined a range of UN councils, including the Human Rights Council and the Economic and Social Council. Today, the UN country team comprises twenty agencies, funds, and programmes supporting the Government of Bahrain through both in-country and regional offices.

The enduring partnership between the UN and the Kingdom of Bahrain is today captured in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) (2021-2024). The UNSDCF represents a coherent and comprehensive partnership strategy and is guided by Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 and the 2030 Agenda. Following its Voluntary National Review in 2018, the Government Action Plan (2019-2022) placed the Sustainable Development Goals at the centre of Bahrain’s national development agenda.

The UN provides policy, advisory and programmatic support to Bahrain in various sectors. Sustainable management of natural resources, energy efficiency, climate resilience, and enhanced food security are critical parts of the country team’s work in ensuring that the Kingdom’s natural wealth and consumption patterns are motivated by the goal of greening the economy. Similarly, technical assistance is channelled to develop social sector policies and regulatory frameworks that foster an enabling environment for economic diversification, employment creation, and increased resilience and innovation. Looking at Bahrain’s role beyond its physical borders brings opportunities for building regional and international partnerships for sustainable development, particularly in the realm of South-South cooperation, where the Kingdom has been sharing practices and taking part in several multistakeholder forums.

A declaration of intent of cooperation was signed in August 2021 between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the UN Resident Coordinator on behalf of the UN Country Team with the purpose of advising the Government as it prepares its National Action Plan for Human Rights 2022-2026. 


Caption: Manama Skyline
Photo: © Charles-Adrien Fournier

 

Milestones

1

The Kingdom of Bahrain is a Party Member of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, having signed on April 24th, 2016 in New York. It ratified the Paris Agreement on December 24th, 2016 through Royal Decree 75/2016. It's Third National Communication Report was submitted to the UNFCCC on October 18th, 2020. 

2

The Kingdom of Bahrain presented its first Voluntary National Review (VNR) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Economic and Social Council’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development on July 16th, 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

3

The Kingdom of Bahrain has continued to integrate the achievement of the SDGs into national development strategies through its integration into Bahrain's Vision 2030, the Government Action Plan and the Government Work Programme. Through Cabinet Resolution No. 2468-07, the Information and eGovernment Authority was tasked with monitoring the progress towards the achievement of the SDGs.

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The Sustainable Development Goals in Bahrain

The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. With 21 United Nations Entities represented in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the work of the United Nations encompasses all 17 SDGs.