President of the General Assembly praises Bahrain's commitment to the UN Charter and multilateralism

In conclusion of a three-day official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Abdullah Shahid, praised the adherence of the Kingdom to the United Nations Charter and its support for multilateralism. 

During the visit, Mr Abdulla Shahid discussed several issues with Bahraini officials, encompassing the essence of his vision of “Presidency of Hope”, as well as the response to COVID-19, multilateralism and cooperation between the United Nations and Bahrain.

Mr Shahid had the opportunity to meet His Majesty the King of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, praising His Majesty for Bahrain's high-level engagement with the United Nations.  The meeting, as per Mr. Shahid, touched on regional, global and emerging challenges.   

He also met the Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and expressed his appreciation for the continued support to the “Presidency of Hope” and lauded the efforts of the Crown Prince with regards to the response to COVID-19.

Mr Shahid also met with Her Excellency Mrs. Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal, the first ever female speaker of Bahraini Parliament. “I spoke to her about a wide range of issues, from COVID-19 recovery to human rights.” Mr. Shahid highlighted in a tweet. 

Mr Shahid also met with Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa, President of the 61st Session of the General Assembly.  In a tweet following the meeting, he said: “I deeply benefited from her wisdom and insight, accumulated over a long and distinguished career. Our discussions also touched on multilateralism and General Assembly revitalization”. 

Guided by his areas of priorities, Mr. Shahid also met with the Special Envoy for Climate Affairs and Chief Executive Officer of the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), Dr Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Daina.   Areas of discussions included climate change, COP26 and the special measures needed to protect small island states, such as Bahrain.

In a lecture delivered at the Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies, and mainly attended by future Bahraini diplomates, he focused on the importance of pluralism in facing global challenges, while presenting the importance of rebuilding sustainably, the climate crisis, respecting the rights of all, and revitalizing the United Nations.

In an opinion editorial published in Bahraini newspapers, Mr. Shahid praised Bahrain’s best practice in combating COVID-19, especially in terms of vaccine parity, and encouraged other countries to follow Bahrain’s policy in this regard.

Mr Shahid met with the Bahrain UN Country Team (UNCT), led by Acting Resident Coordinator, Mr. Mohammed Al-Zarkani on the first day of his visit.   He exchanged views with the UNCT in Bahrain touching upon a range of issues, including pluralism, gender equality, climate change and recovery from COVID-19.