Sixth Princess Sabeeka Women Advancement Award launched

The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) yesterday announced the launch of the sixth edition of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Award for the Advancement of Bahraini Women. The biennial prize is granted to ministries as well as public and private institutions for their distinguished efforts in supporting active Bahraini women and adopting strategies to integrate their needs in the development and equal opportunities.

The announcement was made at a press conference held yesterday, which was attended by SCW Secretary General Hala Al Ansari, the Head of the jury, and members of the jury. Ms. Al Ansari pointed out the importance of the royal order to develop the name of the award and broaden the scope of its categories in tune with the growing participation of Bahraini women in national development.

She also stressed the role of the project at the local and international level as a diplomatic tool to project the kingdom’s successful experience as a think-tank in women empowerment and integration of their needs in the development process. She described the award as an essential part of the “equal opportunities” theme included in the national strategy for the empowerment of Bahraini women which adopts many initiatives to meet the Economic Vision 2030.

The SCW Secretary-General said Bahrain has been able to mend 62 percent of the gender gap by promoting the participation of Bahraini women in decision-making and economic development. She added the award aims principally to benchmark and highlight the national women empowerment efforts, ensure the sustainability of gender balance, promote the culture of “equal opportunities”, exchange experiences and encourage innovation in mapping out policies to boost women’s participation and integrate their needs.