8th Princess Sabeeka Award Launched to Empower Bahraini Women

The Supreme Council for Women announced the opening of registration for the 8th cycle of the HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Award for the Advancement of Bahraini Women (2024–2026).

The award, established by Royal Decree (5) of 2004, carries the name of HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women. It reflects her vision to motivate ministries, government bodies, private sector institutions, civil society organizations, and individuals to launch initiatives and programs that highlight women’s achievements and contributions across all areas of national development.

The award was the first initiative launched by HRH Princess Sabeeka to enhance women’s status and encourage entities to adopt programs that promote women’s advancement, gender balance, and equal opportunities. It also recognizes individual efforts contributing to women’s progress in Bahrain.

Notably, the award has gained international recognition, with the UN Women adopting its model and launching the Princess Sabeeka Global Award for Women’s Empowerment in New York in 2015. Its third global edition was announced in March 2025.

Since its inception, the award has served as a national platform showcasing success stories and inspiring practices, driving institutions to integrate equal opportunity principles into their policies and programs. It has helped boost Bahraini women’s representation in leadership, executive, and decision-making positions.

Participation has grown significantly over the years. While the first cycle saw only 30 entries, the seventh cycle recorded 356 submissions across all categories—an indicator of the award’s positive impact in promoting institutional readiness and gender-responsive practices.

The award committee, chaired by H.E. Lulwa Saleh Al Awadhi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Women, sets the evaluation criteria, reviews nominations, and raises recommendations to HRH Princess Sabeeka for final approval. An international jury also oversees the selection process.

Winning institutions from past cycles have implemented pioneering measures, such as:

• Flexible policies to balance women’s professional and family responsibilities.

• Initiatives by the Ministry of Education to support female teachers caring for children, the elderly, or people with disabilities.

• Private sector programs, including health insurance coverage for working women and online training platforms, such as those launched by the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait.

Examples of empowerment efforts inspired by the award include:

• The Ministry of Interior enabling women to serve in specialized fields like aviation, civil defense, and VIP protection.

• The launch of the CEO Award for Women’s Empowerment by the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait.

• Female leadership in corporate governance, such as chairing risk and cybersecurity committees.

In the seventh edition, winners included:

• Public Sector (Ministries & Government Bodies): Ministry of Health and Tamkeen.

• Private Sector: Bapco Refining (large enterprises), Mumtalakat Holding (medium enterprises), and Export Bahrain (small enterprises).

• Civil Society: Bahrain Diabetes Society.

• Individual Category: Dr. Amal Abdulrahman Al Jowder.

The award continues to reinforce Bahrain’s position as a regional and global leader in advancing women’s empowerment, inspiring other nations to adopt similar national programs.