Shura Council, Women’s Council Activate Cooperation Agreement

Joint committees discuss legislative priorities, gender balance and women’s advancement beyond 2026

Joint committees formed by the Shura Council and the Supreme Council for Women held their first meeting on Sunday to discuss mechanisms for implementing their cooperation agreement on advancing and developing women’s affairs.

The meeting, held at the Shura Council premises in Al Qudaibiya, was chaired by Lulwa bint Saleh Al Awadhi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Women and head of its committee, and Ijlal Isa Bubshait, head of the committee representing the Shura Council.

Members of both committees and their respective work teams attended the meeting, which focused on establishing a work methodology and priorities for the coming phase.

The committees reviewed the cooperation agreement, their respective mandates and responsibilities, and the decisions establishing the two committees. Discussions focused on supporting Bahrain’s National Model for Gender Balance, integrating women’s needs into development, coordinating efforts to identify legislative requirements related to women’s affairs, and determining priority issues.

Al Awadhi stressed the importance of agreeing on a clear mechanism and work plan to activate the National Model for Gender Balance, which is based on equal opportunities and gender balance across national development programmes.

She said the model serves as a general policy framework for policymakers, strategists, legislators and government bodies implementing plans and programmes.

Al Awadhi also said the cooperation agreement provides an appropriate mechanism for coordination with the legislative authority on future directions of the National Strategy for the Advancement of Bahraini Women beyond 2026.

This includes identifying legislative gaps related to future transformations and emerging sciences, as well as examining how legislation can empower women while protecting and strengthening the position of Bahraini women amid these changes.

Bubshait said activating the agreement represents an important step towards strengthening institutional cooperation between the two sides and translating the coordination frameworks outlined in the agreement into practical work that delivers tangible results.

She said the cooperation would further support issues concerning Bahraini women, in line with the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the efforts of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women, to build on existing achievements and respond more effectively to emerging needs affecting women, families and society.

Bubshait noted that the implementation of the agreement is receiving close attention and follow-up from Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh, Chairman of the Shura Council, given the importance of continuing to develop legislation to strengthen women’s position and keep pace with developments in family, social, economic and political affairs.

She added that the agreement would provide broader opportunities to strengthen communication between legislative work and national expertise specialising in women’s affairs, contributing to discussions on relevant legislation and identifying areas where legal and regulatory frameworks may require development.

The meeting also examined ways to benefit from initiatives under the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women 2025–2026 as a basis for periodically reviewing policies and legislation related to women.