Workshop held on economic diversification, competitiveness

New York : Ways to promote Sustainable Development Goals in Bahrain through economic diversification and competitiveness was at the heart of a workshop held over the past two days. 

The workshop organised by The Bahrain Centre for Strategic and International and Energy Studies, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia several participants, including government authorities, entrepreneurs, academic institutions, civil society organizations and representatives of the media. In attendance were Dr. Sh. Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Chairman of Derasat Board of Trustees and Undersecretary for International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kingdom of Bahrain,  Amin El Sharkawi, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Dr. Haidar Fraihat, Director, Technology for Development Division, ESCWA, and Bashar Malkawi, Dean of Law Sharjah University among many others. 

The workshop was held under the title “Economic Diversification and Competitiveness: From Policies to Implementation”. Sessions, led by experts and several UN Agencies, aimed to highlight the regional challenges and opportunities for economic diversification and international development.  They also explored Bahrain’s Vision 2030 and Bahrain’s policies to promote competitiveness and diversification. 

The United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative, Amin El Sharkawi said “The Gulf countries have taken a number of important steps en route to diversifying their economies. Infrastructure has been built, education and health systems have been created, and a broad range of manufacturing industries primarily servicing an international market have been established. No doubt, Bahrain is on the right path towards achieving the economic diversification it is seeking, with resilient infrastructure, a productive workforce, and in turn a productive economy.  We see that progress will be even more certain when it will be based a holistic, sustainable and knowledge-based track.” Dr. Haidar Fraihat, Director, Technology for Development Division at ESCWA, stated: “The main objective of the workshop was to raise awareness about the challenges and opportunities for Bahrain in the context of the changing regional and international landscape.” 

The workshop brought together experts from Bahrain, the MENA and beyond to identify opportunities for increasing the Kingdom’s competitiveness and its drive towards benefiting from  economic   diversification.