The remarkable progress made by Bahraini women is the fruitful outcome of the visions of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the support of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and Supreme Council for Women (SCW), Chief Executive Officer of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), Khalid Ibrahim Humaidan, said.

He also commended the tremendous efforts made by the SCW to launch strategies that have contributed to advancing Bahraini women at the social and political levels, as well as reinforcing their role as essential partners in the kingdom’s economic development process.

The EDB chief was commenting with reference to the Global Gender Gap Index 2023, released recently by the World Economic Forum. The report benchmarks progress towards gender parity and compares 146 countries’ efforts to close gender gaps across four dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, in addition to political empowerment.

In the report, the Kingdom of Bahrain scored well in achieving gender parity, ranking second in the field of gender balance at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Its overall ranking in closing the gender gap jumped 18 places in 2023, compared to last year. In addition, Bahrain’s ranking increased by 38 places in political empowerment and 9 places with regard to economic participation and opportunities.

Humaidan highlighted the competitive advantages enjoyed by the kingdom, including the qualified workforce, which contributes to attracting direct investments in vital economic sectors and creating job opportunities in the local market that Bahraini women benefit from in terms of job opportunities.

He expressed the EDB’s pride in this global achievement, noting that investing in women, honing their skills and creating conditions for their advancement contribute to enhancing economic growth, which is the current case in Bahrain.

It is worth noting that the EDB won the HRH Princess Sabeeka Award for the Advancement of Bahraini Women twice, the last was in 2020, when it received it jointly with the Shura Council.

Source: Bahrain News Agency