Manama, BAPCO Energies, the integrated energy group leading the energy transformation section in Bahrain, is supporting the afforestation of the East Sitra waterfront, as part of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development's (NIAD) national afforestation campaign, Forever Green. The afforestation project is conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture and the Supreme Council for the Environment, as part of the efforts aimed at achieving the environmental goals that the Kingdom of Bahrain is committed to regionally and globally, and to support the national priorities aimed at expanding green spaces, as part of the third phase of Forever Green. BAPCO Energy's support for the project reflects its commitment to achieve a sustainable partnership between the public and private sectors, in line with the priorities of the Government Plan "From Recovery to Sustainable Growth 2023-2026." The initiative also emphasises the pivotal role of the private sector in driving s ustainable development, in implementation of the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to work on addressing environmental challenges and mitigate the effects of climate change. This also corresponds with the approach led by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Consort of the King and the President of the Consultative Council of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD), and in support of the efforts of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bapco Energies Group to protect the environment. The inauguration event was held in the presence of Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, Secretary General of NIAD; Mark Thomas, the CEO of BAPCO Energies; Asim Abdul Latif, Undersecretary of Housing and Urban planning; Mohammad Al S ehli, Director General of the Capital Municipality and other officials. On this occasion, Shaikha Maram commended the ongoing contributions of national companies in support of Forever Green, which demonstrates their commitment to social responsibility and contributing to efforts to achieve sustainable development in the Kingdom of Bahrain. For his part, Mark Thomas, the CEO of BAPCO Energies said that the group continues to maintain a strong legacy of sustainable development and social responsibility, which drives its commitment to adopting initiatives that contribute to support sound environmental management practices. He said this was an essential element of the policy of the group and its subsidiaries, which has invested more than $320 million over the past years in the best available technologies without direct financial return to ensure compliance with local regulations and international standards for land, air and water. He added that the East Sitra waterfront afforestation is part of the group's comm itment to reducing carbon emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2060. Moreover, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning underscored its support for the efforts of Forever Green, driven by the common interest in increasing the green spaces in housing city projects. The ministry said the East Sitra waterfront afforestation is part of a series of initiatives in collaboration with Forever Green focusing on housing cities. The ministry conducted a similar project recently in East Hidd and has launched an initiative in East Sitra during the distribution of housing units where it presented beneficiaries with seedlings to encourage increasing green spaces in the project. East Sitra is one of the main housing cities implemented by the Ministry of Housing. At the opening of the city last December, trees were carefully selected for the project based on their suitability with climate conditions and aesthetic appearance, as part of the objectives of Forever Green. Source: Bahrain News Agency