Manama, The National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) has completed the third phase of the national afforestation campaign (Forever Green), planting over 40,000 trees and shrubs over an area of 14,243 square meters and 7,463 linear meters. The campaign, in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture and the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), has completed 47 afforestation projects across various sites in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, Secretary General of NIAD, expressed appreciation to the government and private institutions, civil society organisations, and individuals for their support and efforts in addressing climate challenges to fulfill Bahrain's commitments to reach net-zero neutrality by 2060. The initiative developed a plan for the third phase in cooperation with four municipalities, resulting in the afforestation of 19 sites across the Kingdom. Shaikha Maram bint Isa underscored that the initiative, launched under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Consort of HM the King and Chair of the Advisory Council of NIAD, under the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has succeeded in afforesting 16 sites of official institutions belonging to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, Primary Health Care Centres, and 12 other sites of the private sector and individuals, public transport stations, health centres, housing projects, schools, car parks, coasts, and streets were planted, including 20 sites in the Southern Governorate and 16 sites in the Capital's Municipality. She highlighted the private sector's role in the campaign's success, contributions to the afforestation projects, and supporting national plans to increase the green area in Bahrain. She commended the efforts of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture and the municipalities of the four governorates in the campaign. A platform has been launched as part of the third phase to showcase available sites for afforestation, facilitating the contribution of the private sector and civil society organisations. This platform provides information on the number of trees, cost of implementation, maintenance period, and photos of the sites, making it easier for individuals and organizations to choose a suitable site and contact the National Initiative for booking. The success of the third phase has set the stage for the upcoming phase of the campaign, scheduled to begin in October. Source: Bahrain News Agency