Manama: Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Consort of His Majesty the King and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), led the inaugural meeting of the SCW's ninth term, set to span from 2025 to 2028.
According to Bahrain News Agency, HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim extended her congratulations to the Council members for being entrusted with their roles at the SCW for its ninth term. She also expressed gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, acknowledging their steadfast support for the Council's mission since its inception.
Her Royal Highness commended the royal decree by His Majesty the King, which declared 2026 as the "Year of Isa Al Kabeer" to honor the founder of the modern state and a key figure in institutional development, His Highness Isa Al Kabeer, Ruler of Bahrain and its dependencies. She highlighted the significance of this designation coinciding with the SCW's silver jubilee, underscoring the Kingdom's ongoing commitment to building a modern state that has thrived under the leadership of His Majesty the King.
HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim emphasized the need to preserve achievements made in advancing Bahraini women while continuing to support their development in line with the Kingdom's rapid progress across various sectors. She expressed her hopes for the SCW to persist in fulfilling its goals, supporting the aspirations of Bahraini women in collaboration with executive authorities, private sector entities, and civil society organizations.
During the meeting, Her Royal Highness acknowledged the contributions of SCW members, stressing their vital role in advancing the Council's work through their expertise. She noted that the SCW is transitioning into a new phase, which involves formulating a national strategy that aligns with recent advancements and progress made over the past 25 years. This strategy aims to bolster the involvement of Bahraini women in nation-building and ensure the sustainability of their contributions across multiple fields.
The Council received updates from Lulwa Al Awadhi, Secretary-General of the SCW, on reports pertaining to the General Secretariat's actions in implementing the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women (2025-2026). The briefing covered follow-up and coordination mechanisms with relevant authorities and evaluated the progress in realizing the plan's pillars, ensuring they positively impact Bahraini women across various sectors.
The Secretary-General also shared information about preparations for celebrating the SCW's silver jubilee and Bahraini Women's Day 2026. The report detailed proposed initiatives for these occasions, aiming to highlight the Council's journey and the significant contributions of Bahraini women to development and progress.
Additionally, the meeting addressed the General Secretariat's report on preparing the national strategy for Bahraini women for the period beyond 2026, detailing the preparatory steps and methodological framework adopted to develop a strategy that aligns with future changes and sustains the gains achieved.