The Kingdom of Bahrain plans to open a local United Nations Habitat office. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Development, Dr Juma Ahmed Al Ka’aby and the UN officials at the sixth World Urban Forum in Naples, said a ministry official.
Bahrain’s ministries are taking part in exhibitions on the sidelines of the Naples forum to be concluded on September 6, 2012.
The Kingdom will be presented in full force at the forum; he said and added that those present at the forum, in addition to the Minister for Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, will include the Minister for Housing Bassem bin Yacoub Al Hamer, Minister for Social Development Dr Fatima Al Beloushi and the Minister for Cabinet Affairs Kamal Ahmed.
A six member panel including the Director General of the Muharraq Municipality Shaikh Khalifa bin Isa Al Khalifa will form part of the group from the Municipalities ministry.
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The 6th World Urban Forum in Naples is organized jointly by UN-Habitat, the Government of Italy, the Campania Region and the City of Naples. The theme for the 2012 summit is ‘The Urban Future’. Over 3,000 participants from 114 countries have already registered for the premier conference on cities and urban issue said the website. Bahrain is expected to be a key participant here.
The opening ceremony for the exhibition held on Monday. The exhibition features thematic exhibits, country pavilions, an urban cinema area, a forum area with seating for informal discussions and food and refreshments courts, the website added.
Exhibitors will be cities showcasing programs, initiatives, partnership and solutions to address the challenges of sustainability, countries with their programs on cities at the national level, United Nations agencies and other international organizations profiling their work on building better cities globally.
In addition to the exhibition Bahrain will also participate at the roundtable of ministers. The theme at Naples will be ‘Building strategic national alliance for a better urban future’. The roundtable of mayors will focus on ‘local leadership and the future of cities’, The roundtable of gender and women will focus on ‘fostering women’ economic empowerment in cities’, said the release.