This was stated by HRH Prime Minister chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at the Gudaibiya Palace, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet.
Dr. Yaser bin Essa Al Naser, Secretary General of the Cabinet, in a post Cabinet meeting statement said that the Cabinet noted the statement made by His Majesty Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, on the occasion of the anniversary of the National Action Charter. His Royal Highness the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa confirmed that the National Action Charter has laid a strong foundation of freedom, justice and reform.
His Royal Highness, the Prime Minister, congratulated the winners of the membership of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bahrain in the twenty-eighth election, which took place on Saturday. The Cabinet confirmed that the government supports the commercial and industrial sector represented by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bahrain, and that is reflected in the visit made by the Prime Minister to the electoral headquarters of Bahrain’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).
The Cabinet studied various social issues that negatively affect Bahraini families and cause financial and emotional hardship, including the absconding of domestic servants. In this regard, HRH the Prime Minister directed to form a committee headed by the Ministry of Interior and representatives from the Ministry of Labour and other concerned governmental bodies to develop solutions and propose effective measures that preserve the rights of both the sponsors and the domestic employee to address this issue.
HRH instructed all existing national committees to report periodically to the Cabinet, to allow for follow-up and ensure that they fulfill their roles and tasks as assigned.
The Prime Minister instructed the Ministerial Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs to expedite the completion of the study of proposals regarding eligibility criteria for accepting applications for housing services, including those with regard to the salary of the husband for the wife, which came in a motion requested by the House of Representatives.
The Cabinet approved the establishment of a National Commission for International Humanitarian Law as a part of the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs and assigned the Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs to chair the committee. The committee is to be specialized in all matters relating to the implementation and application of International Humanitarian Law and the development of policies, strategies and plans related to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Cabinet noted that the formation of the above comes in line with the four Geneva Conventions concerning the sick and wounded in war, as well as with the Convention on cultural Property in the case of an armed conflict concluded in the Hague and their two Additional Protocols, which have been ratified by the Kingdom of Bahrain under Law 28/2008.
The Cabinet approved the creation of the post of General Coordinator of Committees Affairs for Jawad bin Salem Al Awadhi, at the position of Assistant Deputy Minister in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Cabinet directed the concerned body to take legal action in this regard.
The Cabinet referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs a draft Amended Protocol II to the Free Trade Agreement with the United States in the attached memo for this purpose by the Minister of Industry and Trade .
The Cabinet approved the following four suggestions from the House of Representatives: (1) the establishment of a center for gathering damages in each province; (2) addressing the absconding of domestic workers; (3) the use of instant messages in respect to services provided to the citizens from the Ministry of Interior; and (4) the development of social centers.
The Cabinet referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs four matters relating to an understanding between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of India as follows: (1) the creation of a high joint committee for bilateral cooperation between the two countries; (2) cooperation in the fields of youth and sports; (3) cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Institute of Service Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of India; and (4) the transfer of a Sentenced Persons agreement between the two countries.