Bahrain has begun its term on the Executive Board of UN Women for the 2026–2028 period, following its election by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to represent the Asia-Pacific Group. The Kingdom secured one of the five seats allocated to the regional group.
Her Highness Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Member of the Supreme Council for Women, represented Bahrain at the first regular session of 2026 of the UN Women Executive Board. During the session, she conveyed greetings from Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women, and thanked UN Women for its role in aligning national policies with international frameworks to advance women’s empowerment worldwide. She also said she was proud to represent Bahrain on the Executive Board for the 2026–2028 term.
Shaikha Hessa said Bahrain’s second term on the Executive Board, following its previous membership from 2017 to 2019, reflects the confidence placed by the international community in the Kingdom’s progress and its experience in supporting women and increasing their participation in development.
She said Bahrain will use its membership to support the quality of UN Women’s policies and strategies related to women’s empowerment, contribute to more inclusive societies and support progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. She also referred to Bahrain’s levels of empowerment in technology and modern sciences.
During her address, Shaikha Hessa highlighted the importance of advancing women’s participation in the workplace, in line with Bahrain’s strategic priorities and the initiatives led by the Supreme Council for Women to achieve equal opportunity values. She also pointed to the importance of discussions on UN Women’s strategic programmes to ensure effective use of resources, and to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability while delivering measurable outcomes.
She said UN Women’s work should be aligned with the priorities and local needs of member states. She also referred to the importance of strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems to measure sustainability and impact, particularly in women’s economic empowerment and the protection of rights within development and peace contexts.
Shaikha Hessa also highlighted the need to strengthen multilateral partnerships, including cooperation with UN agencies, governments, the private sector and civil society. She said innovation and digital tools should be used to improve the delivery of programmes and reach vulnerable groups more effectively.
She concluded by reaffirming Bahrain’s commitment to continued cooperation with UN Women and to supporting programmes that deliver sustainable and measurable outcomes for women and girls worldwide, reinforcing their role as key partners in comprehensive development.
