Video: Violence continues across Bahrain

From Al Jazerra, a video on another political uprising in the Middle East, this time Bahrain. Warning, this video is pretty graphic.

Video: Pre-dawn Raid Destroys Bahrain Protest Camp

From the Associated Press, a video on a police crackdown against protesters in Bahrain.

20 centres for needy on way

from the Gulf Daily News

By GEOFFREY BEW

BAHRAIN plans to nearly triple the number of social development centres to help needy people by 2015, it emerged yesterday. Social Development Ministry assistant under-secretary Dr Badriya Al Jeeb said government officials want to raise the number from eight to 20 as part of goals to reach the deprived in every corner of the country.

She revealed the target would include six old people's homes, three centres for children, a homeless shelter and building for Non Government Organisations.

Dr Badriya said Bahrain already has centres for the elderly, disabled, families, the homeless and women and children offering social, psychological and financial support and the new facilities aimed to build on that.

"We are trying to make development centres more widespread for women, children and the elderly," she told the GDN.

"We want to have 20 centres in all of Bahrain."

Dr Badriya was speaking on the sidelines of the UN Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) annual ministerial review's regional preparatory meeting on Sustainable Urbanisation.

Government delegations from across the Middle East attended the two-day event, which concluded at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa yesterday.

Participants debated access to land and housing, urban planning, finance and Islamic banking during the meeting, held under the patronage of the Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

A report containing recommendations from the event will be drawn up in the next few weeks and will serve as input to the Ecosoc's annual meeting in New York next month.

Dr Badriya said the "Family Bank", which it is hoped to be up and running by the end of the year, would provide further opportunities to help women and children start businesses.

It will be based on a community development bank established by Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate Professor Mohammad Yunus, which has helped more than seven million people since 1976.

$2m Bahrain aid for Islamic fund

from the Gulf Daily News

By RASHA AL QAhtani

BAHRAIN is joining international efforts to help reduce poverty in Muslim countries by contributing more than $2 million (BD756,000), it was anno-unced yesterday.

The move is part of the country's commitment to the Islamic Development Bank's (IDB) Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) aimed at poverty reduction.

"Bahrain and other contributing countries have been supporting the ISFD since its establishment in 2004 and this amount will be very beneficial to the poor in some Muslim countries," said IDB president Dr Ahmed Mohammed Ali.

The Fund recently approved the first programmes for sponsorship in its Fight for Poverty Reduction scheme.

The first two programmes under the five-year strategy of the ISFD will be covered by a $10 billion (BD3.78m) Waqf fund recently created by the bank for poverty reduction in Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) in member countries.

The two programmes, known as the Vocational Literacy Programme for Poverty Alleviation (VOLIP) and the Microfinance Support Programme (MFSP), will seek to provide together some $1bn in financing over the next five years to help address some of the most fundamental causes of poverty in member nations of the IDB, namely lack of education and of employment opportunities.

Dr Ali said that the ISFD was focused on increasing productivity and combating persisting problems of poverty, illiteracy and epidemics.

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the IDB's fourth Meeting of Women's Advisory Panel yesterday held at the Regency InterContinental Bahrain.

The two-day meeting addresses a number of key topics, including plans and strategies for empowering women, progress on current projects of the IDB's Advisory Panel and the experience of member states.

It also includes a presentation on the Bahrain's successes to promote the role of women by Supreme Council for Women secretary-general Dr Lulwa Al Awadhi.

The event brings together representatives from a group of IDB's member states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey and Guinea.

The representatives come from a variety of academic disciplines, have diverse professional backgrounds and enjoy broad experience with development at the national and international levels as well as with both civil society and government, say officials.

Dr Ali said that IDB was committed to supporting development across the Islamic world and believes that women have a critical role to play.

"The Women's Advisory Panel and the bank are now working in a systematic way to ensure that women's participation in society is enhanced," he said.

"The advisory panel and the bank itself have a number of important initiatives that pay particular attention to the role of women."

"Key among these is the ISFD which aims to reduce poverty among the poorest Islamic nations."

"It also seeks to address the needs of the poorest of poor which often include women and children."

Bahrain is sparing no effort in promoting the role of women in the development process, Finance Minister and IDB board of governors chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said at the opening ceremony.

"Low income countries are likely to need up to $23.8bn (BD9bn) to meet the gender equality and empowerment of women requirements in the Millennium Development Goals," said Shaikh Ahmed.

"It is done here mainly through the financial allocations necessary for this objective in the state budget and the role of Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) in providing financing and technical assistance to small and medium size projects of Bahrain's women entrepreneurs.

"No sustainable development or economic growth could be achieved without investment in human resources. Subsequently, ignoring half of the human capital of any country would seriously hinder its progress opportunities.

Mall to help fight poverty trap

from the Gulf Daily News

By RASHA AL QAHTANI

THE New Productive Families mall in Seef will help low income families beat the poverty trap, by nurturing cottage industry-style enterprises.

It will give 80 families a place to showcase and sell their goods, such as pickles, pastries, perfumes, sweets, baskets, handicrafts, clothing and others.

The families are all from the government's Productive Families scheme, designed to help people help themselves by starting small businesses.

The BD430,000 mall was yesterday opened by Her Highness Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty King Hamad and chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Women.

She opened the mall in a ceremony attended by Social Development Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi and other dignitaries and officials.

Ministry family and child development director Khalid Ishaq said the mall would provide a place for needy families to sell their homemade goods. "The mall provides a place to market their products locally and develop them in the future," he said.

"It is a pioneering initiative because it is only for Bahrainis and gives them a chance to enhance and develop their products."

Mr Ishaq said the mall would also act as an attraction because it would bring in many tourists, who would want to buy locally-made products.

The mall comprises 16 shops and four specialist units, including an information technology centre, a computer laboratory and training facilities.

It will also house a variety of stalls, giving space to 80 productive families. The two-storey building features a reception, exhibition area, a cafŽ and a restaurant. It has been built by the Labour Ministry, in co-operation with the Economic Development Board, which put in BD30,000 towards the facility.

The aim is to help needy families and particularly women develop marketable handicraft and homemade products, as well as develop and improve small businesses.

Um Khalid Sweets owner Layla Yousif told the GDN about her success story since she joined the Productive Families scheme. "My first experience started in 1986, when I read an advertisement for a cooking course at the Children and Mothers Welfare Society, in which I participated and learnt how to make birthday cakes," she said.

"One day I made a cake on my daughter's birthday and one of my friends told me to start a small business making and selling cakes. I welcomed the idea since I didn't work."

Ms Yousif said once she started, she realised she needed a budget to maintain the supplies she needed to make the cakes.

"In the beginning I started borrowing from family and friends and during Eid I would not sleep for four days before the occasion," she said.

In 1995 she joined the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry's Productive Families scheme, which helped her develop her business, which now caters to customers from all over the GCC.

Once she joined the project, she took part in various exhibitions organised by the ministry, which she said helped attract more customers, both locally and regionally.

"My husband encouraged me to open my own sweets shop and I was very interested in the idea," said Ms Yousif.

"I then opened Um Khalid Sweets, which became successful and more people got to know about me."

She said that all of this was possible through loans from the society and the Productive Families scheme.

"I will never forget their help when I needed a loan to buy the necessary materials for my sweets," she said.

"After becoming successful and able to stand on my own feet, I still help the ministry when they need sweets for an occasion, in return for all the support I received."

Aneesa Mohammed Ebrahim Al Aali and her family were saved by the scheme after facing hard times. "My husband was a successful businessman, with a job and a good income," she said.

"However, after he left his job we faced financial crisis and had to find another source of income, especially since we had two children."

Ms Al Aali and her husband started her first business in Oman, where they opened the Bahrain Shores restaurant.

"This business was doing well and we got many customers who soon became regulars," she said.

"The project was successful for five years and then we decided to return to Bahrain, but suffered another financial crisis."

Ms Al Aali often had relatives and other guests at her home and would prepare pastries and kababs for them. They were so good that visitors suggested she go into business.

Youngsters tackle global issues

from the Gulf Daily News

By REBECCA TORR

MODEL United Nations (MUN) delegates began to tackle issues of world poverty, gender equality and access to healthcare at the opening of Bahrain MUN yesterday.

More than 450 15-to-18-year-olds from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are participating in the three-day event, held at Al Raja School, Manama.

The students from 40 private and government schools are representing 200 different countries and UN agencies and include Press, administration, security staff and alumni.

BAHMUN is organised by the Rotary Club of Adliya and held under the patronage of Education Minister Dr Majid Ali Al Nuaimi.

The opening ceremony was addressed by keynote speaker former UN General Assembly president Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa, who outlined the history of the UN, its different chambers, as well as its role, activities and goals.

She said the UN was tackling various challenges such as extreme poverty, illiteracy, access to healthcare, the spread of Aids/HIV and malaria and discrimination against women.

"Women account for two-thirds of 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty and two-thirds of the world's illiterate are women," she said.

"There are 270 million children worldwide that have no access to healthcare, and four million die each year in the first month of their short life.

"Every year malaria kills one million people and Aids three million."

She said that in September 2000, at the UN millenium summit, world leaders agreed to tackle these problems and others and set several Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015.

MDGs projects are already proving successful and the millennium villages are a good example.

The villages are a method developed by the UN to help African communities get out of poverty by the deadline, and the project has so far reached 4,000 in 79 villages.

Shaikha Haya said the UN was also bringing countries together to tackle another global challenge that of climate change.

The average global temperature had risen by 0.74 degrees in the last century and this was the largest and fastest trend ever witnessed, she highlighted.

"The earth could rise up to three degrees in the 21st century and most changes are due to human activity, due to the emission of greenhouse gases," she said.

"The UN is working to bring countries together to address climate change."

Speeches were also delivered by club president Talal Al Mannai and BAHMUN academic co-ordinator Terrie Cheesbourg.

Mr Al Mannai said BAHMUN, initiated in 1994, was an ideal platform that gave younger generations the chance to share their opinions on issues of global concern that would have an impact on the world for many years to come.

"In sponsoring this event, the club aims at creating a framework of thinking, exchanging ideas, an atmosphere of decision making where participants can freely express themselves and develop a sense of responsibility for the world that we all share together," he said.

"It also aims at illustrating the opportunities that exist worldwide to build friendship, contribute to a better community, meet different people who all contribute towards building understanding among nations."

The opening was attended by Education Ministry assistant under-secretary for educational services and private education Dr Khalid Al Alawi on behalf of Dr Al Nuaimi. Ambassadors, UN and ministry officials, teachers, Press were present.

Plaques of appreciation were presented by Mr Al Mannai to Dr Al Alawi, Shaikha Haya, past district assistant governor and Shura Council member Khalid Almoayyed and school board of directors chairman Dr Isa Khayat.

BAHMUN is a simulated meeting of the UN General Assembly (GA), the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

It simulates the process of negotiations, discussion, diplomacy and lively debate, which is the cornerstone of the UN.

In their groups, students each represent a specific country, or organisation and deliver an opening speech on their country's or organisation's policies at the start of the meeting. They then enter into lobbying, debate and later voting.

BAHMUN's closing ceremony will be held tomorrow (March 1) at 4.30pm, when students will present the resolutions they have passed.

becky@gdn.com.bh

DEBATE ISSUES

THE issues to be debated by each group are:

l GA - The advancement of women in the Middle East to create equal rights and women empowerment; and, the right to educate and allocate humanitarian resources for the eradication of poverty in Africa.

l HRC - The globalised bill of rights for health and well-being of children and adolescents; and, the question of protecting the rights and welfare of migrant workers globally.

l ECOSOC - The question of environmental health, sanitation, pollution and the protection of the environment; and, the proper management of transboundary water resources with emphasis on the Euphrates River.

l IAEA - The question of Iran's right to own and use nuclear technology; and, the question of the GCC researching the possible use of nuclear technology as an alternative source of energy in the near future.

l Security Council - The formation of an international tribunal to bring to justice those involved in the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al Harriri; and, the question of adding permanent members to the Security Council.

Each group will also be given a crisis issue to deal with at some time during the event.

Bahrain vows $2m to fight poverty

from The Gulf Daily News

By SOMAN BABY

BAHRAIN has pledged $2 million (BD756,000) towards a fund aimed at combating poverty throughout the Islamic world.

The $10 billion Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development is being established within the Islamic Development Bank to support poor countries in the Islamic world, especially in Africa.

A high-level bank advisory panel met at the Gulf Hotel yesterday to discuss the poverty drive.

Finance Minister and the bank's board of governors chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said Bahrain was proud to be associated with the unique fund.

"The fund was established within the Saudi-based bank, following a decision of the third extraordinary meeting of the Islamic Summit, held in Makkah Al Mukarramah in December 2005," he said during a Press conference.

"We shall contribute $2m to the fund and will also support it through technical training and education."

The fund, the objectives of which are linked directly to supporting the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals, will focus on combating poverty, reducing illiteracy and fighting communicable diseases in the bank's least developed member countries, 80 per cent of which are in Africa.

Those who attended yesterday's meeting were political and economic leaders and humanitarians from across the Organisation of Islamic Conference member states.

Among them were former Sudanese president Abdulrahman Mohamed Hassan Siwar Al Dhahab, former premiers Mahatir Mohammed (Malaysia), Mohammed Azzarooq Rajab (Libya) and Mo'een Quraishi (Pakistan).

Former Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Aba Al Kheil, Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa and Dallah AlBaraka Group chairman Shaikh Saleh Kamel also attended.

The bank's delegation is led by its president Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, who called for enhanced efforts to ensure participation by the private sector in the fund.

"High-net-worth individuals and corporates should contribute as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts," he said.

The meeting also stressed the need for more effective channelling of Zakat and discussed ways to mobilise further government contributions from the bank's member countries.

Participants further highlighted the importance of technical resource assistance with the Iranian government, committing themselves to providing technical training and education to 1,000 students from targeted beneficiary countries.

Other recommendations included preparing strategies aimed at enhancing mobilisation for the fund, which could be presented to leaders for approval at the upcoming 10th Islamic Summit in Senegal, being held in March.

Before concluding the event, the participants were received by Deputy King Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who underlined Bahrain's commitment to the fund.

Bahrain backs $10bn poverty reduction initiative

from Trade Arabia

Bahrain is set to host a top level gathering on $10-billion poverty reduction initiative.

The meeting will discuss the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), which was established within the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) following a decision of the third extraordinary meeting of the Islamic Summit held in Makkah in December 2005.

Bahrain Finance Minister and IsDB Board of Governors’ Chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa will patronize the meeting of the “High-Level Advisory Panel for the ISFD,” which will take place in Manama on February 5 at the Gulf Hotel.

The event will bring together eminent personalities who have an interest in joint action for development and poverty reduction across the Islamic world and who can help to further define the fund’s strategies and support efforts to raise its targeted $10 billion, the organisers said in a statement.

The fund, whose objectives are linked directly to supporting the achievement of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, will focus on combating poverty, reducing illiteracy and fighting communicable diseases in IsDB’s least developed member countries (80% of which are in Africa) as well as in pockets of poverty in other member countries.

The meeting, to be presided over by Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, will include prominent political and economic leaders and humanitarians from across the OIC member states.

Among the expected attendees are: former Iran president Mohammed Khatami, former Sudan president Abdulrahman Mohamed Hassan Siwar Al Dhahab and former Malaysia prime minister Mahathir Mohammed.

The IsDB delegation will be led by the IsDB President, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali. – TradeArabia News Service

Family Bank bid to banish poverty

from The Gulf Daily News

By SOMAN BABY

A NEW Family Bank will enable Bahrain to become the first Arab country to consign poverty to history, Nobel Peace laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus said yesterday.

Founder of Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Prof Yunus co-signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Social Development Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi to establish the Family Bank.

The bank will be set up on the principles and philosophy of Grameen bank, which has been supporting 80 per cent of poor families in Bangladesh with microcredit, over the past 30 years.

"We can create a poverty-free world if we collectively believe in it," Prof Yunus told a Press conference after the signing ceremony held at the ministry.

"In a poverty-free world, the only place you would be able to see poverty is in the poverty museums, and I am confident the new project would enable Bahrain to become the first country to establish such a museum."

Grameen Bank is owned by the poor borrowers of the bank, mostly women.

They at present own 94pc of the bank's total equity.

A team from Grameen Bank would visit Bahrain shortly to work out details of the new Family Bank, said Prof Yunus.

"We are ready to establish it on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis," he added.

Prof Yunus described the signing ceremony as a historic moment for Bahrain.

The bank will be established gradually after making an in-depth survey of its beneficiaries, said Dr Al Balooshi.

"We have not yet decided on the capital and the structure of the bank," she noted.

"In 1999, we launched a Microstart project, which gave out loans worth $1 million (BD378,000) to needy families.

"The Family Bank will follow the Grameen Bank concept of making the borrowers its owners."

As the borrowers become the owners, they will ensure that there is no failure in repayment, said Dr Al Balooshi.

"The idea is to shift the needy families from the umbrella of social assistance to social and economic empowerment ," she added.

"About 13,000 families receive regular social assistance from the government."

The micro-credit system of Grameen Bank has changed the lives of millions of poor people, said Dr Al Balooshi.

"We want to learn from the experience of Grameen Bank in enhancing the quality of lives of needy people by empowering them economically and socially," she added.

"His Majesty King Hamad has allocated a social welfare fund to establish a bank for the needy.

"We want to call it a Family Bank, as family forms the nucleus of any society."

The Grameen Bank experience has been adopted by even rich countries like the US and France, said Dr Al Balooshi.

Bangladeshi Ambassador Ruhul Amin said Prof Yunus has become the symbol of hope for the suffering humanity and the deprived people and the destitute.

"The Grameen Bank's mission is to help the poor families to help themselves to overcome poverty," he added.

"In Bahrain, extreme poverty does not exist.

"The proposed Family Bank would lead to some institutional arrangements to assist the disadvantaged families to participate in the country's economic development."

Prof Yunus said the credit provided by the bank is offered for creating self-employment for income-generating activities.

"As a first step to bring information technology to the poor we created a mobile phone company, Grameen Phone," he revealed.

"We gave loans from Grameen Bank to poor women to buy mobile phones to sell phone services in the villages.

"Today there are nearly 300,000 telephone ladies providing telephone service in all the villages of Bangladesh.

"Grameen Phone has more than 10 million subscribers."