The 29th International Conference of Public Administration began in Manama on Saturday and will continue until June 6. More than 450 participants from Bahrain and other countries are taking part.
The 29th session of the conference will discuss the main theme: “The future of public administration: leadership and professionalism”, along with several sub-themes namely: the risk and future strategies, leadership in the future, and the creation of innovative services.
The conference is organised by the Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) in collaboration with the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) and the World Association of Schools and Institutes of Public Administration (IASIA).
The conference, which is being held once every three years, is the largest international gathering of public administration in the world and involves all experts, academics and practitioners holding in various areas of public offices. It has become possible for Bahrain to host this international conference when the BIPA succeeded in obtaining the approval of 76 countries. Five other countries — including South Africa, Argentina and India — had competed to win the right to host this year’s conference.
The total number of working papers presented to the conference reached 322 with 75 from the Middle East alone and just 63 of them were accepted.
The working papers submitted by the Kingdom of Bahrain amounted to 60, the equivalent of 78 per cent of the total Middle East papers, of which 49 were accepted. For the first time in the history of the conference, 29 working papers will be presented in Arabic after adopting Arabic as a third official language in the conference along with English and French.
BD460m investment in sanitary sector
The assistant undersecretary at the sanitary engineering department of the Ministry of Works, Khalifa Al Mansoor, has said that investment in the sanitary sector; including projects, operation, and maintenance, amounted to over BD460 million from early eighties until 2012.
Al Mansoor’s said this while addressing a Press conference held by the ministry recently.
The ministry constructed a number of sewage treatment plants, the most important of which is Tubli STP. This plant uses tertiary treatment, which is suitable for irrigation uses. It is presently undergoing upgrade works. It’s expansion will be carried out by the Gulf Support Programme later, said Al Mansoor.
During the past three decades, the ministry developed sanitary services in Bahrain through the implementation of a number of important projects that contributed to improving and expanding sanitary services throughout the Kingdom.
“We have succeeded in connecting around 95 per cent of Bahrain‘s population to sanitary services in 2013. By 2020, it will increase to 100 per cent according to our master plan, said Al Mansoor.
Cardiac rehabilitation for newborns
The King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH), has launched a training programme on cardiac rehabilitation for newborns.
Director of Practical Training at the KHUH said that the programme, the first of its kind in the kingdom, was approved by the American Heart Association (AHA).
He said that the programme provided greater opportunities for saving newborns, adding that about 10 per cent babeis need the rehabilitation programme.
He said that the KHUH is a training centre accredited by the AHA, adding that 1,200 persons from the hospital’s staff, the Irish University and private hospitals have benefited from the KHUH’s training services.