Manama, Oct. 31 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa received at Riffa Palace today the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Director Helen Clark who is on an official visit to Bahrain representing the UN to the Manama Dialogue 2015. He stressed that health, education, housing and creating job opportunities are priorities in the government’s strategy, being key fundamentals for sustainable development. He added, besides achieving competently the UN millennium development goals, Bahrain is resolved to bring about a new story of success by achieving the post-2015 development agenda.

HRH the Prime Minister urged concerted efforts for a more prosperous region, pointing out tensions and conflicts which pose a major challenge to that. “The people in the region have had enough about wars,” he said, noting that unstable security and economic conditions are an impediment to development. He also affirmed that political and economic challenges in many parts of the world should not discourage the UN and its specialised agencies from continuing to support the development efforts in developing countries and people’s aspirations for a decent and prosperous life.

HRH the Premier underscored the need for the international community to act more effectively to fast-track sustainable development by tackling the causes of conflicts and wars which are destroying nations’ resources. “Protecting security and stability of mankind is a common responsibility and every international effort aimed at ensuring people’s security has to be backed,” he asserted, pointing out Bahrain’s keenness to support the pioneering role of UNDP in achieving the millennium development goals and boosting human development worldwide.

The UNDP Director thanked HRH the Premier for patronising the Arab ministerial conference on the post-2015 global sustainable development agenda in the Arab countries, which is set to convene next December. She also lauded HRH the Premier’s unflinching support to cooperation between Bahrain and UNDP and the government’s commitment to achieving the millennium development goals. She also hailed the kingdom’s success in achieving the millennium development goals, stressing keenness of UNDP to further bolster cooperation with Bahrain.

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BNA 1225 GMT 2015/10/31