Manama: Bahrain’s Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa has been conferred a fourth award by the United Nations specialised agencies after he was presented the “Information and Communication Technology in Sustainable Development” award by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Prince Khalifa is the first Arab Prime Minister to be honoured by ITU, being among leaders who strongly support the use of ICT in achieving sustainable development goals.
The award was conferred during a ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in the presence of heads of states and governments, senior UN officials and diplomats, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
Addressing the audience, Prince Khalifa said the award would be a catalyst for Bahrain and its people to carry on endeavours to attain more achievements in ICT and all fields related to development.
The award is a global appreciation for all Bahrain citizens who have every right to be proud of it, and are keen on continuing the achievement and dedication progress under the leadership of King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa, Prince Khalifa said in his televised speech to ITU.
Prince Khalifa said the ITU honoured him after assessing Bahrain’s giant strides and progress in the telecommunications sector and efforts to take advantage of ICT in boosting sustainable development, which, he explained, has enabled the kingdom to emerge among the top destinations for telecommunications’ investors.
He underscored the crucial role of ITU in promoting technology and using it to find the best solutions and achieve sustainable development, which, he said, “deserves praise and appreciation”.
“The challenges currently facing the international community in its quest to achieve sustainable development are inter-linked and require concerted national, regional and international efforts; otherwise the aspired-for real and necessary change to ensure a better future for the humankind will not take place,” he said.
ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao delivered a statement in which he explained the reasons for conferring the ITU Award on Prince Khalifa, noting that Bahrain has for long been a pioneering role model of achievements and success in the fields of telecommunications and information and communication technology regionally and globally, and ranked high in ICT development index.
Under the leadership of Prince Khalifa, the government of Bahrain, has continued its serious efforts to support ITU and highlight the importance of ICT in achieving sustainable development through hosting ITU’s conferences and participating in them effectively, he said.
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr Abdul Lateef Al Zayani said the ITU award granted to Prince Khalifa was an honour for all citizens of Bahrain.
Prince Khalifa was granted the Scroll of Honour Award in Urban Development and Housing by UN-Habitat in 2006, the Unesco-Avicenna Gold Medal for efforts to support culture, human heritage and Unesco activities and Millennium Development Goals Recognition Award in 2010.
