His Excellency Dr. Raed Mohammed Bin Shams, Director-General of the Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) and Chairman of the Middle East & North Africa Public Administration Research (MENAPAR), stressed the need to share best international practices and experiences in various administrative, economic, environmental and political fields. This should enable the South-South countries to develop joint plans, projects and innovative solutions to meet the global challenges towards Sustainable Development Goals 2030. He made this statement during his participation in the 2017 South-South World Development Forum under the theme of South-South Cooperation in the Era of Economic, Social and Environmental Transformation: Road to the 40th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action”, held during the period November 27 to 30, 2017, Antalya, Turkey.
Dr. Bin Shams appreciated the efforts of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation in organizing this global event and its success in providing a free platform for exchanging views, scientific information and experiences that drive sustainable development forward through sound planning and practical solutions to economic, political and environmental transformation issues. He pointed out that a strategic partnership has been established between the Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through signing of a cooperation agreement, which aims to achieve strategic sustainability for the Middle East & North Africa Public Administration Research (MENAPAR). He added that MENABAR is the first of its kind in the Arab World and it aims to introduce added value to the applied research in public administration, especially those related to the achievement of the 2030 Global Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, in terms of preparation, implementation and evaluation. Thus, it can reach lessons learned and best practices, which can be adopted by the various Arab countries. In fact, MENAPAR can be an important contributor to the various global networks interested in public administration in the Arab countries.
He added that the Kingdom of Bahrain, represented by BIPA, has had the leading role in the region in introducing the concepts of the 2030 Development Agenda and its goals and objectives in the programs and training materials aimed at raising the efficiency of the national government cadres and preparing them to participate in implementing the general sectoral policies related to the Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. This will have a significant impact on the Kingdom of Bahrain in the introduction and implementation of development plans in various sectors, as these objectives are very consistent with the vision of Bahrain 2030, which is based on sustainability, justice and competitiveness.
The World South-South Development Exhibition, hosted by the Government of Turkey and coordinated by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), is the world’s most significant forum to showcase innovative local solutions to global challenges, drawing on broad partnerships involving 25 United Nations organizations and more than 110 of its member States. Among the prominent events this year is GSSD EXPO-2017, which includes 58 pavilions and 3 photo galleries, and will showcase experiences of solutions to the challenges facing development from the South. These are solutions, which have been tested, not just as mere scenarios, and they highlight the current and future capabilities for fruitful South-South cooperation. The MENAPAR Pavilion was one of the most prominent attractions, with a presentation on MENAPAR’s role in finding innovative and realistic solutions to the challenges of public administration in the region through scientific research.