The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) announced the launch of the eighth edition of the HRH Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Award for Bahraini Women Empowerment. Established by Decree (5) of 2004, the award bears the name of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the SCW, in recognition of Her Royal Highness's commitment to supporting national efforts to enhance the status and progress of Bahraini women.

Dr. Ramzan bin Abdulla Al Noaimi, Minister of Information; Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transport and Telecommunications; Yusuf bin Abdulhussain Khalaf, Minister of Legal Affairs and Acting Minister of Labour; and Dr. Jaleela bint Al Sayed Jawad Hassan, Minister of Health, were present.

Lulwa Al Awadhi, Secretary-General of the SCW, highlighted the award’s importance as the Council’s first initiative to promote women’s empowerment. She noted that it encourages ministries, public institutions, private sector entities, and civil society to implement programmes supporting women’s advancement and gender balance, while recognising individual initiatives contributing to the progress of Bahraini women.

The Secretary General highlighted that the award serves as a practical mechanism to achieve equal opportunities and gender balance, recognising excellence among ministries, public and private institutions, civil society organisations, and individuals. Evaluation is based on achievements in supporting working women, integrating their needs into national development plans, and facilitating women’s access to leadership and decision-making positions, according to criteria set by the award committee.

She noted that the award has become a model adopted internationally, with the UN Women launching a global edition in New York in 2015, and its third cycle in March 2025. The award’s national impact is reflected in the growth of participation, from 30 entries in its first cycle to 356 in the seventh.

Al Awadhi also highlighted best practices by participating institutions, such as policies supporting work-life balance for female employees, including school placement initiatives for teachers’ children, proximity transfers for those caring for dependents, health insurance covering women’s health, and flexible training programmes. She cited initiatives by both government and private sectors that empower women, including leadership roles in specialised fields and recognition awards for workplace advancement.

She highlighted that the award serves as a national platform to support women’s empowerment and recognise leading initiatives, with an international jury supervising nominations and suggesting improvements.

Representatives of the seventh-cycle winners, the Ministry of Health (government sector), Mumtalakat Holding Company (private sector), Bahrain Diabetes Society (civil society), and Dr. Amal Al Jowder (individual category), shared their experiences and commended the award’s role in empowering women. Members of the award committee also spoke, noting the rising participation rates and the positive effect on women assuming new and specialised roles within institutions.

The Secretary General emphasised that the SCW is preparing a detailed study with relevant authorities to assess the award’s impact on women’s advancement and its contribution to embedding a culture of women’s progress across all sectors and Bahraini society. Participation forms for the eighth cycle are now open on the SCW’s website: www.scw.bh.