Bahrain seeks to benefit from the Egyptian experience in establishing Units of Equal Opportunities

An agreement has been concluded between the Egyptian and the Bahraini ministries of finance on sign...

Bahrain seeks to benefit from the Egyptian experience in establishing Units of Equal Opportunities  An agreement has been concluded between the Egyptian and the Bahraini ministries of finance on signing a mutual understanding memorandum soon to transfer Egyptian expertise in the field of establishing units of equal opportunities to the Bahraini ministries and to benefit from the Egyptian experience in reforming the social security system. The Bahraini-Egyptian talks also covered the Egyptian Finance Ministry initiative to set up units of equal opportunities—a concept which has accomplished a great deal on the international and local levels, and helped in institutionalising the principles of equality, justice and equal opportunities between men and women, in terms of benefiting from publicly-financed programs. Discussed as well was the pioneering experience of the Ministry in preparing gender-sensitive budgets in a manner that made this experience a leading one as acknowledged by several relevant international agencies. The meeting also discussed the Bahraini Social Development Ministry’s request to obtain assistance from the Egyptian Ministry of Finance in supporting and providing technical counsel in the field of setting up units of equal opportunities in all the ministries of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in addition to benefiting from the reform programs implemented and supervised by the Egyptian ministry in the field of social security and the pension system, which have witnessed several leaps in the recent years after the Ministry took over supervision of the social security sector. The Bahraini delegation reviewed the process of establishing a unit of equal opportunities and the mechanisms of its functions and its experience in preparing gender-responsive programs. Moreover, it considered the role the unit plays in developing the skills of those who participate in preparing the general budget and in training skills of leadership, time management, administrative creativity, effective delegation of power and effective problem solving. The unit organised around 20 workshops and several seminars on training, education, and awareness raising as such seminars and workshop tend to create a sense of corporate belonging. It was emphasised that gender-responsive budgeting did not mean allocating special funds for women; it rather means securing equal opportunities in the distribution of the funds already in the budget. Units of equal opportunities were set up in all ministries to disseminate this trend of thought in the governmental system. Moreover, it was agreed in the meeting to exchange visits to set a simplified mechanism of mutual cooperation in the coming period, which indicates that Egypt welcomes cooperation with all sister Arab states and in all fields with the purpose of reinforcing joint Arab efforts and cementing friendship bonds. The meeting took place as a result of the Egyptian response to a letter received by the Egyptian National Council for Women from the Bahraini Supreme Council for Women requesting to benefit from the Egyptian know-how concerning gender-responsive programs which can achieve justice and balance for both women and men in accordance with actual requirements and needs. The Egyptian National Council for Women suggested the unit of Equal Opportunity in the Ministry of Finance for the job, given its impressive track record and because of its personnel profile, which sets a model to be followed by countries seeking to make use of the Egyptian experience. (Source:Ministry of Finance)