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HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim chairs first SCW meeting of ninth term
Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Consort of His Majesty the King and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), chaired the first meeting of the SCW in its ninth term (2025–2028).
HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim congratulated the Council members on the royal trust granted to them through their appointment to the SCW for its ninth term. HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim expressed appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and to the Government, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their continued support for the Council’s work since its establishment to the present day.
Her Royal Highness praised the royal order issued by His Majesty the King, designating 2026 as the "Year of Isa Al Kabeer", in commemoration of the founder of the modern state and leader of institutional development, His Highness Isa Al Kabeer, Ruler of Bahrain and its dependencies. She noted that the coincidence of this year with the Supreme Council for Women entering its silver jubilee reflects the Kingdom’s continued approach to building the modern state, which has progressed and evolved under the leadership of His Majesty the King.
HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim noted that, while the establishment of the SCW marked a significant achievement in advancing Bahraini women, the current priority is to preserve these gains, continue providing support for Bahraini women, and keep pace with the Kingdom’s rapid development across all sectors. Her Royal Highness expressed her aspiration for the SCW to continue implementing its objectives and mandates, to support the ambitions of Bahraini women, in cooperation and partnership with executive authorities, private sector institutions, and relevant civil society organisations.
During the meeting, HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim expressed appreciation to the members of the SCW, emphasising the importance of their role in advancing the Council’s work through their expertise and specialisations. HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim noted that the SCW is entering a new phase that includes the preparation of a national strategy aligned with recent developments and the progress achieved over the past 25 years since the SCW’s establishment, supporting the participation of Bahraini women in nation-building and ensuring the sustainability of their contributions and excellence across various domains.
The Council was briefed by Lulwa Al Awadhi, Secretary-General of the SCW, on reports of the General Secretariat regarding the procedures undertaken to follow up on the implementation of the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women (2025–2026). The briefing reviewed follow-up and coordination mechanisms with relevant authorities, as well as the level of progress achieved in implementing the plan’s pillars, ensuring the attainment of its objectives and their positive impact on the reality of Bahraini women in various domains.
The Secretary-General also presented a report on the General Secretariat’s preparations for celebrating the silver jubilee of the establishment of the SCW and Bahraini Women’s Day 2026. The report outlined proposed concepts and initiatives accompanying both occasions and highlighted the importance of leveraging them to showcase the Council’s journey and achievements, and to highlight the contributions of Bahraini women and their active role in the path of development and progress.
The meeting further discussed the General Secretariat’s report on procedures related to the preparation of the national strategy for Bahraini women for the post-2026 phase, including the preparatory steps and methodological framework adopted to develop the new strategy in a manner that ensures alignment with future changes and the sustainability of achieved gains.