First Goal: Eradicate Poverty
Eradicate extreme poverty:
Several years ago, the Kingdom of Bahrain affirmed that the global definition of extreme poverty does not apply to the Kingdom, especially as it is measured by the number of people living below the international poverty line ($ 1.25). There is no resident of the Kingdom of Bahrain living under this line. Although a relative poverty line has been calculated in the Kingdom, which is determined by individuals who live on less than 56 dinars per month (equivalent to more than 4 dollars per day), granting the amount of social security for this group guarantees that they will exceed the relative poverty line.
Reducing the percentage of people who suffer from poverty in all its dimensions:
The Multidimensional Poverty Index depends on measuring a number of important factors at the household level, including health care, education, and basic services, such as water, electricity and sanitation, in addition to traditional measures of poverty based on income, to determine a complete picture of poverty instead of measuring income only. We point out that the citizen and resident in the Kingdom of Bahrain enjoys a package of free services such as social services, health care services and basic education, and that citizens can obtain most other basic services at low prices, such as water, electricity and university education. The Ministry of Social Development, in coordination with other concerned authorities, seeks to enhance the utilization of these services for all those who are entitled to them, especially the groups that the Ministry works to provide care for through national committees that include various government agencies such as the National Committee for the Care of the Disabled, the National Childhood Committee, and the National Committee for the Elderly.
Establishing national systems for social protection:
In the context of promoting the development of the social protection system, the Ministry of Social Development implements a number of programs and projects that seek to achieve this goal, namely:
For the purpose of promoting the development of the social protection system, the Ministry of Social Development implements a number of programs and projects that aim to achieve such goal. Some of these programs are:
Social assistance:
Since 1972, the Ministry of Social Development granted financial aid to a selected segment of people that proved through social research have difficulties in their livelihood. This includes the family, widow, divorced, abandoned, elderly, imprisoned, incapable, handicapped, unmarried girls, boys, and orphans.
The Kingdom of Bahrain issued Law No. (18) of 2006 on social security that resulted in the establishment of a special fund for social security. Work is being done to invest the proceeds of the social security fund in constructing new commercial complexes that allocate their profits to the Social Security Fund to support needy families. The purpose is to raise the standard of living of citizens and to meet the needs of people in each category by contributing appropriate income, narrowing the differences between the groups of society and achieves social justice desired among all levels of society.
- Disability Living Allowance
- Reducing electricity and water fees
- Compensation for housing fires
- Monetary compensation for the removal of meat subsidies
- Financial support
- Social security
The National Plan for the Development of Needy Families:
In order to develop the national plan for the development of needy families, which aims to raise the standard of living for people with limited income, and to promote self-reliance and financial independence, the Ministry has developed a number of projects and programs in support of the cause of combating poverty. It previously sought the assistance of the World Bank's expertise in the field of developing and structuring the social safety net, developing social assistance systems, and implementing a program based on two important elements: The first aims to set standards that clarify the minimum requirements for living in the Kingdom of Bahrain, based on the results of the statistical survey that it conducted The Information and eGovernment Authority, and that was the cornerstone of setting government policies towards targeting and developing the groups most in need of support at the time, and the second aimed at studying ways to encourage income-generating activities for needy families and to enhance living conditions in the areas these families inhabit. In this context, the Ministry has taken a number of steps to implement the national plan for developing needy families, including:
The National Project for the Development and Support of Productive Families:
Aims to transform needy families into productive families by employing and developing their talents as required, which provides these families with opportunities to increase their sources of income in addition to encouraging this group to produce in centers affiliated to the Ministry.
Family Microfinance House (FMH):
The Family Bank aims to provide micro-loans for low-income groups without bank guarantees, with the aim of helping them to establish income-generating projects in addition to specific financing services. The project has achieved remarkable successes in serving a large segment of needy families by lending them small sums to start implementing their projects. The Family Bank was the first specialized Islamic bank to provide various services. This project contributes to the implementation of the requirements of the National Economic Vision 2030 and its executive program, which aims to develop initiatives to facilitate leadership in establishing small and medium enterprises, and to complement the system of financing services provided by them and the parties that support small and medium enterprises in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Award for the Encouragement of Productive Families:
Which aims to define the value and importance of productive families' work and to encourage the transformation of low-income families into productive units that play their economic role in society. In addition to preserving the Bahraini originality and heritage, as well as encouraging support for productive families' projects and contributing to marketing their products and contributing to improving the quality of family products in order to expand competition and provide global markets for them out of Her Highness' constant keenness on the continuity of the productive families' role in promoting social and economic development.
The Capital Mall for Productive Families:
It is a project to support and develop productive families' projects, and to integrate them into the national economy in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Law regulating the practice of productive activities from home (Productive Home):
): It is one of the most important initiatives adopted by the Ministry within the standards and controls regulating household production activities. The issuance of the Prime Minister’s Law Decree No. 39 of 2010 to organize indoor works has helped launch the initiative of Productive Home Project.
“Khatwa” project for home projects:
(Khatwa) for Home Projects: it is one of the projects adopted by the Ministry of Social Development that has been considered as the best and most successful government practices for the year 2014. On the international level, the project has won the Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND) International prize as the best project among other 56 ones from different countries to become a pioneer in the field of supporting productive families’ projects and a role model to be imitated. The Step for Home Projects Program represents a new concept for indoor household productive work that encompasses all elements necessary for achieving the goals of economic empowerment and social stability of families, thanks to the work system’s legislations, infrastructure preparations and training, development, marketing and financing regulations.