Bahrain-27th Session May 2017-Women's participation

National Report: Para 52) In line with the principles enshrined in the Constitution, the Kingdom of Bahrain enacted a number of laws providing support for women, in particular the following: … • Royal Decree No. 59 of 2014 specifying the regulations governing the appointment of members to the Shura Council includes a provision in article 2 (2) requiring appropriate representation of women. • Royal Decree No. 17 of 2017 specifying the regulations governing the appointment of members of the Board of Commissioners of the National Human Rights Institution provides for the appropriate representation of women. Para 54) The experience of the Kingdom of Bahrain in implementing the national model for gender balance has encouraged decision-makers to take decisions and introduce services and initiatives aimed at supporting women’s economic participation and enhancing their ability to reconcile family and professional responsibilities. A prime example of such action was the issuance of Civil Service Directives No. 4 of 2020 concerning the application of the work from-home policy to employees of government agencies. Preference is given to pregnant employees, employees entitled to two hours of care, elderly employees and those who suffer from chronic diseases and underlying health conditions. Para 55) An integrated framework was devised for the Women’s Political Participation Programme, which is based on five main themes: partnership and networking; high-quality training and development; awareness-raising and media advocacy; monitoring and assessment; and knowledge management (studies and documentation). Para 56) The Women’s Electoral Consultation Programme has been launched. It aims to achieve a number of goals, such as enabling women to play a role in the formulation of public policies, and enabling them to review and develop national legislation through their political participation. Para 57) The Women’s Political Participation Programme is one of the pivotal initiatives and programmes launched under the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women. It promotes the electoral participation of women in order to prepare them to join legislative and municipal councils and to assess their contributions in that area. Para 64) The proportion of women deans of Bahraini university faculties increased from 7 per cent in 2016 to 33 per cent in 2020. During the same period, the proportion of women heads of Bahraini university departments rose to 55 per cent, which represents an increase of 5 per cent. In addition, the proportion of Bahraini women in leadership positions in higher education reached 46 per cent in 2020, which represents an increase of 9 per cent. The proportion of Bahraini female academics rose to 49 per cent, which represents an increase of 3 per cent during the period from 2014 to 2020.