On the fifteenth of September of this year we celebrate a solemn anniversary that reflects concerted international efforts towards drafting an eternal document for all humanity, namely the International Day of Democracy, as democracy is one of the universally recognized ideals, and it is one of the basic values of the United Nations, and democracy creates a suitable environment for the effective protection and realization of human rights. The United Nations is making great efforts to support and promote democracy around the world, to indicate the belief of the entire human community in what binds it together. From common values in life, peace, coexistence and belief in truth, justice and dignity, and to devote a noble humanitarian approach by which a decent life extends to all people, and paves the way for future generations with undeniable rights to life, peace and stability, and in pursuit of unlimited hopes for the future of humanity.
The United Nations celebrates the International Day of Democracy by calling on world leaders to build a more equal, inclusive and sustainable world, with full respect for human rights and the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals as one of the most critical elements of democracy. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) dedicated this occasion to the celebration of the International Day of Democracy as a reminder of the importance of promoting environmental and climate conservation as key elements of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Kingdom of Bahrain joins the countries of the world in celebrating the International Day of Democracy, which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, and the Kingdom renews its commitment to protecting the environment, preserving natural resources and achieving its ambitious goals for national development at the same time, as well as its commitment to take effective measures to address the effects of climate change in line with Decree No. (75) of 2016 on ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Kingdom has already made great strides in these areas, integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, set by the United Nations General Assembly, into the Kingdom of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 and previous and current governmental action plans.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has additionally launched a range of effective initiatives to support efforts to protect the environment and climate issues, and over the years, significant progress has been made in supporting the Kingdom of Bahrain's commitments to national reporting and communication on the United Nations climate change commitments, and the publication of these reports has led to coherence among national stakeholders in all sectors. In addition, ecosystem protection initiatives that help protect the climate have been increased, such as planting mangroves on the coast of Bahrain, which can be used as a means of coastal resilience, monitoring and following up on the latest international developments related to climate change, ratifying international climate agreements, as well as ensuring balance and complementarity between climate change commitments and the economic and social needs of sustainable development in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
This comes from the comprehensive development project of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the qualitative achievements he has achieved throughout the prosperous era towards building and strengthening the practice of democracy, and consolidating the foundations of the rule of law and institutions, which resulted in the Kingdom of Bahrain having an advanced and long-standing experience in the fields of sustainable development. Thanks to His Majesty's constant directive to support the efforts of the international community and the initiatives of the United Nations in achieving development goals and continuing to adopt these goals in national development projects within a constitutional, legal and legislative system and effective national institutions.
In addition to the care, attention and keenness of the esteemed government headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to strengthen the democratic process in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in order to achieve the aspirations of citizens, in accordance with the national foundations and controls established by the National Action Charter and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which constitute the solid foundations for the process of democratic and developmental work in the Kingdom.