The Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) held its fifth meeting under the chairmanship of His Excellency Dr. Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board, in the presence of Board members: Dr. Ahmed Hashim Alyushaa, Dr. Waheeb Essa Alnasser, Dr. Abdulrahman Abdul Hussain Jawahery and Dr. Khalifa Ali Alfadhel.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Board of Trustees expressed their thanks and gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for affirming the important role of think tanks and research centers in facilitating the decision-making process. At an interview with Al-Ahram newspaper, His Majesty called on Arab think tanks and research centers to coordinate their efforts in formulating long-term strategies. The Board members were moved by His Majesty’s mention of the role of the Derasat Center in this context.
Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said that the Derasat Center is in the process of strengthening its relations and opening new horizons for cooperation with Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. He pointed out that His Majesty’s call on Arab think tanks and research centers to coordinate their efforts to address the challenges that the Arab World faces and support the decision-making process, confirms His Majesty’s belief in the importance of knowledge and the role of scientific research in the development and progress of nations.
The Board then discussed several topics and projects on its agenda, and the cooperation between the Derasat Center and a number of renowned regional and international research centers, as follows:
First: The Board of Trustees expressed its satisfaction with the good efforts and achievements of the Derasat Center in implementing its mission and enhancing its capabilities at the local and international levels. Thanks to these efforts, the Derasat Center ranked among the top five Arab research centers in 2017 according to a high-level academic ranking.
Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa hailed the freedom and openness enjoyed by the Kingdom of Bahrain as a result of the comprehensive democratic scheme launched by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, with the support of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister. These freedoms opened the way for developing and widening the horizons of academic research and as such is helping the Derasat Center in performing its role and improving its work.
The Board also congratulated Dr. Abdulrahman Abdul Hussain Jawahery on the winning by Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) of the King Hamad International Award for Youth Empowerment in the private sector category for achieving the sustainable development goals, and also to Dr. Khalifa Ali Alfadhel on the outstanding achievement of the Secretariat-General of the National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR) in obtaining the updated version of ISO certification (ISO 9001:2015) in Quality Management System (QMS) issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Second: The Board of Trustees praised the success of the first Annual “Derasat Forum” entitled “Qatar the Godfather of Chaos and Crisis in the Middle East” in terms of the quality of attendance, participation, follow-up and results. The Forum was ranked at the top of the list of the most important events held in the region during the last period. The forum focused on highlighting the interference of Qatar in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Qatari attempts to destabilize and overthrow the legitimate regimes in certain Arab countries.
Third: The Board of Trustees affirmed the full support of the Derasat Center to the Government Service Centers Evaluation Committee which was formed pursuant to a resolution by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister with the objective to improve the standard of government services. Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa represents the Derasat Center as Vice Chairman of the Evaluation Committee.
Fourth: Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa briefed the Board on a number of his participations in international events during the first quarter of this year, including his speech at the opening session of the 9th Marrakech Security Forum and a lecture that he delivered at a special seminar hosted by the Brussels-based Royal Institute for International Relations. The lecture titled Regional Developments in the Gulf Region discussed the Center’s views on internal and external developments and the Center’s quest to develop a comprehensive strategic perspective on security that can contribute to the building of a stable and balanced regional framework to deal with the different challenges that the region faces.
Fifth: The Board of Trustees was briefed on the key outcomes of a series of workshops on sustainable development goals that were organized recently by the Derasat Center in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The purpose of these workshops was to support the implementation of the sustainable development goals and raise the Kingdom’s competitiveness as part of its economic diversification efforts. The Board was also briefed on the “Counter Terrorism” workshop organized by Derasat Center in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior.
Sixth: The Board of Trustees praised the publications issued by the Derasat Center during the first quarter of this year, including the Center’s Annual Report for 2017 which gave a summary of the Center’s activities, achievements and efforts to implement its mission, strengthen partnerships, support sustainable development efforts, combat extremism and the safeguard national interests. The Board also hailed the printing of the new book “The Qatari Aggression Against Dibal in 1986”, which discusses the armed Qatari aggression on the shoal of the Dibal and documents hostile behaviors of Qatar against the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Book is a valuable addition to the Gulf and Arab library and the studies on international law.
Seventh: The Board of Trustees reviewed an update on the Human Development Report of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which is being prepared by the Derasat Center in cooperation with the concerned stakeholders. The Board also approved the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017.