Dr. Riyadh Hamza, President of the University of Bahrain, along with Stefano Pettinato, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Bahrain, signed a project document to support the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals at the University of Bahrain. The aim of the initiative is to support innovation towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.  

The United Nations Development Programme will provide technical support and capacity development to the university through mobilizing internal and external knowledge and skills and harvesting local ideas while drawing on international expertise.

Dr. Riyadh Hamza stressed that the signing of the agreement between the University of Bahrain and the United Nations Development Programme is an important step towards integrating the Sustainable Development Goals and the education sector: “The joint cooperation established by the University of Bahrain with the United Nations Development Programme is one of the most  important steps towards integrating sustainable development and university education.”  

"The University of Bahrain pays great attention to achieving and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, and the University continues to include these goals in most of its activities such as conferences and seminars, in addition to student projects and activities organized by the university.” He added.

“It is an honour for the United Nations Development Programme to consolidate our existing partnership with the University of Bahrain.  Today, in the presence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we sign a project that will scale up that partnership, by enhancing the role of the UOB in the promotion of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bahrain,” stated Stefano Pettinato.

He added: “Through this collaboration, that will build on the tenets of innovation, knowledge sharing, and capacity development, the vision established by the University’s leadership will be implemented further, aiming at three broad objectives: firstly, mainstreaming principles of sustainable development with UOB’s students, faculty, and staff; secondly, ensuring efficiency and impact by monitoring and tracking SDG progress and activities through a dedicated unit; thirdly, promoting the UOB as a catalyst for the advancement of sustainable development in Bahrain and beyond.

He concluded saying: “Our recently published 2019 UNDP global Human Development Report posits that higher education institutions have a key role to play as equalizers, to overcome disparities, largely driven by digital transformation and climate change, and to provide opportunities for a better and more sustainable future for societies.  In recognizing how schools, universities and the education sector all play a key role in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs, we bring those principles to Bahrain and trust that this project will help UOB cover that role while its student-body, faculty and staff will learn, share ideas, and innovate, in an inclusive environment.

I am confident that this cooperation between UNDP and the UOB, which builds on ongoing initiatives between our institutions, will ultimately support the UOB as a promotor of sustainable development for all within the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

The signing of the agreement was attended by the joint work team between the University of Bahrain, the United Nations Development Program and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.