Marking the beginning of a promising partnership, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement with the Abdulrahim AlKooheji Foundation to collaborate towards building the capacities of Bahraini youth as agents of change in promoting the Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), centered around UNDP’s flagship initiative, the Youth Leadership Programme (YLP). The signing ceremony was held on Wednesday September 29th, 2021 at the United Nations House in Manama, in the presence of UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Stefano Pettinato, and the Abdulrahim AlKooheji Foundation’s Board of Trustees Vice Chairman, Eng. Abdulrahim AlKooheji.

UNDP is actively engaged in programmes and initiatives in line with the Economic Vision 2030 and Bahrain’s Government Action Plan, to support actions for the achievement of the SDGs in the Kingdom, particularly in the areas of sustainable energy, institutional capacity, mainstreaming SDGs, and the engagement of youth. In the latter, partnering with Abdulrahim AlKooheji Foundation will enable further youth capacity building and empowerment.

During the meeting that preceded the signing of the agreement, Mr. Pettinato illustrated areas of potential cooperation that UNDP is actively engaged in, including sustainable energy, youth empowerment, institutional capacity development, and SDG mainstreaming. Commenting on this partnership, he stated that “part of our work in Bahrain is to engage young female and male Bahrainis, train and build their capacities in areas related to the SDGs and explore with them techniques to crafting innovative solutions that can make them actors of change for the sustainable development of the Kingdom. Through our partnership with the prestigious Abdulrahim AlKooheji Foundation we aim to broaden our network of partners to mobilize solutions that help achieve national targets including the Sustainable Development Goals in the Kingdom.”

Eng. Abdulrahim AlKooheji also stated that the “Abdulrahim AlKooheji Foundation” seeks to support and develop the non-for-profit sector to build a good example of effective sustainable development. We always seek partnerships to expand our reach and impact of our work, and our partnership with UNDP is a critical step to achieve our mission, and continuation of our effort to work hand-in-hand with other organizations for the betterment of our society.”

The Youth Leadership Programme – this year in its 7th edition – is a UNDP regional initiative across the Arab region launched in 2015 to build the region's most dynamic network, working at the intersection of youth, innovation, and sustainable development. The programme aims to empower a generation of young leaders, changemakers, and social innovators, to grow their capacity in promoting the SDGs in their respective countries. Coordinating this programme in Bahrain is Ahmed Buasallay, who is assigned as the Youth Development Delegate.

The Youth Development Delegates programme is the result of a partnership between The Arab Youth Center (AYC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Arab States. This employment program provided the opportunity for 11 Arab youth from different countries who are passionate about achieving the sustainable development goals to work for 2 years at the UNDP offices in their countries under the field of youth work to achieve the common vision of both parties aimed at enabling the youth in the Arab region.