Bahrain Digital Cooperation

How is the Kingdom of Bahrain implementing its service delivery, creating a benchmark in the digital transformation in the Gulf region and competing with leading countries on a global scale?
In pursuit of excellence in service delivery and better service provision for all, Bahrain has embarked on a journey of technological advancement through numerous ICT projects and initiatives. These efforts were not done in isolation but were strongly supported by strategic collaborations with international organizations, its internal development plans, and an approach to public/private/people/partnership which reflects Bahrain's commitment to global knowledge exchange and continuous improvement in digital services.

Bahrain's approach to digital transformation is rooted in a rich history of partnership with the United Nations, benchmarking against the leading countries in digital transformation, as well as adhering to international standards, particularly through the Information & eGovernment Authority's strategic alliance in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This collaboration is highlighted by Bahrain's consistently high rankings in the bi-annual UN eGovernment Development/Readiness Survey, where it has achieved a "very high" index ranking, highlighting its leadership in e-governance.

Driven by its commitment to accessibility and knowledge sharing, Bahrain was the first country to organize and host a global workshop “Global eGovernment Experts Workshop” in 2012 to invite global experts from around the globe to discuss the United Nations eGovernment and ICT assessment criteria and indicators with the participation of 17 countries representing all the world’s regions. Bahrain’s global collaborative initiative has been adopted by the UN as a usual practice to organize such pubic-participation workshops by the UN since then. Bahrain also took the initiative to translate the 2014 edition of the UN report into Arabic.

Further, Bahrain was selected by the UN in 2014 and 2015 as the 1st country in the world to share its ICT and digital experience with large delegations representing 25 developing countries to benefit from its achievements in the field of eGovernment in capacity building workshops and to develop their eGovernment strategies.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is a founding member of the Digital Cooperation Organization which is dedicated to advancing digital cooperation and enabling prosperity for all and aims to advance national and global digital transformation. Bahrain became a member of the International Telecommunications Union Council in 2022.

These initiatives underscore Bahrain's dedication to not only advancing its digital landscape but also contributing to the global dialogue on eGovernance, setting a precedent for other nations to follow in its footsteps.