Bahrain's development as a universal urban society will come under the international spotlight at a networking session in Nanjing, China, next week.

The event is being organised by the Prime Minister's Court in connection with a ceremony where Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa will present the $100,000 (BD37,800) award in his name to an African organisation, said a report in our sister publication, the Gulf Daily News.

At the ceremony on Monday, the Green Brigade from Burkina Faso will receive the 2008 Khalifa bin Salman UN Habitat Award from the Premier.

The Green Brigade initiative aims at improving the city environment of Ouagadougou by providing secure employment by cleaning the streets and public spaces to a group of 1,200 women.

The award was first announced by the Prime Minister after he received the UN-Habitat's top award in July last year in Geneva from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

He was presented the Special Citation of the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award for his efforts in improving the lives of the urban poor through better housing policies and urban development.

Ban commended the Premier, saying that 'under the able leadership of your Highness, the Kingdom of Bahrain has made remarkable strides in reducing poverty. Over the past quarter of a century, Bahrain has transformed itself from a collection of rural villages into a thriving diversified economy while preserving the cultural heritage of the kingdom.'

He congratulated Bahrain for making significant progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals in a sustainable manner.

UN-Habitat, which is mandated to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all, has awarded the Premier for his impressive efforts in lifting the living standards of all Bahrainis through an active focus on poverty alleviation and modernisation while preserving the cultural heritage of his country.

The networking session, entitled 'Bahrain: A Universal Urban Society', will be held in Nanjing on Tuesday.

It will give the audience the opportunity to have an open dialogue with key decision makers, to discuss the Bahraini experience and development model.

The session will bring together Bahraini ministers and distinguished professionals.

They include Social Development Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi, Housing Minister Shaikh Ibrahim bin Khalifa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Dr Juma Al Ka'abi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nazar Al Baharna, Gulf Daily News chairman and Akhbar Al Khaleej editor-in-chief Anwar Abdulrahman, Central Bank of Bahrain Governor Rasheed Al Maraj and Economic Development Board deputy chief executive Dr Zakaria Hejres.

Al Hilal Group managing director Ronnie Middleton will be the moderator.

The audience will be able to discuss the country's social development strategy, banking role, economic development initiatives and its democratic practices.

The examples offered by Bahrain may help to serve other countries and organisations in their own development, by giving them the opportunity to replicate aspects of the Bahraini model. - TradeArabia News Service