06 August 2025

His Excellency Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior

Her Excellency Dr Jalila bint El-Sayed Jawad Hassan, Minister of Health

The Honourable Shaikh Khalid bin Humood bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Governor of the Capital Governorate

The Honourable Hassan Abdullah Mohammed Al Madani, Governor of the Northern Governorate

The Honourable Salman Bin Isa Bin Hindi Al Mannai, Governor of Muharraq

Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests,

It is with great pride that I announce the official designation of the Northern Governorate and Muharraq Governorate as Healthy Governorates by the World Health Organization—joining the Capital Governorate, which received this distinction earlier this year.

I commend the Kingdom of Bahrain for its commitment to scaling up the Healthy Cities Programme and, for the first time in the Region, extending it to the Governorate level. This is a remarkable achievement.

Bahrain is the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to have three Governorates formally recognized under WHO’s Healthy Cities Programme. This recognition reflects a proactive vision to create urban environments that safeguard and promote the physical, mental, and social well-being of all residents.

The journey began in 2018, when Umm al Hassam was designated the first Healthy City in Bahrain.

Then in 2021, Manama became the first capital city in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to be designated a Healthy City.

In 2023, under the leadership of His Excellency the Minister of Interior, the Capital Governorate signed a Letter of Collaboration to expand the model—culminating in WHO certification in January 2025.

In 2024 and 2025, rigorous assessments by the Ministry of Health and WHO reviewed the Northern and Muharraq Governorates. Both demonstrated strong performance across nine core domains, including environmental health, education, community engagement, and emergency preparedness.

Today’s designations reflect Bahrain’s continued leadership and commitment to embedding health and well-being across all levels of governance, through multisectoral collaboration and civic participation.

On behalf of WHO, I extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Kingdom of Bahrain—for its vision, innovation, and determination to place health at the centre of sustainable development.