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From UN HABITAT. Bahrain is really taking the active lead on mainstreaming the Gulf countries into the United Nations community.

Bahrain, 7 Jun 09: UN-HABITAT's flagship report, the State of the World’s Cities is now available in Arabic, thanks to funding and support provided by the Government of Bahrain.

At the launch of the Arabic version of the report in Bahrain on 7 June, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, said that the Arabic version of the report would assist greatly in making the report accessible to people in the region.

The Prime Minister of Bahrain, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, presented Mrs. Tibaijuka with the Bahrain Medal of Honour in recognition of her commitment to sustainable human settlements development. Bahrain is currently drawing up a blueprint for urban development that will protect the natural environment and provide schemes for low-income housing. The city, in partnership with UN-HABITAT, is also setting up local urban observatories that will collect and analyse urban indicators.

Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, presents Mrs. Tibaijuka with the Bahrain Medal of Honour.