Bahrain’s digital transformation journey was featured at the United Nations during a ;side event held on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

The event, convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), focused on “Digital Transformation for Human Development: Bahrain’s Journey and the Future of Inclusive Digital Economies.” It brought together government representatives, UN leaders, policymakers, and knowledge institutions to explore how digital transformation can support inclusive human development.

The discussion facilitated by Asmaa Shalabi, UNDP Resident Representative in Bahrain,; featured a distinguished panel bringing complementary national, regional and global perspectives: H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Isa Al Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary of Telecommunications at the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, reflected on Bahrain’s digital infrastructure, skills and enabling regulatory frameworks; Omar Alnemer, Chief of Council Affairs at the Digital Cooperation Organization, brought a regional perspective on cooperation, policy alignment and scaling digital solutions; Dima Al-Khatib, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, highlighted the role of South-South and triangular cooperation in sharing knowledge and strengthening institutional capacity; Keyzom Ngodup, Director of UNDP’s AI Hub and Head of Digital and AI Programmes, addressed responsible AI governance, public-sector capability and the need to match technological investment with investment in people; and Pedro Conceição, Director of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office, situated the discussion within the human development framework, emphasizing how national reports can help translate global priorities into context-specific policy choices.