The Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies “Derasat” hosted an induction workshop for representatives from government service centers in the Kingdom of Bahrain in preparation for carrying out an evaluation of government service centers.

 

The workshop included an explanation of the evaluation guidelines, the governing standards and evaluation tools that the centers must fulfill in order to enhance internal control, standardize the criteria of the quality of service delivery and instill a culture of self-development, excellence and innovation into the service centers.

 

HE Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) and Vice Chairman of the Government Service Centers Evaluation Committee expressed his pride in choosing the “Derasat” Center as an active participant in the work of the committee as a member of the Committee and the Central Evaluation Team and for its role in overseeing the current evaluation process, hosting workshops, proposing work mechanisms and coming up with innovative ideas. The Center’s work at the Committee is part of its mission to strengthen community partnerships and contribute, as a strategic partner with the concerned institutions, to the implementation of the national development plans.

 

Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said that improving efficiency in government service centers as a result of the work of the Government Service Centers Evaluation Committee comes as a manifestation of the principles of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 and is in-line with the Government Action Plan and the Government Forum, both of which stress that the main goal of government services is to gain the satisfaction of customers through delivering the highest standards of quality, efficiency and excellence, which in turn can only be provided through a comprehensive system based on innovation, transparency and continuous evaluation.

 

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of “Derasat” and Vice Chairman of the Evaluation Committee said that the “Derasat” Center places great emphasis on opinion polls to measure the trends of public opinion as a work methodology and an important tool to support sustainable development efforts and gain the satisfaction of citizens. He said that surveys and opinion polls are critical in shaping public attitudes towards various issues and causes and the evaluation of government services. Knowing and recognizing the views and aspirations of the various segments of the community is central to improving government services.

 

Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa pointed out that the success of Bahrain’s first voluntary national review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 presented to the High-Level Political Forum of the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council, and the use of a number of recommendations and initiatives resulting from the work of future aspirations workshops as a guide In the next Government Action Plan 2019-2022, present several important indicators that can be used in the work of the Evaluation Committee and in the launching of qualitative initiatives to upgrade government services and improve the performance of government agencies as well as investing in people which will contribute to achieving the desired objectives of sustainable development and strengthen the work of the government apparatus as a harmonious entity.

 

Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of “Derasat” and Vice Chairman of the Evaluation Committee said that capacity building in the area of service delivery, based on unified and clear standards, underlines the commitment of government agencies to improve their services, enhances the rules of transparency and competitiveness and identifies any area of shortcoming or weakness in this area to ensure the adoption of the best practices in service delivery.

 

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees praised the efforts of the Government Service Centers Evaluation Committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, Chief Executive Officer of Information and eGovernment Authority. The work of the Committee which comes as part of a comprehensive vision of the evaluation process supported by appropriate rules and standardized tools resulted in positive and promising outcomes such as the training of national staff, adoption of appropriate standards and the promotion of teamwork.

 

The Government Service Centers Evaluation Committee was formed following the issuance of Edict No. (9) of 2017 by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister to upgrade the level of government services. An initial evaluation was carried out in last February during which more than 100 government service centers were visited.