Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa Manama - Arab Today Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King of Bahrain, President of the Supreme Council for Women assured that Bahraini Women’s Day, annually celebrated on the 1st of December has become a national day for Bahrain and for Bahraini women in particular. This is an important occasion to express appreciation and honor the achievements of women on all levels in order for the progress of women to become one of the main reasons for the development and advancement of their country. On this occasion, Her Royal Highness praised the continued support of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, demonstrated by the determination of His Majesty in ensuring the continued presence of women in all fields. This is achieved through directives given to all authorities to implement the concept of "equal opportunities" in accordance with the Kingdom’s constitutional principles. This ensures the presence and participation of women in the public arena, guaranteeing their rights and family status in order to support them to accomplish their national duties with confidence and competence. The Wife of His Majesty the King of Bahrain expressed appreciation to all official and private institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain and praised their active participation in this occasion through honoring working women in these institutions or through highlighting Bahraini women’s accomplishments as part of acknowledging the pioneering role played by women in the advancement of Bahrain, presenting it as a role model on the regional level. This is achieved through highlighting the magnitude and quality of women’s participation with the continuous support of Bahraini society, proving to the world that the presence and participation of women is deep-rooted and its development is inevitable and is nurtured by the cooperation of official and civil entities. Moreover, on the occasion of the 6th anniversary of Bahraini Women’s Day, Her Royal Highness reiterated the Supreme Council for Women’s (SCW) commitment to accomplishing more for Bahraini women in the context of mainstreaming women’s needs in National Plans and in ensuring qualitative change towards the consistency of women’s advancement. This is especially since the capabilities and the qualifications of Bahraini women are considered essential national gains in the context of the comprehensive development path. Her Royal Highness acknowledged and expressed her appreciation for every Bahraini woman insisting, despite all the difficulties, on making the efforts to serve Bahrain and protect the national gains obtained since the beginning of the last century. Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King of Bahrain and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) is patronizing the celebration of Bahraini Women's Day this year, which will be held under the theme "Women and Media", this Wednesday at Bahrain's National Theater. The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) agreed on 21 February 2013 to make the work of Bahraini women in the field of media the theme for this year's celebration of Bahraini Women's Day. The selection of this theme aims at highlighting the achievements of Bahraini women in this important field, shaping the identity and features of media discourse and the available opportunities to improve it. The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) has organized a number of events leading to Bahraini Women's Day, such as the Media Rally Competition launched last May with the aim of focusing on effective media productions with regards to women's issues. This is set to be achieved through enriching the different tools of media to serve as incentives to improve the media productions on women-related issues, achieving at the same time the objectives of the National Plan of the Strategy for the Advancement of Bahraini Women. Ninety-five participants, men and women, have participated in this competition through the 4 fields of media "written, audio, visual and social". As part of the supporting events for Bahraini Women’s Day, the Youth Committee at the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) organized a Youth Forum entitled "Women & Social Media" in October 2013 with the objective of empowering the committee members with the required skills to participate actively and positively in society through partnering with institutions and strengthening the relationships with different organizations. The forum covered 3 main topics: Women & Social Media, electronic volunteering through social media and investment in this field. Also, the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) organized a workshop on "Media Practices: Through content, implementation and accountability" on the 25th and 26th June 2013. The workshop aimed to enhance the legal education and to build the capacities and skills among media personnel and to improve the media discourse, utilizing such skills while presenting women’s issues. Additionally, the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) in cooperation with the German Embassy in Bahrain with the support of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deutche Welle (DW) Academy, the Media Forum entitled "Women’s Portrayal in Arab Media" was held during the period 13-15th May 2013 at Kempenski Hotel. The forum aimed to establish a media network including women media figures from GCC countries. Deutche Welle Academy is considered a training center specialized in media development and consultations as well as journalism training through enhancing freedom of press and diversity of opinions in different countries of the world. Source: BNA