Project Document >> A. Context


Institutional framework

The key government institutions that most likely will be involved in a direct or indirect way in the implementation of the project include, but might not be limited to:

Ministry of Housing, Municipalities and Environment.
The overall objective of the Ministry, which consist of the Housing Division, the Municipalities Division and the Environment Division is to: execute projects in the housing and urban development sectors, the provision of adequate finances necessary to carry out the development and housing schemes and the assessment of the existing urban development problems so as to undertake necessary strategic planning exercises in anticipation of future needs and aspirations; deliver municipal services, and; protection of the environment. The Ministry of Housing, Municipalities and Environment will be the government-implementing agency for this project.

  • The Housing Division's main task relate to the construction of houses and flats, distribution of dwellings, loan management, urban development and land management, surveying and mapping (including of Bahrain's waters), and financial, administrative and computer/it services in support of the division. The Physical Planning Directorate under the Housing Division will be the implementing agency for this project.

  • The Municipalities Division's main task relates to: the collection and disposal of household garbage and commercial waste; environment maintenance; road and street cleaning; beautification activities; markets and the implementation of building regulations together with the issue of building permits in coordination with the relevant other government agencies; and advertisement regulation. Since 1998 this division is a self-financing entity. Its budget is provided mainly by the application charges on individual properties.

  • The Environmental Division strives to protect, rehabilitate and improve the environment. Its main task include the formulation of environmental policies and the plans, preparation of legislative proposals and setting environmental standards, and the development of environmental management instruments like permit systems and Environmental Impact Assessments, plus environmental education and public awareness raising.

Ministry of Health
The objective of the Ministry is to assist each individual, and society as a whole, to achieve and maintain a standard of health (physical and mental). It provides basic health services for the people to enable them to achieve a healthy and clean lifestyle.

Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education in Bahrain is the official authority for running and administering the governmental educational institutions and supervising private education. The Ministry's mission is represented in ensuring education for all, and improving its quality and standard to meet the learners' needs, the national development requirements and the labor market needs. It will ultimately develop the integrated-balanced personality of the Bahraini citizen. It believes that human resources represent the main and absolute element in achieving the overall development in all fields.

Central Statistics Organization(CSO).
The objective of the CSO is to compile, interpret and disseminate quality and timely statistics efficiently and effectively, for the purpose of the formulation and implementation of policies for national development planning and administration in both the public and private sectors. One of its functions is to disseminate statistics (or the interpretation of statistics) to government agencies or other authorities or persons to whom the information may be useful.

Ministry of Works and Agriculture.
The objective of the Ministry of Works is to formulate, plan and implement polices on the development of infrastructure and public utilities, such as roads, water supplies, buildings, and it works toward the maintenance, improvement and upgrading of infrastructure and public utilities.

Capital Governorate
This is a newly established structure under the Ministry of Interior. It is expected that the Governorate is entrusted with authority to operate at the local level as part of the decentralization process.

Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR)
Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR) is a national research and studies Centre with the aim of providing programmes to upgrade the capabilities of society's needs. It undertakes programs in a series of fields including in the field of economic and social management, environment and biology, industry and technology and GIS and remote sensing.

Especially the Geographical Data Systems and Computer Department at the Centre will be of interest to BUIP. The main objective of the department is to provide remote sensing and GIS related services and their applications to the public and private sectors, for supporting developmental activities, and facilitating the decision making process. This department aims to utilize and harness modern remote sensing technology, develop and manage the resources of natural wealth and provide these advanced information services to various parties in the country. Also it aims to provide training and introduce a national cadre which is capable of handling this modern technology in order to utilize it and benefit from it by applying the same in various applications to save time, effort and money.