The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) has welcomed the UN Children Fund (UNICEF)’s return to Bahrain, as part of the strategic partnership signed recently with 16 UN agencies. Dr. Khalifa bin Ali Al Fadel, NIHR Secretary-General, expressed aspiration for close cooperation with the UNICEF on boosting the rights of children in the kingdom. He emphasized that Bahrain was deeply involved in children’s interests, investing in their protection and ensuring they live in peaceful atmospheres of dialogue, dignity and sustainable development. He underlined the keenness of the National Institution for Human Rights to cooperate with all specialized UN agencies and UN-affiliated bodies, as well as all governmental and non-governmental organizations. Meanwhile, Abdullah al-Dosari, Assistant Foreign Minister of Bahrain, stressed his country’s willingness to respect and promote human rights based on the reform approach adopted by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the historical and cultural heritage of the Kingdom. Dosari pointed to the accession of Bahrain to many international conventions in the field of human rights, including the Convention on the Rights of Children and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which require state-members to submit to the UN supervising bodies periodic reports on the implementation of these conventions. The Bahraini official also stressed that his government “continues to allocate a larger budget for education and health in order to build and open new schools every year, in response to the steady increase in the number of children.” The country is also working on the provision of immunization for all children and promoting the basic principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the right of the child to development, equal opportunities in education and care for all the social strata.