Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) Hala Al Ansari held a work meeting with Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, on the sidelines of the second Eurasian Women's Forum 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Al Ansari praised solid ties binding the two friendly countries and reviewed ways of bolstering bilateral cooperation regarding woman-related issues. She also spotlighted at the meeting, which was held at the main Duma Hall at Tavricheskiy Palace, Bahrain’s efforts to empower women through SCW which is presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King.  

The SCW Secretary General also called on Valentina Matviyenko to encourage the relevant Russian institutions to take part in Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa International Women Empowerment Award which was launched by SCW from the United Nations headquarters in New York in March.

She also gave an account on the award’s committee which features internationally-renowned figures in women’s issues. Matviyenko lauded Bahrain’s keenness on women’s development, stressing that the UN’s adoption of the Bahraini model in empowering women through HRH Princess Sabeeka’s award underlines maturity of the Bahraini experience and provides an incentive for other countries to know the schemes and initiatives carried out by SCW.