Kingdom of Bahrain Portal for Sustainable Development Goals

Goal Eleven: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more. At their best, cities have enabled people to advance socially and economically. However, many challenges exist to maintaining cities in a way that continues to create jobs and prosperity while not straining land and resources. Common urban challenges include congestion, lack of funds to provide basic services, a shortage of adequate housing and declining infrastructure. The challenges cities face can be overcome in ways that allow them to continue to thrive and grow, while improving resource use and reducing pollution and poverty. The future we want includes cities of opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.

Overview of some indicators

Proportion of urban population living in slums

Existence national and local disaster risk reduction strategies

✓

Municipal solid waste collection coverage

100%

Indicators

Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
- Indicator 11.1.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing (Excel, 0.01MB, 1 Sheet)
Target 11.2: By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons
- Indicator 11.2.1: Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities (Excel, 0.02MB, 1 Sheet)
Target 11.3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries
- Indicator 11.3.1: Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate (Excel, 0.01MB, 1 Sheet)
- Indicator 11.3.2: Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically
Target 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage
- Indicator 11.4.1: Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage (cultural, natural, mixed and World Heritage Centre designation), level of government (national, regional and local/municipal), type of expenditure (operating expenditure/investment) and type of private funding (donations in kind, private non-profit sector and sponsorship)
Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations
- Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population (Excel, 0.01MB, 1 Sheet)
- Indicator 11.5.2: Direct economic loss in relation to global GDP, damage to critical infrastructure and number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters (Excel, 0.01MB, 1 Sheet)
Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
- Indicator 11.6.1: Proportion of urban solid waste regularly collected and with adequate final discharge out of total urban solid waste generated, by cities (Excel, 0.11MB, 1 Sheet)
- Indicator 11.6.2: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted) (Excel, 0.11MB, 1 Sheet)
Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
- Indicator 11.7.1: Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities (Excel, 0.11MB, 1 Sheet)
- Indicator 11.7.2: Proportion of persons victim of physical or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months
Target 11.a: Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
- Indicator 11.a.1: Proportion of population living in cities that implement urban and regional development plans integrating population projections and resource needs, by size of city (Excel, 0.01MB, 1 Sheet)
Target 11.b: By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels
- Indicator 11.b.1: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Excel, 0.02MB, 1 Sheet)
- Indicator 11.b.2: Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies (Excel, 0.02MB, 1 Sheet)
Target 11.c: Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

Policies & initiatives support the goal

Housing, Urban Planning and Innovative Programs

Bahrain’s housing strategy, in accordance with the New Urban Agenda issued by UN-HABITAT has moved towards smart cities, whereby urban areas can become more efficient, livable, and sustainable in the short and long term. The Government of Bahrain delivered on its commitment to provide 40,000 housing units to citizens, between 2013 and 2022, through the construction of five new cities, financed through the GCC Development Program and through partnership with the private sector; namely: Salman City, Khalifa City, East Hidd, East Sitra and Al Ramli. Bahrain’s housing sector has been at the forefront of the public-private partnership model of economic development. Under the social housing financing program ‘Mazaya’, Bahraini citizens can secure subsidized loans to purchase fully built homes, where the subsidy is means-tested and designed to offer the largest support to those with limited means.

Transportation

The new Bahrain International Airport, opened in 2021, was built with sustainability as a primary goal, and in a manner consistent with Bahrain’s renewable energy and energy efficiency action plans. The terminal has received numerous sustainability awards, including the ACI Green Airports Recognition Silver Award 2023, that recognizes Bahrain Airport's sustainable initiatives, focusing on energy efficiency, waste management, and reducing carbon emissions in its operations.

Preserving Culture and Heritage

Bahrain has three UNESCO World Heritage sites that are integrated with its tourism offering through the efforts of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities: Qal’at Al-Bahrain, a medieval fort; the Pearling Trail, which is a series of buildings and sites that tell the story of Bahrain’s pearling industry; and the Dilmun Burial Mounds, that date back to around 2000 BC and the Early Dilmun Civilization.

Goal Eleven: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Indicators

Policies & initiatives support the goal

Stakeholders

eServices & Systems

References