Country map
Bahrain
Region
Human Development Index Ranking (UNDP, 2022)
35
Population (UNFPA, 2024)
1.6 milion

Volunteer statistics (ILO)*

Source: ILOSTATS. The data is collected by ILO from national statistical offices. As national statistics on volunteer work are produced using a variety of approaches and tools, direct and cross-country comparisons are not recommended. For more information, visit https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/volunteer-work/

No data

Measurement work

No data

Laws, Policies, Schemes on Volunteering

Does the country have a piece of legislation on volunteering?

Yes

Law on Public Voluntary Service (for public order/security) 

Year 2019
View source

Does the country have a national policy, scheme, plan or strategy specific to volunteering?

Yes

Name of specific policy, strategy or plan on volunteering at the national level. Year created Source link What are the relevant SDG areas/crosscutting themes of the policy, plan scheme or strategy?

Creation of Volunteering Development Center under the Ministry of Labour and Social Development 

2016 View source

Does the country have a sectoral and cross-sectoral policy, scheme, plan or strategy that mentions volunteering?

Yes

Name of specific policy, strategy or plan on volunteering at the national level. Year created Source link What are the relevant SDG areas/crosscutting themes of the policy, plan scheme or strategy?
Draft law for Charity Organisations 2019 No data

VNR Reporting

Bahrain's Voluntary National Review 2017

View source
SDG symbol

Reporting positive contribution of volunteering to the SDGs

Paragraph 1, page 50

The schools focus on student activities both in and out of the classroom, alongside initiatives which promote the values of: tolerance, moderation, respect for opinion; rejection of fanaticism and extremism, preservation of national unity, and the encouragement of collective voluntary action; as well as taking pride in national customs and traditions. These projects include campaigns such as: "Ambassadors of Tolerance and Coexistence," "Shake My Hands,” and “Planting Love," amongst others.

No mention

Bahrain Voluntary National Review

View source
SDG symbol SDG symbol

Reporting positive contribution of volunteering to the SDGs

Paragraph 1, page 33

Volunteers played a pivotal role in the Kingdom’s successful mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the vibrancy of Bahrain’s civil society. Volunteers, of all ages and from varying academic backgrounds, were recruited, from a National Platform which saw more than 50,000 people register in a country of just 1.5 million. Initial volunteer recruitment focused on volunteers with health care experience such as university students from health-related disciplines and retirees from the health sector, subsequently expanding to include volunteers from outside the health sector supporting in roles such as data entry and validation, inspections, and public sanitization. Training was provided for health workers and volunteers through induction and specialization courses, both in person and virtually, with high engagement among professionals and volunteers who were driven by a desire to help. One of the notable initiatives to ensure inclusivity, led by the Supreme Council for Women, was the “Together to Keep Bahrain Safe” campaign. Through this campaign, educators from the Bahrain Education Trade Union volunteered their time to provide lessons for the children of front-line workers, allowing them to continue with their demanding jobs while ensuring that their children would be able to complete their studies without worry. This campaign also provided low-income families, and families with female breadwinners, with computers and other digital tools to ensure their ability to keep up with distance learning.

Paragraph 2, page 92

INJAZ Bahrain is a non-profit organization that was established in 2005 as part of Junior Achievement 
Worldwide, with the aim of empowering young people to own their economic success and be prepared for today’s business challenges. INJAZ Bahrain delivers hands on immersive learning, in-work readiness, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, sustainability, STEM, digital literacy, and more. With the help of its partners and volunteers, INJAZ Bahrain impacts thousands of students every year bringing them closer to the real world and opening their minds to their own potential. INJAZ Bahrain’s programs include the “Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce” program, which equips students with the tools and skills required to earn and keep a job in high-growth career industries, and the “A Focused Look at the World of Work” program, which gives secondary school students the opportunity to gain insight into the workplace.

No mention

UNSDCF Reporting

Strategic and Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2021-2022

View source
SDG symbol SDG symbol

Volunteering integrated into the narrative text of the UNSDCF


Volunteering integrated into the UNSDCF Results and Reporting Framework

Paragraph 1, page

Page viii:

Cross-sector, multi-stakeholder engagement to sustain the mutual commitment of the partners to the SCF outcomes and to convene other partners in the private sector, civil society and volunteer groups, create open spaces for dialogue and consensus around shared interests.

Paragraph 2, page 8

The UN system can work with Government to support a set of core strategies for the maintenance of essential health services and systems [...]. These may include the methods of engaging volunteer groups in support of health systems.

Paragraph 3, page 9

[...] establish volunteer programmes to engage youth in community development and to gain access to training and job-related skills.

Paragraph 4, page 12

Volunteerism can be a powerful and cross-cutting means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by engaging people in the national planning and implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Volunteer groups can help to localize the 2030 Agenda by providing new areas of interaction between Governments and people for concrete and scalable actions. In coordination with UN Agencies, volunteer groups will be engaged to strengthen civic engagement, promote social inclusion, deepen solidarity and solidify the ownership of development results for the sustainable development to take root in communities.

Paragraph 5, page 18

From the private sector, civil society and NGOs, partners include: Universities, volunteer groups, NGOs, [...].

Paragraph 6, page 26

Volunteerism helps young people’s access to decent work by providing access to training and job-related skills and strengthening their abilities, experience, confidence and connections. Youth volunteer programmes can help in transition of youth from education to employment while also increasing a sense of solidarity with their own communities.

Paragraph 7, page 29

Volunteer programmes for increased engagement of young people, women and excluded populations in working with communities and gain access to training and job-related skills and their transition from education to employment.

Paragraph 8, page 35

Government Ministries, NGOs, INGOs, volunteer groups and UN system agencies will implement programme activities.

Paragraph 9, page 38

Efforts to operationalise existing Government policies, strategies and service delivery frameworks and build new capacities for effective, cross-sectoral approaches at local levels, with a focus on vulnerable groups. These will include engagement of volunteers and volunteer groups in planning and service delivery to ensure needs of vulnerable groups at community levels are reflected in the implementation.

Paragraph 1, page 56

UNDP/UNV: Volunteering programmes for engagement of youth in community development and access to training and job-related skills

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