H.E. Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa Nominated As Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization

About H.E. Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa

Shaikha Mai has held several important positions, including Assistant Undersecretary for Culture and National Heritage and Minister of Culture. She was also the first Bahraini woman to become Information Minister. Widely recognised as a pioneering figure in the Arab cultural scene, Shaikha Mai has been behind a variety of annual cultural and tourism initiatives, including the Spring of Culture and Bahrain Summer Festival.

Regional and International Accolades

Shaikha Mai has received many distinguished international and regional awards, including France’s highest honour, Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, and the World Monuments Fund’s Watch Award. In 2010, she made news as the first laureate of the Colbert Prize for Creativity and Heritage, plus she has earned the Social Creativity Award from the Arab Thought Foundation. The inspiring woman is also recognised as an outstanding leader. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Arab Woman prize (in the field of Administrative Leadership) from Paris’s Center of Woman Studies, as well as the Administrative Competence and Excellence trophy from the Arab League.

Here are some of the projects H.E. Shaikha Mai has kickstarted, which have contributed to cementing the Kingdom’s status as a cultural hub and stimulating urban development:

• Establishing the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research to enhance cultural dialogue and preserve the traditional architecture of Bahrain.
• Launching the ‘Investing in Culture’ initiative, which encourages partnerships between the public and private sectors to advance cultural projects.
• The registration of three national sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• Founding the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre.
• Leading the ‘Revitalisation of Muharraq’ initiative, a series of restoration and reuse projects, which was awarded the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. This included the restoration of the iconic Pearling Path that showcases Bahrain’s rich heritage.