The National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) has launched the fourth phase of the Forever Green national afforestation campaign, which initiated with the planting of trees along Street 1722 in the Diplomatic Area, supported by ABC Bank, in line with ongoing efforts to expand the greenery and preserve the environment.

A planting ceremony was held on site with the presence of Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak, Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture; Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, Secretary General of NIAD; Shaikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary of Municipalities Affairs; Asim Abdullatif Abdullah, Undersecretary of Agriculture and Animal Wealth Affairs; Sael Al Waary, CEO of ABC Bank; Mohamed Al Maraj, CEO of ila Bank; and Mohammed Saad Al Sahli, Capital Municipality Director General.

Shaikha Maram bint Isa thanked ABC Bank for their contribution to planting Street 1722.

The NIAD Secretary General also commended the positive response the Forever Green campaign has received since its launch in 2021, in particular from private sector entities, whose contributions have enabled the planting of approximately 140,000 trees over the past three years.

Shaikha Maram bint Isa highlighted that the launch of phase four of the ‘Forever Green Campaign’ coincides with the launch of the National Tree Week, which will be the annual date for kickstarting the tree planting season.

On his part, Al Waary underscored ABC Bank’s commitment in partnering with the NIAD to support the campaign, which aligns with the bank’s sustainable strategy to benefit the environment and community.

He noted that the initiative coincides with National Tree Week and contributes to Bahrain’s tree-planting plan, aiming to double the number of trees to 3.6 million by 2035 in line with the Kingdom’s commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).