Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

Shaikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain (الشيخ سلمان بن حمد آل خليفة) (born 21 October 1974) is the Crown Prince and the Undersecretary of Defence of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Prior to assuming the duties of Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman was Vice Chairman of Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research from 1992 to 1995, Undersecretary of Defence at the Ministry of Defence from 1995 to 1999, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the BCSR from 1995 to 1999.

Shaikh Salman was appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR) in 1995. That same year, he was also appointed Defence Under-Secretary. Shaikh Salman was sworn in as Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain on March 9th, 1999, and assumed the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force on March 22nd, 1999.On February 24th 2001, he was appointed as Chairman of the Committee for Implementation of the National Charter. The Charter was approved by over 98% in a referendum held in February 2001 and provided a comprehensive blueprint for Bahrain’s future development based on transparency, cooperation and popular participation. The Committee proposed a number of laws to implement the National Charter including laws on government procurements and press freedom.

On March 3rd 2002, he held the post of Chairman of the Economic Development Board [http://www.bahrainedb.com/default.asp] , which is responsible for formulating and overseeing the Kingdom’s economic development strategy, and aims to attract Foreign Direct Investment to Bahrain. He also played a major role in promoting national and global dialogue [http://www.iiss.org/publications/manama-dialogue-report/the-crown-prince] regarding economic reforms, labor, education, and healthcare.

In a profile in 2008, the Financial Times said:

:"Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa has since 1999 helped implement sweeping political and constitutional changes centred on raising living standards, by rooting out institutionalised corruption, building modern institutions and transforming the government into a regulator by divesting state assets.

:His changes have included the formation of a parliament to enfranchise the island’s majority Shia population, which has felt marginalised by the ruling Khalifa family and mounted a violent uprising in the 1990s.

:But the reform process has met resistance from elements of the ruling family, the commercial elite and the bureaucracy." [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7ecfa59e-e0a4-11dc-b0d7-0000779fd2ac.html]

Education

Shaikh Salman completed his high school education in Bahrain, and then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from the American University in Washington D.C. in 1992; followed by a Master of Philosophy and History from Cambridge University, England in 1994. He has since participated in numerous seminars addressing Gulf Security issues and Middle East affairs.

Additionally, Shaikh Salman has been a champion of education. He established the [Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Programme] [http://www.cpisp.bh/newsletter/NewsLetterEn.pdf] , [http://www.cpisp.bh/] , to guide Bahrain’s young people in to the 21st century. Under the programme, the most able high school students from Bahrain are awarded scholarships to continue their higher education overseas, and return to productively contribute to the building of the country’s economy. By allowing the country’s brightest pupils to benefit from foreign expertise and to broaden their experience abroad, it is hoped to prepare young Bahrainis for the challenges of the modern job market, and in particular for employment in fields such as information technology, finance and law.

He has also launched a separate leadership program for high school students, which aims to equip Bahrain’s talented and outstanding youth with the leadership skills required to compete in today’s competitive global community.

Honors

Shaikh Salman has been awarded a number of Decorations and Orders. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in conjunction with the Order of the Eagle Exemplar by the United States [http://www.usbahrainbusiness.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=document.home&id=7] Sports Academy. The presentation was made by Dr. T. J. Rosandich, Vice President and COO of the Academy on 28 September 2003 in a ceremony held at the Court of the Crown Prince in Bahrain. Shaikh Salman has also been awarded the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa Decoration, the Ahmed Al Fateh Order, First Class, the Bahrain Order, First Class, the Hawar Order, First Class, the Kuwait Liberation Citation, the Nahdha Order, First Class, from the Kingdom of Jordan, and the Etihad Order from the United Arab Emirates

ports enthusiast

Shaikh Salman is also Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, which oversees sports in the country as well as the extra-curricular activities of Bahrain’s youth, which has embarked on a programme to upgrade the sporting facilities in the Kingdom.

The Crown Prince also spearheaded a major national initiative to bring Formula One racing to Bahrain and the Middle East. H.H. initiated the construction of the Bahrain International Circuit, which was a national objective for Bahrain, and a miraculous feat of engineering. On April 4th 2004, the Bahrain Grand Prix made history as the first Formula One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East, featuring a world class grand prix circuit.