International Collaborations and High-Level Engagements
Bahrain’s Digital Twinning Program is underpinned by sustained engagement with international institutions, multilateral organizations, and knowledge networks dedicated to advancing global digital governance. These partnerships reflect the Kingdom of Bahrain’s active role in enabling mutual learning, contributing to regional capacity building, and promoting responsible digital transformation.
The Digital Twinning Initiative: Strategic Components
- 1. Bahrain Digital Twining Exchange Hub: A centralized online platform that will facilitate bilateral and multilateral knowledge sharing, hosting technical documentation, playbooks, and best practice templates. Serving as a regional anchor, this hub provides guidance and support for digital transformation across the Gulf and MENA regions.
- 2. Shared Advisory Toolkit: A modular toolkit encapsulating Bahrain’s digital service models and content structures in alignment with UN Online Service Index (OSI) benchmarks. The toolkit is adaptable for international use and promotes regional adoption. The toolkit is available upon request.
- 3. Cross-Border Digital Twining Pilots: Pilot projects has been launched in partnership with emerging and developing nations, including Tunisia and the Comoros Islands, to support the modernization of digital portals and the localization of service content. These pilots will focus on twinning the Bahrain’s digital transformation with the two piloted countries and are expected to serve as case studies for other nations.
- 4. Digital Twining Fellowship Program: This program will offer immersive three-month residencies in the Kingdom of Bahrain to selected foreign delegates, featuring structured mentorship, technical laboratories, and practical scenario simulations based on the bahrain.bh model.
- 5. Joint Visibility Metrics Framework: A collaborative dashboard will be co-developed to track OSI progress, promote transparency, and report on the readiness of partner countries. This shared visibility ensures accountability and mutual learning.
- 6. Knowledge Transfer Summits and Reporting: The annual Bahrain Digital Twinning Forum, hosted by iGA, will convene UN representatives, government officials, and digital innovators to review progress and publish regional reports on OSI advancements and collaborative efforts.
Action Plan for Success
1. Digital Twinning Activation for Regional and Global Leadership: An online registration for interested countries has been developed. It will follow with launching a promotional campaign and preparing knowledge transfer documentation. An online forum will enable information sharing, while placeholder materials will demonstrate the initiative’s operational status.
2. Strengthening Digital Public Infrastructure: Implementation of a National Modular Service Architecture with interoperable digital service components is essential. The creation of a Real-Time Interoperability Layer through a centralized API Gateway and a comprehensive Digital Service Registry will further enhance the robustness and resilience of the national digital infrastructure.
3. Enhancing Multilingual, Inclusive, and Accessible Content: The initiative mandates full bi-lingual content deployment (Arabic, English) across all core services, adoption of WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, and partnerships with Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) to ensure inclusive content certification and real user engagement.
4. User Journey Optimization: A focus on mapping and digitizing life event-based user journeys will drive service personalization and accessibility. Behavioural analytics will support predictive journey recommendations, while usability labs will facilitate ongoing user testing and improvement.
5. Transparency, Feedback, and Public Engagement: A National Feedback and Performance Hub, combined with open data microservices, will aggregate citizen feedback and performance metrics into publicly available dashboards. Transparent digital consultation portals will facilitate public participation in national decision-making.
6. Capacity Building and Digital Culture: Continuous professional development is embedded through mandatory digital skills modules, micro-certification programs, innovation fellowships for public servants, and a Citizen Digital Champions network to promote digital literacy and engagement.
7. Monitoring and Visibility for UN OSI Readiness: A specialized OSI monitoring dashboard and quarterly survey readiness reports will ensure Bahrain and its partners remain aligned with international benchmarks. Public-facing microsites will showcase Bahrain’s global digital leadership and collaborative achievements.
The Digital Twinning Initiative is a carefully planned and forward-looking strategy that not only elevates Bahrain’s position within the digital governance landscape but also enables meaningful regional and global partnerships. By leveraging two decades of digital diplomacy, sustained collaboration, and an unwavering focus on innovation, the Kingdom of Bahrain is positioned as a catalyst for digital transformation, promoting best practices, fostering collective progress, and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals at the global level.