Second Topic Digital Transformation in Government Services and its Impact on the Situation of Human Rights Preface: 1. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and its repercussions across the world, which cast a shadow over all aspects of life and paralyzed many vital sectors in countries, the most important of which are the education, transportation, and industrial sectors, the Kingdom of Bahrain acted to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on Bahraini society as much as possible. It imposed social distancing measures without resorting to complete closure, as was done in many countries of the world. 2. To ensure that social distancing is achieved on the ground, the government has transformed most of its services to be provided electronically to achieve physical distancing and curb the spread of the virus among individuals. Hence, in view of what has been achieved, the NIHR, to preserve the most important human rights, namely the right to life and to the right health, found itself bound to monitor the concerted efforts among the various ministries and official institutions in the Kingdom. This is reflected in the NIHR’s report to demonstrate the consideration given to the health of individuals in the Bahraini society and the role played by the Kingdom in ensuring the continuity of life through digital transformation and enhancing access to various rights and services. 3. The NIHR has addressed the ministries and official bodies and requested information about the achievements made on digital transformation regarding services provided to the public in various fields during the years (2020-2021). 4. During the timeframe of this report, the NIHR received replies from the following agencies only: the Public Prosecution, the Information and eGovernment Authority, the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development. Ninth Annual Report of the NIHR 69

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