​The Supreme Council for Women was established on 22nd August 2001 upon Amiri order No. 44 which was amended by the Amiri Orders No. 55 in 2001, No. 2 in 2002, and the Royal Decree No. 36 in 2004.

Subsidiarity

The Supreme Council for Women is to be established and directly affiliated to His Majesty the King. It is considered the reference for all official bodies in regards to women affairs and its headquarters is to be in Riffa. It has jurisdiction to express opinion and to consider direct and indirect matters related to the position of women and whose opinion should be sought by all official authorities before taking any action or decision in this regard

Presidency

Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa chairs the council which includes not less than 16 members, representing public female figures experienced in women's affairs and various related activities. Their membership term is 3 years and can be renewed. A Royal Order shall be issued appointing the members of the council, while Her Royal Highness chooses the deputy president.

Introduction

The work methodology of the Supreme Council for Women's performance is based on the continuous assessment to develop its work and keep up with the progress of women's presence. To perform its role as an advisory body for His Majesty the King on women issues, the Supreme Council for Women conducted an assessment process for the Plan's results in 2012 through studying and analyzing the achievements, challenges and obstacles. Such action was done to start with an advanced vision that contains more efficient mechanisms according to studied methodologies that are based on partnership to build alliances which ensures merging women's needs in the march of development and assess the result.

The National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women

With the Royal blessings of His Majesty the King, the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women (2013 – 2022) was launched. It contains 5 aspects that aim to ensure family stability within familial bond, empower women to competitively contribute to the progress march based on the principle of equal opportunities, as well as merge women needs in the development programs in order to enhance the standard of their quality of life, excellence of performance and lifelong learning. Such aims are achieved through integrating with allies and partners of the Supreme Council for Women within institutional work in order to become a house of expertise specialized in women’s affairs.

The Council has moved from the stage of advancing women to the stage of women advancement with a vision of equitable partnership to build a competitive and sustainable society.