KUWAIT: Boursa Kuwait and the Kuwait Clearing Company (KCC) organized a blood donation drive on Monday, June 13, 2022, in collaboration with the Central Blood Bank - Kuwait (KCBB). The initiative was held at the Boursa Kuwait premises to help commemorate World Blood Donor Day and raise awareness to the importance of voluntary donations, as well as highlight the important role each and every one of us can play in saving lives. The blood drive was part of the exchange's Corporate Sustainability initiatives to create a lasting meaningful impact on the community where it operates and is in line with Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-Being - and Goal 17 - Partnership for the Goals - of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A World Health Organization initiative, World Blood Donor Day takes place on June 14 each year, and was created to raise global awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion; highlight the critical contribution voluntary, unpaid blood donors make to national health systems; as well as support national blood transfusion services, blood donor organizations and other nongovernmental organizations in strengthening and expanding their voluntary blood donor programs by reinforcing national and local campaigns. The day also provides an opportunity to call to action governments and national health authorities to provide adequate resources to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, unpaid blood donors and to manage access to blood and the transfusion of those who require it.

For 2022, the World Blood Donor Day slogan is "Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives" and aims to draw attention to the roles that voluntary blood donations play in saving lives and enhancing solidarity within communities. The objectives of this year's campaign include thanking blood donors in the world and create wider public awareness of the need for regular, unpaid blood donation; highlighting the need for committed, year-round blood donation, to maintain adequate supplies and achieve universal and timely access to safe blood transfusion; recognizing and promoting the values of voluntary unpaid blood donation in enhancing community solidarity and social cohesion; as well as raising awareness of the need for increased investment from governments to build a sustainable and resilient national blood system and increase collection from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors.

Boursa Kuwait's Corporate Sustainability strategy stipulates ensuring initiatives apply and fall in line with the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR), industry best practice standards and investor expectations, creating strong and sustainable partnerships that ultimately achieve success and allow Boursa Kuwait to leverage the capabilities and strengths of other companies or organizations that have experience in different fields, and integrating sustainability efforts with the company culture, in order to achieve longevity and an ongoing impact that is carried on and instilled in the day-to-day operations of the stock exchange.

As part of the strategy, Boursa Kuwait has launched many initiatives in partnership with local and international organizations, focusing on support for nongovernmental organizations and charity programs, financial literacy and capital market awareness, the empowerment of women, environmental protection as well as safety and preventive measures against COVID-19.