Abeer Al-Omar

KUWAIT: Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO) and Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) announced their strategic partnership for the KIPCO Sharakah Forum 2018 for the second consecutive year at a press conference held yesterday at KIPCO Tower. The KIPCO Sharakah Forum is an annual platform developed by KIPCO to bring together the most important leaders from the private, public and civic sectors in Kuwait to promote cross-sector partnerships and collaboration in the fields of social responsibility and social impact.

This year's forum will be held from March 11 to 15, 2018 under the patronage of Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and the Minister of Economic Affairs Hind Al-Subaih and Minister of Commerce and Industry and State Minister for Youth Affairs Khaled Al-Roudhan, both of whom will participate in the activities of the forum.

Two workshops will be held on the opening day (March 11), in which officials from the public, private and non-profit sectors will participate. These include KIPCO's Vice-Chairman (Executive) Faisal Al-Ayyar, Deputy General Manager for Scientific Affairs at KFAS Dr Salem Al-Hajraf, Vice Chairman and CEO of Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company Saadoun Ali and others.

Vice Chairman and CEO of Kuwait Hotels Companies (KHC) Fawzi Al-Musallam said hosting this forum for the second day is the least they can provide to NGOs that are engaged in voluntary works in the community and to improve social life in general. "As KHC is a member of KIPCO Group, it joins the efforts by the parent company in cooperation with its other subsidiary companies. There are over 300 representatives from various sectors and particularly the nonprofit sector, who have confirmed their attendance in the Sharakah Forum," he pointed out.

Group Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at KIPCO Abeer Al-Omar noted that the Sharakah Forum is based on the previous efforts of KIPCO to gather the main leaders of social responsibility and sustainable development in Kuwait. "We aim to increase the standards and impact through increased collaboration between various sectors, and last year's Sharakah Forum is the best example. We are proud that we are pioneers in this field," she said.

The one-day forum will be followed by three days of workshops for non-profit organizations and entrepreneurs who are interested in the financial sustainability of their organizations. "These workshops will be presented by local and international experts in social responsibility and sustainability. They will include data, personal experiences, social participation in open places, technological tools of social cooperation and others. These workshops aim to strengthen the role of local nonprofit organizations and to empower them. The high participation by big companies in Kuwait proves that these companies understand the needs of local NGOs. We look forward to a successful forum," added Omar.

Director of Innovation and Enterprise Development Directorate at KFAS Dr Bassam Al-Feeli spoke about the role of KFAS in building and improving human resources in the community. "We encourage and promote science and knowledge in all fields in building a knowledge-based economy. KFAS invests in national initiatives and many development projects," he stated.

By Nawara Fattahova