Kuwait calls for unified charter for governance of Zakat funds
KRCS launches campaign to aid displaced Syrians in Aleppo
DOHA, Dec 13, (KUNA): A unified charter has been designed for governance of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Zakat funds and institutions to enable them achieve their development goals and fight poverty, said human resources chief at Kuwait’s Zakat House Bader Mahmoud Al-Maatouq on Tuesday.
The charter provided for applying criteria of institutional governance at the GCC Zakat houses, to improve their performance, Al-Maatouq told KUNA on the sidelines of a forum held in Doha.
This will be realized through employing governance mechanisms to boost transparency of the Zakat bodies’ activities, setting the rules and principles that guarantee high performance, solid control, and ethical practices, he added.
Al-Maatouq noted that the GCC Zakat fund and institutions were keen that the charter included the general criteria of governance, namely providing the organizational regulations, promoting the functional structure, realizing justice and equality, in addition to exposure and transparency.
The charter also comprised strategic planning and definition of responsibilities for building confidence between the higher and the executive administrations, in addition to forming independent units for review and auditing, he said.
The Zakat House official noted that enforcing governance will serve the civil society through the participation of government bodies in social activities.
Al-Maatouq pointed out that the Zakat House has reaped the fruits of applying governance and adopting the highest levels of transparency, exposure and quality. It has received several prizes and certificates.
Meanwhile, Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) launched Tuesday at the society’s headquarters in Shuwaikh Administrative area a campaign to collect donations for displaced Syrians in Aleppo.
The society aims to ease the suffering of displaced Syrians in Aleppo, who are living in disastrous humanitarian conditions due to the ongoing Syrian war, KRCS’ Deputy Chairman Anwar Al-Hasawi told KUNA.
He added that donations will be received at the headquarters in mornings and evenings, while a donation booth will be opened tomorrow at 360 Mall.
On her part, head of the resources development department at KRCS Lama Al-Othman noted that people in Aleppo are in desperate need of heaters to face the extremely cold, as well as food and medicine. She called on humanitarian organizations to provide immediate aid to Syrians in need.
According to statistics, about 60,000 in Aleppo were forced to flee their homes since last August, Al-Othman said. She also added that about 20,000 have fled in the past 72 hours.