KIPCO, KFAS partner for KIPCO Sharakah Forum 2017
Partnership to promote social responsibility in Kuwait with emphasis on cross-sector collaborations for social impact
By Michelle Fe Santiago
KUWAIT CITY, March 13: The Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO Holding) held a joint press conference with Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) at the KIPCO Tower, Chairman’s Club on Monday to announce its partnership with KFAS to promote social responsibility in the State of Kuwait focusing on cross-sector collaborations for social impact.
The partnership will focus on this year’s Sharakah Forum & Workshops, which will be held on March 19-23 under the patronage of Minister for Social Affairs and Labour Hind Subaih Barrak Al Subaih.
The Sharakah Forum is an annual platform developed by KIPCO to bring together key stakeholders involved in the field of social responsibility in Kuwait, aimed at fostering the creation of shared value through collaboration and capacity building. This year’s forum will include two main discussion panels with leading executives from the public, private and non-profit sectors namely ViceChairman (Executive) of KIPCO Faisal Hamad Al Ayyar, Director General of KFAS Dr Adnan ShihabEldin, Undersecretary of the Ministry
KIPCO Group CSR Manager Abeer Al Omar (center), leads the joint press conference.
of State for Youth Affairs Sheikha Al-Zain Al Sabah, GIG CEO Khaled Al-Hassan and Director General and “Principal Research Scientist” (G.20) at KISR Dr Samira A. S. Omar Asem. The forum will also include presentations by international experts, think tank group discussions and networking opportunities.
“Since KHC has been an important and active member of the community and as a member of KIPCO group, we believe that hosting such event is the least we can offer to help Kuwait’s leading NGOs with their efforts and initiatives for the benefit of the society,” stated Fawzi Al-Musallam, Kuwait Hotels Company (KHC) Chief Executive Officer.
He added that over 300 representatives of Kuwait’s leading non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Private and public sectors have confirmed their attendance to the event.
The one-day forum will be followed by four days of workshops offered by KIPCO and KFAS to non-profit organizations and social entrepreneurs interested in increasing their financial sustainability. The workshops will be delivered by local, regional and international trainers and will cover the following topics: Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship; Crowdfunding for Non-Profits; Proposal-Writing; Creating Shared Value Partnerships; Communicating with Zero Budget for Non-Profits, and Profits for Non-Profits. The aim of these workshops is to contribute to strengthening the role of local non-profits and increasing their ability to acquire resources to promote their causes. The Sharakah Forum & Workshops are free of charge to all participating organisations, attendance is by invitation only.
“This event builds on the efforts already undertaken by the KIPCO group, as for example in last year’s CSR Forum, to bring together key players involved in social responsibility in Kuwait in order to take our work in this field to the next level and increase our impact and efficiency through greater coordination and collaboration. We are very proud to be leading the way in this arena, and hope to be able to contribute effectively to The Amir’s New Kuwait Vision for 2035, which emphasizes the role of partnerships in the road to development,” outlined Abeer Al Omar, Group CSR Manager at KIPCO.
She pointed out that they are delighted that such significant private and public sectors representatives have agreed to join this initiative. Their participation shows that the biggest companies in Kuwait are aware and responsive to the needs of local NGOs. KIPCO group and its operating companies look forward to a successful and productive forum.
The KIPCO Group is one of the biggest holding companies in the Middle East and North Africa, with consolidated assets of US$ 33 billion as at 30 September 2016. The Group has significant ownership interests in over 60 companies operating across 24 countries. The group’s main business sectors are financial services, media, real estate and manufacturing. Through its core companies, subsidiaries and affiliates, KIPCO also has interests in the education and medical sectors.