KUWAIT: Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organization Affairs Abdulaziz Al-Jarallah called on international community, especially UN Security Council, to assume its responsibilities to stop attacks and crimes against Palestinians, provide international protection for civilians, and secure passageways for medical teams and relief aid to urgently reach those trapped in the Gaza Strip.

This came in the speech of Al-Jarallah, the representative of the minister of foreign affairs, Tuesday, during the closing ceremony of the “Quality of Life in Cities” conference, which is organized by the mission of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Kuwait, on World Cities Day and the conclusion of Urban October activities.

Al-Jarallah pointed out the escalation of military operations committed by Zionist entity occupation forces against Palestinians in Gaza and their targeting of defenseless civilians with military operations and intense airstrikes that resulted in the killing and wounding of thousands of innocent people. He commended what was presented during Urban October, considering it an opportunity to raise awareness about multiple local issues, mobilize the necessary resources to confront global challenges, and exchange experiences on how to address challenges and find solutions to urban development issues.

He said that the humanitarian crises, the challenges they cause, and the negative effects of climate change require international cooperation and solidarity, and an increase in international awareness of urbanization trends and future visions to achieve sustainable urban development, and create free, clean and sustainable cities.

Kuwait realized the importance of urban development and early sensed the necessity of confronting the challenges that would face the city, so it called for the formation of an entity concerned with confronting these challenges, during which the Arab Towns Organization (ATO) was established, in addition to hosting a regional office for the UN-Habitat, he explained.

Al-Jarallah noted the active role of UN-Habitat in many projects in the field of greening and combating cross-border dust in a regional cooperation that is considered a pioneering example of cross-border cooperation that many countries seek to adopt and emulate. On his side, Secretary General of ATO Abdulrahman Al-Asfour said that what was witnessed at the conference reflects joint commitment to promoting sustainable development and the wellbeing of societies, underlining the importance of joint work and exchanging experiences between Arab cities.

Al-Asfour appreciated the transformations taking place in cities, underscoring that they will contribute to achieving development goals and improving the quality of life of its residents, calling for moving forward with the same effort and dedication in implementing the plans and programs discussed during the conference and strengthening cooperation between cities.

Meanwhile, Member of Kuwait Municipal Council Dr Hasan Kamal told KUNA that their participation in the conference comes to display what they are doing to improve the quality of life in cities and focus on urban areas and Kuwait city in particular. Kuwait Municipal Council is currently working with the Kuwait Municipality on the state’s structural plan, which gives the plan for the next 30 years and includes all service projects and takes into account population growth, he explained, pointing out that this will reflect positively on the quality of life in those cities if done correctly.

There are some things that efforts focused on, such as the housing problem, he mentioned, saying that the new cities will improve the quality of life through an integrated system of infrastructure services. There is urban expansion according to the new structural plan, and there are integrated residential, industrial, cities and farms in the north, south and west of the country, including Al-Mutlaa city, all of which will help in development alongside the old cities and the movement of many to them, thus working to reduce crowding and provide job opportunities, he noted.

The reasons are poor healthcare for mothers and children, drugs, violence against children, and diseases, she pointed out, stressing the need for cooperation, political will and funding to work to reduce the causes of death. She underscored the need to make the quality of psychological life a national priority to achieve sustainable results, collect and process comprehensive and detailed data on the quality of psychological life for children and adolescents, and fight the social stigma of psychological disorders. — KUNA