Kuwait conveyed Arab, Islamic concerns at UN Security Council: Sheikh Jaber

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah praised the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, which called for enhancing the spirit of solidarity amongst Kuwaitis. This came in his speech in the opening of the fourth session of the 15th legislative term yesterday. His Highness the Premier confirmed the government's keenness to strengthen the positive relationship with the National Assembly, stressing that it is committed to cooperating with MPs for the best interest of the homeland.

In this regard, His Highness the Premier said the government has referred to the National Assembly a number of draft laws that contribute to the development and consolidation of the legislative structure in the society, including a bill on Kuwait's Public Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), another on companies' authentication, competition protection, government bonds and other "achievements." He confirmed the government's commitment to cooperate with National Assembly members under its constitutional supervision. He stressed on the need to follow His Highness' footsteps, making his march a guidance for the maintenance of the country's security, stability and interests under changing regional and international conditions that require everyone to be solidly united. He recalled wisdom of His Highness the Amir and his continuous efforts have spared Kuwait numerous challenges and crises due to regional and international crises.

Joint Arab action
On the Arab level, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said Kuwait is keen to strengthen joint Arab action, and called to overcome Arab differences through its participation in all efforts and meetings to address the issues of the Arab nation. On the international level, Kuwait has sought, through its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, to convey the concerns of the Arab and Islamic nations, especially the Palestinian cause as the first central issue.

On infrastructural achievements, the premier said the government has completed several projects including Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad causeway, which connects Al-Subbiya with Kuwait City, the start of the operational phase of Sabah Al-Salem University City, and the fiber optics project, which would strengthen communication and information infrastructure in line with the digital economy. Within the housing sector, the Prime Minister said the government is working to accomplish infrastructure and public services in the new cities. A joint Kuwaiti-Korean company will be established to build the first smart city in South Saad Al-Abdullah district, he confirmed.

Health sector-wise, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said it is witnessing a paradigm shift in the direction of promoting public health by adopting the Healthy Cities Initiative, noting that Yarmouk city (district) marked its fulfillment of World Health Organization (WHO) requirements to become the first model healthy city in Kuwait. According to a report by the World Health organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB), Kuwait ranked first in the Universal Health Coverage, he added.

The government seeks to complete strategic development projects in the petroleum sector, he said, alluding to Al-Zour refinery project, the environmental fuel venture and Al-Shaqaya Renewable Energy project. In accordance with the directives of His Highness the Amir to support the youth, the premier said the government has paid special attention to Kuwait's participation in the project of enhancing human capital in coordination with international organizations. In this regard, the National Youth Policy was adopted and entered the implementation phase as a tool to enable youth across economic and community sectors to participate effectively in all community activities, he said.

Public, private partnership
On the partnership between the public and private sectors during the fiscal year 2019/2020, the government launched four projects in the sectors of real estate development, sanitation, waste management and tourism, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said. Moreover, many Kuwaiti youth have been able to record achievements in all intellectual, cultural and sports fields, he said, noting to permanent lift of the international ban on the Kuwaiti sports. Kuwait has reaped the fruits of tireless national efforts with the cooperation of the concerned government authorities, the private sector and civil society organizations, to improve the business environment and enhance the competitiveness of the national economy in a way that reflects His Highness the Amir's desire to achieve Kuwait Vision 2035, His Highness the Prime Minister said.

This came within the framework of achieving the objective of improving the status of Kuwait in international indicators and improving the quality of performance of services provided to citizens, he added. In a related context, the State of Kuwait has seen an improvement in its status in the Global Competitiveness Index 2019 for the World Economic Forum, where Kuwait has advanced eight places in this index to become the 46th place out of 141 countries, he said. - KUNA