Kuwait Hosts GCC Energy Workshop
The security and safety of energy assets in the Gulf region are fundamental to the global market, as ongoing developments and conflicts in the region indicated that any future events in the Middle East could directly impact three out of the world's seven strategic maritime chokepoints: the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Suez Canal, Al-Budaiwi stressed. The current conflicts not only threaten global supply chains, Al-Budaiwi emphasized, but also affect national and cross-border development projects such as connectivity initiatives between the European Union and the Middle East, which rely on safe passage through the Levant and the Mediterranean Sea. In a similar recorded statement, United Nations Undersecretary General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov emphasized that the meeting takes place amid a period of escalating global security threats. He highlighted that UN General Assembly Resolution 77/298 unequivocally condemns terrorist attacks targeting energy infrastructure and underscores the need for strengthened cooperation among governments, international organizations, and the private sector.
Voronkov further noted that the Security Council has introduced a technical guide for the protection of critical energy infrastructure from terrorist threats, developed with the support of the Russia and Turkmenistan. He underscored that the guide is the product of in-depth research, broad international consultations, and the collective expertise of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, in collaboration with the Working Group on Emerging Threats and Infrastructure Protection.
In her remarks at the workshop, UN Resident Coordinator in Kuwait Ghada Al-Tahir emphasized that this meeting offers a key opportunity to promote best practices, share expertise, and highlight the Gulf countries' progress in building comprehensive security frameworks regionally and nationally. Al-Tahir highlighted that, for decades, the Gulf states have served as a cornerstone of global energy security and sustainable development, being home to vast reserves of oil and natural gas and playing a vital role in ensuring stable energy supplies worldwide. She reaffirmed the UN's role, especially the Kuwait office, in supporting shared security goals, expressing confidence that the meeting would yield practical, impactful results.
Dr. Rashid Al-Marri, Head of the GCC Emergency Management Center, emphasized that the meeting offers a vital platform to boost cooperation to protect oil and gas infrastructure; key pillars of Gulf economies and global energy stability. He highlighted the need for greater readiness amid growing threats, including terrorism, cyberattacks, and geopolitical tensions. He noted the center's role in coordinating crisis response among member states, developing a regional emergency plan covering 13 types of risks, and working closely with the UN Office of Counterterrorism on training and capacity-building. On his part, KOC's Assistant CEO, Musaed Al-Rasheed, stressed the importance of strengthening regional and international partnerships to secure maritime routes and energy supplies, especially as the industry faces complex geopolitical, industrial, and natural threats.(KUNA)
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Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
New day, new Gaza massacre
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And we're looking forward to it happening sometime next week,' he told reporters as he departed the White House for a day trip to Florida. 'We want to get the hostages out.' Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said pressure by Trump on the Zionist entity would be key to any breakthrough in stalled ceasefire efforts. 'We call upon the US administration to atone for its sin towards Gaza by declaring an end to the war,' he said. Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu told AFP the group is 'ready to agree to any proposal if it will lead to an end to the war and a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of occupation forces'. 'So far, there has been no breakthrough.' Meanwhile, a UN expert has named over 60 companies, including major arms manufacturers and technology firms, in a report alleging their involvement in supporting Zionist settlements and military actions in Gaza, which she called a 'genocidal campaign'. Italian human rights lawyer Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, compiled the report based on over 200 submissions from states, human rights defenders, companies and academics. Ismail, a resident of the Sheikh Radwan suburb of Gaza City, told Reuters that newly displaced families were setting up tents in the road, after fleeing from areas north and east of the city and finding no other ground available. 'We don't sleep because of the sounds of explosions from tanks and planes. The occupation is destroying homes east of Gaza, in Jabalia and other places around us,' he said. Raafat Halles, 39, from Shujaiya, said 'air strikes and shelling have intensified over the past week', and tanks have been advancing. 'I believe that every time negotiations or a potential ceasefire are mentioned, the army escalates crimes and massacres on the ground,' he said. 'I don't know why.' Amer Daloul, a 44-year-old resident of Gaza City, also reported fiercer clashes between Zionist forces and fighters in recent days, telling AFP that he and his family were forced to flee the tent they were living in at dawn on Tuesday 'due to heavy and random gunfire and shelling'. In the southern city of Rafah, resident Mohammed Abdel Aal, 41, said 'tanks are present' in most parts of town. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that eight people were killed near aid distribution sites in central and southern Gaza Tuesday, in the latest in a long-running spate of deadly attacks on those seeking food. One person was killed and 50 wounded when tanks and drones opened fire as crowds were waiting to collect aid near the Wadi Gaza Bridge in the middle of the territory, Bassal said. The civil defense said another six people were killed nearby while trying to reach the same aid center. At least one more person was killed near another aid centre in Rafah, the civil defense said. A group of 169 aid organizations called Monday for an end to Gaza's 'deadly' new US- and Zionist-backed aid distribution scheme, which they said forced starving civilians to 'trek for hours through dangerous terrain and active conflict zones, only to face a violent, chaotic race' for food. They urged a return to the UN-led aid mechanism that existed until March, when the Zionist entity imposed a full blockade on humanitarian assistance entering Gaza during an impasse in truce talks with Hamas. The Zionist army said it had also opened a review into a strike on a seafront Gaza cafe on Monday that killed 24 people. Maher Al-Baqa, 40, the brother of the owner of the cafe, told AFP that several of his relatives including two nephews were killed in the strike. 'It's one of the most well-known cafes on the Gaza coast, frequented by educated youth, journalists, artists, doctors, engineers and hardworking people,' he said. 'They used to feel free and safe there — it was like a second home to them.' The report by Albanese, published late Monday, calls for companies to cease dealings with the Zionist entity and for legal accountability for executives implicated in alleged violations of international law. 'While life in Gaza is being obliterated and the West Bank is under escalating assault, this report shows why (the Zionist entity's) genocide continues: Because it is lucrative for many,' Albanese wrote in the 27-page document. She accused corporate entities of being 'financially bound to (the Zionist entity's) apartheid and militarism.' The Zionist entity's mission in Geneva said the report was 'legally groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of her office'. The report groups the companies by sector, for example military or technology. It said around 15 companies responded directly to Albanese's office but did not publish their replies. 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Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
UNDP's Knowledge Journey program empowers youth
KUWAIT: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Kuwait concluded its Knowledge Journey program on Wednesday, with the participation of more than 60 students. The initiative aimed to empower young people with the essential skills needed to address future challenges and contribute meaningfully to the goals of Kuwait Vision 2035. Speaking at the closing ceremony, UNDP Resident Representative in Kuwait Emma Morley said the program was designed to cultivate a promising generation of youth capable of advancing economic diversification — whether through private sector engagement or active participation in public institutions. Organized in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Knowledge Foundation and the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, the program featured a series of interactive workshops, brainstorming sessions and lectures. Morley noted that participants submitted research papers and proposals by the end of the week, offering innovative ideas for improving various national systems. Secretary General of the Supreme Council Ahmad Al-Janahi UNDP Resident Representative in Kuwait Emma Morley Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development Ahmad Al-Janahi praised the initiative, describing it as a vital platform for fostering youth engagement and innovation. He underscored the importance of knowledge as a national priority and a key driver of productivity, growth and sustainability. Al-Janahi commended the participants for their awareness, creativity, and eagerness to contribute to Kuwait's development, adding that their work reflects a strong foundation for a knowledge-based and sustainable economy. — KUNA
Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Kuwait Hosts GCC Energy Workshop
KUWAIT CITY, July 2: A high-level Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) workshop on protecting the infrastructure of the oil and gas sector and crisis management kicked off Tuesday, at the Ahmad Al-Jaber Oil and Gas Exhibition in Ahmadi, Kuwait. The three-day event is jointly organized by the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), and the GCC Emergency Management Center. During the workshop, GCC Secretary General Jassem Al-Budaiwi said in a recorded speech that GCC energy supplies represent a fundamental pillar of global supply, concurrently noting that the Gulf states are working to implement ambitious development plans, which in turn would lead to an increase in local energy demand. The GCC chief said that the developing world is witnessing rapid progress and a growing demand for energy, noting that the Asia-Pacific region is expected to account for 50 percent of the global GDP by 2040, making it one of the fastest-growing regions in the world. GCC faces three main challenges; adapting to the global energy transition, meeting increasing domestic demand, and ensuring the security and stability of the global energy market, he pointed out. The security and safety of energy assets in the Gulf region are fundamental to the global market, as ongoing developments and conflicts in the region indicated that any future events in the Middle East could directly impact three out of the world's seven strategic maritime chokepoints: the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Suez Canal, Al-Budaiwi stressed. The current conflicts not only threaten global supply chains, Al-Budaiwi emphasized, but also affect national and cross-border development projects such as connectivity initiatives between the European Union and the Middle East, which rely on safe passage through the Levant and the Mediterranean Sea. In a similar recorded statement, United Nations Undersecretary General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov emphasized that the meeting takes place amid a period of escalating global security threats. He highlighted that UN General Assembly Resolution 77/298 unequivocally condemns terrorist attacks targeting energy infrastructure and underscores the need for strengthened cooperation among governments, international organizations, and the private sector. Voronkov further noted that the Security Council has introduced a technical guide for the protection of critical energy infrastructure from terrorist threats, developed with the support of the Russia and Turkmenistan. He underscored that the guide is the product of in-depth research, broad international consultations, and the collective expertise of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, in collaboration with the Working Group on Emerging Threats and Infrastructure Protection. In her remarks at the workshop, UN Resident Coordinator in Kuwait Ghada Al-Tahir emphasized that this meeting offers a key opportunity to promote best practices, share expertise, and highlight the Gulf countries' progress in building comprehensive security frameworks regionally and nationally. Al-Tahir highlighted that, for decades, the Gulf states have served as a cornerstone of global energy security and sustainable development, being home to vast reserves of oil and natural gas and playing a vital role in ensuring stable energy supplies worldwide. She reaffirmed the UN's role, especially the Kuwait office, in supporting shared security goals, expressing confidence that the meeting would yield practical, impactful results. Dr. Rashid Al-Marri, Head of the GCC Emergency Management Center, emphasized that the meeting offers a vital platform to boost cooperation to protect oil and gas infrastructure; key pillars of Gulf economies and global energy stability. He highlighted the need for greater readiness amid growing threats, including terrorism, cyberattacks, and geopolitical tensions. He noted the center's role in coordinating crisis response among member states, developing a regional emergency plan covering 13 types of risks, and working closely with the UN Office of Counterterrorism on training and capacity-building. On his part, KOC's Assistant CEO, Musaed Al-Rasheed, stressed the importance of strengthening regional and international partnerships to secure maritime routes and energy supplies, especially as the industry faces complex geopolitical, industrial, and natural threats.(KUNA)
