The best way to start 2017 was by meeting the father, the leader, the Prince of Humanity.
Wajdan Ali Al-Aqab, Chairperson of the Board of Directors
Meeting with His Highness the Emir of the country, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah – may God protect him – is certainly the best way to start the new year. This high-level beginning reflects the solid foundations of the supreme care for environmental work in Kuwait, which will be an incentive to advance the work of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society to horizons it has never started from, to reach what may exceed the energies of volunteering and commitment.
In that splendid hall, I waited with the members of the Board of Directors for our appointment to enter upon His Highness the Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah - may God protect him. While waiting, we were talking with pride about the Emir’s treatment, which took on a paternal character in the speed and manner of approving the meeting of the members of the Board of Directors of the Society, as the date of the letter requesting the Emir’s meeting was only a few days away from the paternal meeting, not exceeding the fingers of one hand. This is something that made us all stop and question our minds about its impact on us and on the Kuwaiti Society for the Protection of the Environment and the subsequent roles even before we entered into the presence of His Highness the Father.
I began to turn over and review a sealed book in a brown envelope containing a request from His Highness to sponsor and provide a permanent headquarters for the society, which includes a specialized training center in the environmental field. We are honored to name it after His Highness, to be the «Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Environmental Training,» hoping for His Highness’s sponsorship of this edifice so that we may take upon ourselves the responsibility of raising the level of environmental awareness in society on both the cultural and specialized scientific levels.
Then I went back to reviewing what I would say to His Highness and organizing my thoughts with my fellow board members. We also arranged the symbolic gifts we would present to him when someone announced that it was our turn to meet him. We quickly rose, our steps racing to meet him. We entered the royal reception hall, our words faltering in our throats, unsure how to begin in the presence of His Highness's majesty. However, his warm welcome—may God preserve him—his fatherly gesture for us to come forward, and his kind smile dispelled our hesitation, and we greeted him with our salutations.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah welcomed the members of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society. His Highness began the historic conversation by encouraging volunteer work and that what pleases him most is his pride in the youth, which made me withhold the letter requesting the headquarters in his presence, and I preferred to present to him the environmental highlights in Kuwait, out of our desire to please His Highness the Father with the achievements of the youth of his children, so that he may learn about the voluntary efforts that the volunteers from the members of the Society have taken upon themselves over successive boards of directors in service of the Kuwaiti community.
I began my humble speech in his presence, starting with His Highness’s moral support for us, which we derived from his years of leadership of the Supreme Council for the Environment and his interest in environmental issues at the local level, which prompted us to be creative in working locally on more than one level. However, His Highness’s leadership of the Kuwaiti delegation at the recent climate summit held in Morocco was a moral support at the regional and global level for us. He is indeed an incentive for all those affiliated with this field to aspire to work at this level and higher, God willing. This is a pledge we have taken upon ourselves and we urge volunteers to practice it professionally.
Then His Highness spoke about the importance of the environment to him and its great connection to our lives, and that His Highness, may God prolong his life, does not hesitate to push forward the work towards protecting it. This prompted me to present to His Highness an overview of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society and to introduce it to him as the oldest public benefit society concerned with environmental affairs in the Arab world. It was established on March 31, 1974, two years after the Earth Summit Conference in Stockholm, which reflects the extent of environmental awareness among Kuwaitis since that time. It was established by an elite group of people concerned with the environment, a civil edifice that is emulated in the Arab world. The achievements of the volunteers in the Society, through multiple boards of directors during forty-three years of giving, are clear and have deep imprints on society on more than one level, such as education, culture, legislation, monitoring and protection.
His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad – may God protect him – stopped us in our tracks with his encouragement of the youth cadres and his joy at their activity that brings vitality to the country, for they are the future of this good land. So I did nothing but review the achievements of the young volunteers who worked hard in various environmental fields and their dedication to the strenuous volunteer work in this field throughout Kuwait.
His Highness the Emir expressed his satisfaction with the decision to close Kuwait Bay and prohibit fishing there, aiming to enrich Kuwait's fish stocks. I presented His Highness with the results observed by fishermen along the bay's edges, noting the difference in the quantity and size of fish after a year of the ban. His Highness then inquired – may God preserve him – whether we had any role in this decision. I felt compelled to explain to His Highness that the Society's role was multifaceted. The Society participated in legislation, contributing to the drafting of Environmental Protection Law No. 42 of 2014, which prioritized Kuwait Bay by dedicating an entire chapter to it. Consulting the opinions of the Society's academic staff is the cornerstone of cooperation between civil society and government entities. Furthermore, the Society's membership on the Board of Directors of the Environment Public Authority provides civil society with the opportunity to participate in environmental decision-making that benefits Kuwait. The Kuwait Environment Protection Society embodies the true meaning of civil society organizations' work in supporting government agencies, guiding them through encouragement, evaluation, and constructive criticism to elevate government performance. This role is constructive, not destructive, and its purpose is not to undermine. The oars, as well as enhancing the citizen’s confidence in the regulatory and executive apparatus in the country, which directly contributes to creating a non-charged atmosphere between the citizen and government departments by knowing their roles and powers and the role of the citizen and resident in making this process a success to serve Kuwait.
We were delighted that His Highness the Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah took an interest in sponsoring the society’s activities and programs and inquired about a project to receive his support. I asked His Highness’s permission for this visit to be an introductory visit to the society and its affairs, and I pledged to His Highness that the society’s members from the various teams and committees would have the honor of visiting His Highness soon to present their work and projects to him and receive his paternal support. The fatherly Emir welcomed his young sons at any time.
His Highness then moved on to talk about birds, lamenting that he had not seen some types of birds that he remembered from his youth.
His Highness said: We haven't seen pigeons and other birds... I wish you would tell people not to hunt birds... and make them aware of the effects of environmental violations on them.
His Highness continued, saying: “Well… I know them because I am old, but our children may not recognize them.”.
Without thinking, I approached him, wishing him a long life and reassuring him:
May your life be long, Dad... the life of the Prophet Shuaib... and God willing, our children will know these birds. I assure you that we in the society, the volunteers, have done their part to the fullest extent. The bird monitoring and protection team monitors the types and numbers of birds in Kuwait annually, documents them, and they are included in awareness programs and the Green Schools program, which has been educating our students for the sixth year in a row, and God willing, our children will know these birds.
I noted His Highness's desire to see some birds that he might not otherwise see due to his princely duties, and I said:
Long live the world! If you would like to see these birds, the Environmental Media Center of the Society produced episodes during the holy month of Ramadan in which we showcased the birds of Kuwait under the title «A Bird Every Day» and in the previous Ramadan season, the program «A Plant Every Day.» These are television programs through which everyone can learn about our birds.
Here we presented to His Highness the information panels about the birds and plants of Kuwait, and we also placed in his hands the «Field Guide to the Birds of Kuwait,» which is a scientific encyclopedia of the birds of Kuwait that were documented by the Bird Monitoring and Protection Team.
We also presented our dear father with a selection of issues of the Environment Magazine, which is published monthly by the society, showcasing the achievements of volunteers in teams and committees at all levels, thus recording and documenting their environmental contributions.
At the end of the princely fatherly meeting, we placed in his generous hands a modest shield bearing the most beautiful thing in our marine environment, a shield for the golden zubaidi fish. His Highness the Prince playfully asked us about the nature of the relationship between birds and zubaidi fish. I replied that we are happy to apply the law to the marine environment and the day will come when we celebrate the enrichment of our fish stocks.
We had historical photos taken of us, copies of which we received two days after the meeting, and we proudly displayed them in our offices.
