“The Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Environmental Training, affiliated with the Kuwaiti Society for Environmental Protection, launched its specialized workshop program entitled "Environmental Compliance in Ministries and Government Institutions – Implementation of the Environmental Protection Law." The four-day workshop, held at the Ministry of Public Works, was attended by a number of leaders and employees from various departments within the ministry and was presented by Dr. Wajdan Ali Al-Aqab, Chairperson of the Society's Board of Directors. Dr. Al-Aqab emphasized that the intensive four-day workshop aimed to enhance institutional understanding of the concept of environmental compliance within government entities and to highlight its importance in protecting institutional operations from legal and administrative risks resulting from non-compliance. She added that it also played a role in improving performance efficiency and strengthening public trust in government institutions. The workshop included an explanation of Environmental Protection Law No. (42) of 2014 and its amendments under Law No. (99) of 2015, along with the executive regulations. Emphasis was placed on the importance of familiarizing relevant employees in various sectors with the approved legal texts, which are available on the official website of the Environment Public Authority. She stated that ”the workshop covered several topics, including the concept of environmental compliance and its institutional dimensions, environmental compliance within the governmental context and the specificities of public entities, the legal framework for environmental compliance in the State of Kuwait, and the risks of non-compliance and its repercussions on institutional performance.“ Regarding the practical aspect, she said, ”Practical models and tables were reviewed to classify the articles of the Environmental Protection Law according to the activities of the Ministry of Public Works. This allows for the identification of articles directly related to the entity’s activities and helps in moving from diagnosing the current situation to developing practical proposals to improve performance and avoid potential environmental violations.“ She noted that ”the workshop concluded on its fourth day with a summary of the outcomes and an exchange of views. Among the recommendations, attendees emphasized the importance of having an Environmental Audit Department within the Ministry, its commitment to providing solutions to potential environmental challenges, and the importance of cooperation from all sectors of the Ministry with the department in providing data and information that would enhance environmental monitoring and achieve environmental compliance. Furthermore, the Environmental Audit Department represents a significant first step towards environmental compliance through the implementation of Article 119 of Environmental Protection Law No. 42 of 2014, as amended by Law No. 99 of 2015, which mandates government entities to establish specialized environmental departments.“ Dr. [Name] explained… Al-Aqab noted that ”the workshop emphasized the importance of strengthening internal self-monitoring within ministries and government institutions, by raising the level of awareness and understanding among employees and leaders alike, which contributes to reducing negative reports and violations, and enhances the concept of institutional role modeling in the application of the law,“ appreciating the efforts of Engineer Manal Al-Dhabib, Director of the Environmental Audit Department at the Ministry of Works, in facilitating the workshop in the best possible way, and participating in distributing participation certificates to the trainees, stressing the importance of building the capacities of government personnel in the field of environmental compliance as one of the pillars of good governance and sustainable development.
