KUWAIT: To mark Canadian Thanksgiving 2025 and Urban October 2025, UN-Habitat, the Embassy of Canada in Kuwait, the Youth Public Authority, Shamiya Greenhouse, and the Canadian Women’s Network in Kuwait hosted the children’s event “Come Plant with Us!”. On the sidelines of the event, the Ambassador of Canada to Kuwait, Tara Scheurwater, highlighted the spirit of gratitude and community as the Canadian Embassy celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with an environmental and educational event held at the Shamiya Greenhouse.

Ambassador Scheurwater explained that Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated at the beginning of October, marking the harvest and its connection to nature, as well as the appreciation of its abundance. She added, “In Canada, when we celebrate Thanksgiving, we do so at the beginning of October because it’s a celebration of the harvest. It’s inextricably linked with nature and with the gratitude we feel for the world around us,” expressing appreciation to the hosts for providing a space that encourages environmental awareness and community engagement.

“We decided to come to this wonderful location with our great hosts, who always do such a fantastic job welcoming the people of Kuwait. The facility here celebrates nature and teaches children and visitors the importance of cultivating and appreciating plants, as well as learning more about recycling and doing our part for the environment,” the Canadian ambassador noted. She added that the Embassy hoped the event would provide an opportunity for visitors to enjoy a meaningful and fun-filled day, while also fostering a sense of gratitude for the natural world. Additionally, the event emphasized the importance of volunteer work, with participation from several community organizations.

She said, “We have so many volunteers here today. I think we might even have more volunteers than children. Volunteers from the Canadian Women’s Association, the Youth Public Authority, and the Shamia Greenhouse have all given up their weekend to be part of this event, along with my colleagues from the Embassy.” Meanwhile, the Head of the UN-Habitat Program in Kuwait, Ameera Alhassan, highlighted the importance of environmental education, community engagement, and volunteerism as part of the UN-Habitat October Urban Month celebrations.

She explained that every October, cities around the world host UN-Habitat activities promoting sustainable urban living. In Kuwait, the program collaborates annually with the Shamiya Greenhouse, and this year marks the third consecutive year of organizing an educational and environmental event for children in cooperation with the Embassy of Canada. “The goal of this activity is to harness the energy of youth to train children through hands-on activities inspired by the natural environment around us. The seeds, plants, and materials used in the four main activities are all derived from natural elements found within the reserve such as seeds and tree leaves.”

She added that the activities are designed to engage children based on their talents and interests, explaining “Those with artistic abilities can join the art workshop, while others can participate in story reading or planting activities, including sowing seeds and transplanting seedlings. The idea is to step away from technology for a while and reconnect with nature especially in light of global climate change.” Alhassan emphasized that the initiative aims to provide families and children with a fun and educational weekend activity, fostering cooperation between the Kuwaiti community and the Canadian community, while encouraging learning through play; acknowledging the ongoing support of the Public Authority for Youth, which manages the Shamiya Reserve.

“The Authority continuously supports us, not only for this event but throughout the year. Every Saturday morning, we organize similar activities based on the season such as the recent date-harvest season, and soon we’ll host a Seed Exchange Day,” she said. She further highlighted the importance of promoting biodiversity, noting that the diversity of seeds strengthens plants, noting “It’s important to raise awareness that we shouldn’t always plant the same type of crop, we need variety to sustain healthy ecosystems.”

On volunteerism, Alhassan stressed its critical role in community development, stating “UN-Habitat has a special section dedicated to youth engagement and volunteerism and strongly encourages the training of students and volunteers. The United Nations also has a dedicated body called the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program, which allows people from around the world to contribute their skills through volunteer work.”

She concluded by emphasizing that UN-Habitat encourages everyone from youth and retirees to homemakers to make good use of their free time in productive and meaningful ways that benefit society. This year’s Urban October was celebrated under the global theme “Local Actions, Global Impact,” which highlighted the importance of community-driven initiatives that contribute to sustainable urban development and climate action. Urban October began with World Habitat Day on October 6th and will conclude with World Cities Day on October 31st, bringing together communities worldwide to reflect on how urban life can become more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.

Held for the third consecutive year, the event once again highlighted the strong collaboration between the Kuwaiti and Canadian communities in promoting environmental awareness and their shared commitment to greening Kuwait. It reflected the community’s continued dedication to sustainability, volunteerism, and civic engagement essential values that contribute to building greener, cleaner, and more sustainable cities.

Children and their families enjoyed a variety of engaging and educational activities, including Sustainable Scavenger Hunt, Green Thumb Project, Art & Craft Corner, and Community Narratives. The event reflected the deep friendship between Canada and Kuwait, as well as the continued cooperation between their communities in advancing youth engagement, environmental stewardship and climate action.

KUWAIT: The Nursing Department at the College of Allied Medical Sciences at Kuwait University has launched its field training program in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, as part of its academic partnership to prepare students for post-graduation and entry into the labor market. Acting Head of the Nursing Department, Dr Suad Al-Fadhli, said in a press statement that the department has begun clinical training for 27 second-year students at Amiri Hospital. Al-Fadhli praised the hospital administration for its support, noting that the collaboration is an important step in linking theoretical education with practical application. She explained that the specialized nursing program began receiving students last year and has so far enrolled more than 50 students in the intensive care and internal surgery tracks.

Second-year students have already started hands-on clinical practice in hospitals, which Al-Fadhli said will enhance their competencies and better qualify them to serve in the health sector. She added that beginning in their third year, students will be able to specialize in one of several fields: intensive care, surgery, internal medicine, obstetric nursing, or forensic nursing. Intensive care and internal surgery specialties have already been introduced, with the remaining tracks scheduled to follow in the coming years in light of the strong interest from students and continued support from participating hospitals. Al-Fadhli highlighted the high turnout from high school graduates and students transferring from other majors who are seeking careers in nursing. She expressed hope that the fruitful cooperation between Kuwait University and the Ministry of Health will continue, given its positive role in preparing qualified national cadres to help address the global shortage of nursing professionals and provide quality health services to the Kuwaiti community. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah chaired the 31st meeting of the ministerial committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between Kuwait and China. The meeting, held at Bayan Palace, reviewed the progress of joint cooperation across various sectors and the growing partnerships driven by the mutual interest of both leaderships in strengthening bilateral relations and advancing shared goals.

His Highness affirmed the depth of Kuwait-China ties and the steady development they continue to witness, noting China’s status as a strong and reliable economic, trade and investment partner. He highlighted the expansion of cooperation across vital fields and said the increase in bilateral trade reflects the solid historic partnership and aligns with the two nations’ strategic visions. He directed committee members to continue strengthening economic collaboration with China in all sectors and intensify efforts to attract further Chinese investment to Kuwait, stressing that such efforts would help boost trade exchange.

Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Abdullatif Al-Meshari reiterated the government’s commitment to driving comprehensive development and enhancing citizens’ welfare through major strategic projects aimed at upgrading infrastructure and achieving sustainable growth. Addressing recent misinformation surrounding the Al-Sabriya Residential City project — a key component of the Sustainable Housing Care Program — Al-Meshari clarified several points. He said that among the Chinese companies nominated by Beijing, only one has so far expressed interest in investing in the project. To avoid reliance on a single contractor and reduce implementation risks, the Public Authority for Housing Welfare decided to divide the project to allow participation from a larger number of nominated major Chinese firms.

He noted that the company’s offer lacked clear design standards, contrary to what was circulated, stressing that the Authority adheres to leading international benchmarks in all its projects. He added that the total investment proposed by the company did not exceed KD 1.9 billion, dismissing claims of KD 7 billion investments. The offer also sought exclusivity over all main and subsidiary infrastructure works and public buildings, which would involve additional costs to the state. He added that the proposal nevertheless included financial returns for Kuwait and that applying Law 118 could help reduce overall project costs. He confirmed that the Authority remains open to working with firms from other countries if needed.

Al-Meshari also stressed the importance of accuracy in public discourse and warned against the spread of false information that could harm Kuwait’s relations with other governments. Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs and committee member and rapporteur Ambassador Samih Jawhar Hayat presented updates on joint coordination with senior Chinese officials regarding the implementation of development projects by Chinese state-owned companies nominated by Beijing. He announced that, next week, chairpersons of five major Chinese government companies — accompanied by senior officials and designated by the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission — will make an official four-day visit to Kuwait to discuss agreement details with their Kuwaiti counterparts. The visit comes as part of the memorandum of understanding between both countries on cooperation in waste recycling.

The meeting was attended by Head of the Prime Minister’s Diwan Abdulaziz Dakhil Al-Dakhil, Minister of Defense Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Minister of Public Works Dr Noura Mohammed Al-Mashaan, Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Abdullatif Hamed Al-Meshari, Director General of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority Sheikh Dr Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Head of the Fatwa and Legislation Department Counselor Salah Ateeq Al-Majed, Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs Ambassador Samih Jawhar Hayat, and Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Eng. Faisal Abdullah Al-Sumait. — KUNA