KUWAIT:  The Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME), in cooperation with 10 participating entities, concluded on Thursday its summer camp Al-Ra’ed Al-Azraq (Blue Pioneer). ROPME Executive Secretary Dr. Mohammad Al-Ahmad told KUNA the program is part of the organization’s marine environment strategy, which includes education and outreach to civil society and the education sector.

He emphasized the importance of teaching concepts related to marine conservation and sustainability, describing it as a core pillar for preserving life below water. According to Al-Ahmad, the educational approach covers both formal education – integrated into school curricula in cooperation with education ministries in GCC states, Iraq, and Iran – and non-formal education, such as exhibitions, camps, and field programs.

He noted that the summer camp is a key non-formal activity designed to expand marine environmental awareness and added that this year’s edition was developed in collaboration with member states, with the aim of rolling it out to all members next year.ROPME’s mandate covers the Arabian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and parts of the Arabian Sea – an area of about 500,000 square kilometers – with the participation of GCC countries, Iraq, and Iran. — KUNA

 KUWAIT:  The third Kuwaiti planeload departed Thursday from Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, carrying 10 tons of food supplies to Gaza as part of the ongoing second Kuwaiti air bridge.

Chairperson of Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) Khaled Al-Maghames told KUNA the shipment is part of Kuwait’s urgent national relief campaign and reflects the country’s continued humanitarian commitment. This was prepared in cooperation with local charities and Kuwait Flour Mills & Bakeries Company to ensure quality and swift delivery, said Al-Maghames, noting ongoing coordination with Kuwait’s embassy in Jordan, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, and the Palestinian Red Crescent for distribution inside Gaza.

He also confirmed further aid flights are being arranged in cooperation with Kuwait’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense. Al-Maghames thanked all government bodies involved for their efforts in facilitating and delivering the aid, and affirmed KRCS’s continued global humanitarian efforts. — KUNA

 KUWAIT:  Dr. Turki Al-Otaibi, Kuwait Transplant Society President said Wednesday that Kuwaiti surgeons made trailblazing achievements in 2024 with successful kidney transplant surgeries hitting 149.Speaking to reporters on World Organ Donation Day, globally observed on August 13, he said this is an occasion to renew the humanitarian appeal and raise public awareness about the importance of organ donation.

Organ donation reflects humanitarian and compassionate response from donors and a moral responsibility for saving the lives of other people, he pointed out. The State of Kuwait has now nearly 15,000 registered donors Dr. Al-Otaibi, also chairman of the Arab Society of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation (ASNRT), highlighted the need to remove misconceptions about organ donation.Only 172,000 transplants were conducted globally in 2023, which represent 10 percent of the global demand for organs donation, he noted.As many as. 1.5 million patients needed urgent transplants which means that nine of 10 patients fail to get the a vital organ, Dr. Al-Otaibi said, citing figures of the World Health Organization. — KUNA