Kuwait Plants:

UN-Habitat GCC in Kuwait, in partnership with national and local authorities, UN agencies, Embassies as well as a number of civil society organizations and individual volunteers are joining forces since they launched a joint National Campaign entitled “Greening Kuwait in open public spaces” announced on the World Cities Day 31st of October 2019 under the slogan (Kuwait Plants الكويت تزرع) in the UN House Kuwait. The tree planting campaign also aims at encouraging and nudging campers to plant trees in the desert and individuals to green open spaces in their neighborhoods where possible.

The initiative aims at raising awareness and taking action to greening open public spaces by planting 100,000 trees for a start to contribute to the local efforts to address the challenges resulting from sandstorms socio-economic effect on Kuwait and the public health.

On Saturday 28 Dec 2019, the campaign activity continued on Al-abdaliya natural reserve, West of Kuwait City (Capital), where more than 300 volunteers planted in only two hours, up to 5,000 tree saplings in Al-Abdaliya.

Dr. Ameera Alhassan, Head of UN-Habitat GCC Kuwait stated to KUNA that “UN-Habitat organised Al-abdaliya tree planting activity in collaboration with Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) ensuring it goes in line with the global sustainable development objectives since greening is not merely an act of beautification; it is rather a basic need for conserving the environment and population of Kuwait, as the shrubs and trees are necessary to mitigate the impact of both dust and sandstorms and excess sun heat”.
Resident Representative of UNHCR Kuwait office, Mr Samer Haddadin expressed his joy in joining the greening efforts. The KOC Al-abdaliya reserve was established on 2011 as a protected location had kicked off by greening 1.1 square meters of land. Later, 1.7 sq m of land were planted and in the third phase, the greening covered five million square meters of land in an attempt to undo the environmental damage by ecosystem restoration and restoring life and biodiversity to the desert’s flora and fauna through the creation of lakes with surrounding hills for desert plants such as Al-Arfaj, Al-Arta, Al-Ramth, Al-Qarsi and others that grow in Kuwait.

The campaign did not stop in the Al-abdaliya, but the activity continued as UN Habitat along with the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET) went to the Boulivard, one of the biggest shopping malls in Kuwait located on Salmiya Area and handed over hundreds of tree saplings to shoppers over the course of 3 days.

Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the campaign activities became slower, but it did not stop, as it continued on 12 December 2020 where UN Habitat along with the KOC and the European Union Ambassadors at Kuwait and the KJSO and USA Embassy representatives carried out the campaign mission, making Kuwait greener as they planted a symbolic tree saplings in Al-Subaihiya sanctuary located at Al-Burqan field, the largest Kuwaiti oil field which was opened by KOC in 2015 after rehabilitation works were completed.

KOC rehabilitated the sanctuary which was totally destroyed during the 1991 Gulf war using about 300 tons of recycled iron, in addition to 200 cubic meters of concrete bases to create this oasis within an area of 2.5 square Km2. Alsabaiheya sanctuary is powered by solar panels and wind mills and have a fish lake and over 4000 trees, including 1500 palm trees, with the aim of establishing the appropriate environmental conditions to become a home for migrating birds and other wildlife. H E Igor Hijduesk Ambassador of Slovakya at Kuwait expressed both his joy and grateful for UN invitation he received to this unique event aiming at greening Kuwait.