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RIYADH: Ukraine’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia took to Twitter to thank the Kingdom for its support of his nation’s territorial integrity during a vote at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
“Grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its steadfast position and support of the UNGA Resolution, “Territorial Integrity, Defending the Principles of the UN Charter.” Your voice was heard loud and clear,” Anatolii Petrenko tweeted.
A total of 143 member states voted in favor of the resolution, titled “Defending the Principles” of the UN charter, which condemns Russia’s illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories and calls for Moscow to reverse its annexation declaration.
According to the charter, the acts of aggression resulting in Russia’s occupation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia are a violation of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and political rights.
Grateful to #SaudiArabia for its steadfast position and support of the #UNGA Resolution “Territorial Integrity: Defending the Principles of the UN Charter”. Your voice was heard loudly and clearly. pic.twitter.com/6NsMNfKO1D
— Anatolii Petrenko (@AmbUkraineKSA) October 12, 2022
Four other Gulf countries — Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar — also voted in favor of the charter.
Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, and Syria all voted against the resolution, and 35 members abstained, but it was insufficient to prevent it from passing with a large majority.
Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN, said that “all countries must abstain from the use of force.”
The Kingdom’s vote in favor of the draft resolution was in line with its position of “upholding the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,” he said.
Saudi Arabia’s support for the UN resolution comes after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman helped secure the release of 300 prisoners from various countries as part of an exchange program between Russia and Ukraine in September.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called the crown prince to thank him for his work in mediation and securing the prisoners’ release.
The Kingdom has repeatedly expressed its support for alleviating the humanitarian effects of the conflict and will continue to mediate between all parties.
In August, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center pledged $10 million to help fund emergency health and shelter projects for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
DUBAI: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) provided healthcare services to Syrian refugees and their host community in Baalbek, Lebanon on Thursday.
The initiative is part of the third phase of KSRelief’s project to enhance medical care in the area, wrote state agency SPA.
In Oct., Arsal Medical Center provided 14,087 services to 7,149 patients, of which 41 percent were males and 59 percent were females, whereas the percentage of refugees was 65 percent and residents 35 percent.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s relief center continued the 14th and 15th voluntary programs for Syrian refugees in Jordan’s Zaatari camp.
The program saw 22 volunteers from various medical, psychological, social, and educational specialties.
JEDDAH: If happiness at work is one of the keys to success in life, then businesswoman Sultana Al-Amri is determined to make everyone a winner.
In the two years since becoming the first Saudi woman to be honored with the title “Ambassador of Happiness” by the World Federation of United Nations Associations, Al-Amri has been dedicated to ensuring the company she works for in Jeddah is a joyful one.
“I am honored to be appointed to this important role,” she said. “I believe that every workplace, whether it is a government entity or a private company, should have a happiness ambassador to promote the culture of happiness, positivity and cooperation among employees so that they can collectively achieve their goals.
“It is important to remember that personal success translates into organizational success and that in turn drives progress toward a better future.”
In response to the frequent questions she gets about her role, Al-Amri said: “Allah has honored me with the responsibility of spreading this message, so everyone has accepted the idea of the field of happiness.”
When it comes to creating a happy workplace, cooperation and a sense of involvement are key, she said.
“Employee satisfaction is the term used to describe whether employees are happy and satisfied, and it’s measured by motivation, goal achievement, morale and workplace positivity. Involving employees in the work environment improvement plan based on survey results creates an environment of shared responsibility for workplace culture and improvements,” she said.
“Employers should avoid leading employees to believe that satisfaction at work is the employer’s responsibility. Employee satisfaction is a shared responsibility. So, through periodic questionnaires, we know several things and develop a plan to work on the desires and needs of employees.”
Al-Amri said she fully supported the objectives of the Kingdom’s “Quality of Life Program for Happiness and Positivity” and was developing a series of initiatives to increase employee engagement.
Fostering employee happiness was rapidly moving up the HR agenda in companies of all shapes and sizes across Saudi Arabia, she added.
“The department of happiness has recently become widespread in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and focuses the attention on personal relationships.
“It implements programs to take care of the happiness of employees from the moment they enter the facility until they leave it, and this is done through a number of programs where all their needs are considered within the work environment, leading to loyalty in the workplace and creating a positive and cooperative work environment among employees.”
Al-Amri was recognized by the WFUNA in 2020 for her efforts both in the workplace and the wider community to raise the happiness index in the Kingdom.
After trademarking her title she has become a popular guest on media programs throughout Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.
“It is an honor for me to hold this title and also carry with it the responsibility of spreading this culture in a correct way that adds to society and the country,” she said.
A study by the Social Market Foundation showed that happy employees were up to 20 percent more productive than unhappy ones.
“Definitely, happiness leads to higher retention rates,” Al-Amri said. “Happy employees tend to stay at their job four times longer than those who are not happy at work. Happiness directly affects our stress levels and stress directly affects productivity. Eliminating stress through a happy workplace leads to more productive employees.”
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense on Thursday urged the public to take caution as it warned of chances of thunderstorms in parts of the Kingdom from Thursday to Monday.
Hail, Madinah, the Eastern Province, the Northern Border Region and parts of Makkah will be affected by moderate to heavy rains and brisk winds, which may lead to torrential flow, and the regions of Tabuk, Al-Jouf and parts of Makkah will be affected by medium rain.
It also warned that rainy thunderclouds with active winds during the same period will hit parts of the Tabuk, Riyadh, Qassim, Asir, Jizan and Al-Baha regions.
The directorate called for caution against potential dangers, to stay away from places where torrents gather, and to abide by the instructions of the authorities announced through various media and social networking sites.
RIYADH: With its theme of “Generation Transformation,” this year’s Misk Global Forum set out to make an impact on a global scale by encouraging intergenerational conversations that can pave the way for positive change, according to a senior research manager at the Misk Foundation.
“‘Generation Transformation’ is the idea and mindset that it is not just one generation that is driving change, it is actually everyone coming together; boomers, generation X, millennials, generation Z, coming together to create meaningful and impactful change,” Amani Alkhiami told Arab News.
The two-day Misk Global Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, which concluded on Thursday, is the flagship global event of the Misk Foundation. Established in 2016, the forum brings together industry experts, new and established leaders, entrepreneurs and creators of all ages to discuss innovative ways of meeting the challenges associated with change.
The discussions during this year’s event were described as “multigenerational dialogue to break barriers and inspire change,” on topics such as embracing transformation, sports for all, gender equality, quality education, philanthropy, happiness, and money.
“All of us are responsible; we all have a seat in the car, driving change, but what we are trying to do with Generation Transformation is we are putting young people in the driver’s seat, pulling and pushing for change and driving for change with all of the other generations, together,” Alkhiami said.
“We, as the younger generation, need to stop blaming the older generations for the mistakes of the past but, rather, help them and take their hands to really work together to build the future that we want.”
She added that various activities designed to encourage and empower such intergenerational conversations and exchanges of ideas will continue after the conclusion of the forum.
This year’s event included skills labs with workshops and sessions to help young people develop their skills, expertise and talents.
“We have two skills labs and each skills lab hosts about 10 different workshops,” Alkhiami said. “We have topics (such as) looking at things in creative ways, we have podcast-making, we have things on computer design and coding and development, so there are so many … different things and we made that by design, to make sure that there is a place for everyone.”
A “Meet the Leader” initiative at this year’s forum was designed to give delegates the chance to hear and be inspired by the firsthand accounts and experiences of people who are already making an impact.
“‘Meet the Leader’ provides unique conversations with key leaders from our country, but also globally; listen to them and really learn from their wisdom in this generational dialogue,” Alkhiami said.
Another part of the forum, called the Majlis, provided an opportunity for more personal and intimate dialogue on subjects such as mental health and well-being, and understanding your presence in real life and the virtual world.
“We also have the Founder’s Cafe, which looks at the founders of businesses, entrepreneurs, how to get started and how to develop yourself, and how to move from an idea to an activation to actually building your business,” Alkhiami said.
The Misk Global Forum also offered career clinics that were open to all attendees interested in discussing ways to develop or expand their careers.
“Our career clinics are really a ‘pod’ for people who need support to understand where they can go in life,” Alkhiami said. “They can bring their resumes and sit down with a career coach to help them figure out where they need to go.”
All of the initiatives and sessions were designed to help pave the way for positive change through intergenerational conversations and the sharing of expertise, wisdom and perceptions, she added.
“The fact that young people are coming together for dialogue, to network and to listen and to become better listeners and better active change-makers, that in itself is the outcome of this forum,” Alkhiami said.
“We really looked at the global conversations around the world, the issues facing young people today, and the biggest issue was that generations weren’t talking to each other and every generation has been blaming the other generations for what they have said.”
RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, met Qu Dongyu, director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, in Riyadh on Thursday.
During the meeting, they discussed a number of issues of common interest related to humanitarian aid, food security, nutrition and early recovery.
Dongyu praised the humanitarian efforts exerted by the Kingdom in countries around the world, stressing that the work has contributed to alleviating the suffering of people in need, especially as Saudi aid strategies targeted vital and important sectors in human life.
