Group photo during the signing of the memorandum of understanding.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 11: The Kuwait Society of Engineers (KSE) and the Social Fund for Popular Cafés on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the headquarters of the Ministry of Social Affairs in the presence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fund Dr. Khaled Al-Ajmi and KSE Chairman Faisal Al-Atal. According to Al-Ajmi, “signing the MoU with the country's oldest professional public benefit association stems from the necessity to support and develop popular cafés. These cafés are recreational and heritage spaces linking the past and the present.

They need incessant support and development to efficiently play their important societal role. We are proud of this collaboration. We thank Minister of Social Affairs Dr. Amthal Al- Huwailah for fully supporting our efforts to develop popular cafés.”

He pointed out that the Board of Directors of the Fund is keen on monitoring these cafés to provide them with facilities and means to achieve their goals in line with the State’s policy in preserving the traditions and customs of society that have become part of the social system. “This commitment matches the desire of KSE to foster cooperation to realize the aspirations of the Fund,” he affirmed. On the other hand, Al-Atal stressed that KSE remains committed to providing advice and technical engineering expertise to all government agencies without any cost.

He stated: “We are a professional association that aims to contribute to the industrial and urban renaissance of the country through a clear strategy. The MoU is just one of the collaborative steps we have had with the Fund for several years. We support the development of popular cafés through the exchange of expertise and information permitted by law, as well as to support the efforts exerted by the two parties to realize the objectives of the MoU,” he explained.

He confirmed the completion of the design of the first of these cafés in Souq Sharq, indicating the designs for other cafés depict the nature and heritage of the site on which they are located and meet the needs of their patrons. He clarified that the services provided by KSE to popular cafés are voluntary.

He revealed the MoU emphasizes the exchange of advice expertise and support for the efforts exerted by the two parties to achieve their goals in the fields of business, projects, workshops, and training programs. He said the MoU opens the door for either party to participate in the activities proposed by the other. “If one of the parties chooses not to participate in a certain activity; its name, seal, logo and anything attributed to it will not appear in any form of the activity. Both parties have no financial obligations as per the MoU,” he added.

By Fares Al-Abdan
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff