UNIC Beirut Director Margo El Helou kicked off her mission to Kuwait on Tuesday Nov. 8 by holding a one-to-one meeting with the Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Resident Coordinator to the State of Kuwait Dr. Tarek El-Sheikh to tackle media-related issues and to brief him about the activities undertaken by the UN Communication Group (UNCG) and its performance in the country.
In the evening, El Helou attended a reception organized by UN-RCO in Kuwait and awarded, together with the RC, certificates of appreciation to a number of journalists, as a recognition of their support, collaboration, partnership, and commitment to the UN’s work in Kuwait. During the ceremony, El Helou was interviewed by local media.
On Wednesday Nov. 9, UNIC Beirut Director, accompanied by Public Information Officer at UN-RCO in Kuwait Asmae Aitssi and Public Information Assistant at UNIC Beirut Hala Al Feghali, was received by the head of Kuwait Journalist Association (KJA) Adnan Al-Rashed. The meeting was attended by KJA member of the board Rabaa Al-Jumaa. The two sides discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation and tapped into the latest developments at the regional and global levels.
Kuwait's Information Ministry Assistant Under-Secretary for News and Political Programs Mohammad bin Naji also received El Helou with whom he discussed the bilateral cooperation in terms of capacity-building, training, and advocacy campaigns on UN priorities. They touched upon the continuity of the cooperation between the ministry’s different departments and UN entities in Kuwait.
During the day, El Helou attended the UNCG meeting at the UN House where she discussed with the members the challenges they are facing, and advised on the way forward, stressing the importance of developing a “One UN” communications strategy.
On Thursday Nov.10, the delegation, presided by El Helou, visited “The Times - Kuwait” offices and met with the Managing Editor Reaven D’Souza. They discussed ways to enhance the existing collaboration and explored new ways to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in schools in Kuwait.
Later, the delegation was received by “Kuwait Times” Managing Editor Mustafa Qamhiya and reporter Majd Othman. The two sides agreed on a new level of cooperation between the Centre, Kuwait Times and Kuwait News, in view of the emerging trends in the media industry across the region.
El Helou concluded her official visit by touring the newspaper’s offices and printing house.
