Doha, Qatar 3 June 2012:  Al Khalij Commercial Bank (al khaliji) QSC yet again provided support to Qatar's celebration of World Environment Day, upholding the bank's tradition of supporting events that raise awareness of environmental and social issues.  This is the second consecutive year that al khaliji supports the event as 'Platinum Sponsor.'

"As a 'next generation' bank, our primary concern is - of course - the well-being of future generations," said Robin McCall, al khalij's Group Chief Executive Officer.  "We firmly stand by initiatives that bring issues such as the environment to the forefront.  The annual World Environment Day is an initiative at the global scale that highlights and raises awareness of the most pressing issues we face today.  We are proud to yet again support Qatar's celebration of the event."

Under the theme 'A Green Economy:  Does it include you?', World Environment Day  kicked off on the 25th of May, and is again organized by the local organization 'Friends of the Environment Center' and under the auspices of Dr. Saif Ali Al Hajari, Chairman of the center and Vice Chairman of the Qatar Foundation.  The worldwide campaign itself is managed by the United Nations Environment Program.  Similar to last year, the celebrations are designed to directly engage the public with a painting contest encouraging people of all ages to creatively portray the contest's theme 'Save the Environment.'  The celebrations will culminate with the award and appreciation ceremony to be held on the final day on the 5th of June.

"At al khaliji, we do not only stand side-by-side with environmental and social awareness initiatives, but are also ardently committed to Qatar's National Vision 2030," continued McCall.  "The Vision calls for environmental preservation, and under our corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, we are committed to the same.  We take our obligations to the community seriously, and our support for similar events in the past is testament to that fact.  We are very excited about this year's event; last year, over 1500 families and 50 schools participated.  We expect World Environment Day 2012 to see even bigger numbers participating."

Dr. Saif Ali Al Hajari warmly thanked al khaliji for the on-going support the bank has been providing for Qatar's World Environment Day celebrations.

"We are very honored to welcome the support of al khaliji as the Platinum Sponsor of World Environment Day 2012 celebrations in Qatar for two years in a row," said Dr. Saif.  "al khaliji's initiative to take part in this special global celebration is indeed a testament to their commitment to take action in spreading environmental awareness to all.  Based on this year's theme 'A Green Economy-Does it include you?', the event aims to establish corporate and community partnership towards commonly shared values to ensure a safer and more prosperous future."

al khaliji's support of World Environment Day 2012 falls under the bank's corporate social responsibility umbrella, whereby al khaliji lends support to social, environmental, and humanitarian programs that benefit the community, as explained by Abeer Al Kalla, Head of Public Relations and Communications at the bank.

"At al khaliji, we balance our financial obligations with our obligations to the community as a whole," explained Al Kalla.  "We believe it is our obligation to commit ourselves to initiatives that serve the greater good. As environmental degradation has ramifications on everyone, it is in our power - in fact, everyone's power - to make a change now.  And that is the very reason we again are supporting World Environment Day."  

For more information about al khaliji's corporate social responsibility strategy, please visit www.alkhaliji.com.

-Ends-

Media Contact:
Abeer Al Kalla
Head of Public Relations & Communications
Telephone: + 974 4494 0646
Email: aalkalla@alkhaliji.com

About us
al khaliji is Qatar's pioneer 'next generation bank' offering a full range of conventional banking products and services to premium, business, corporate and international customers in Qatar, UAE and France.

Headquartered in Doha, al khaliji is one of Qatar's leading banks and a member of the Qatar Exchange Index, with QR 26.6 billion in total assets and QR 12.1 billion in customer deposits as of 31 March 2012.

Al Khaliji France is our subsidiary in Paris, France with a network of branches in the UAE covering Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaima, and Abu Dhabi. This branch network offers customers and businesses local, regional and international banking services. 

At al khaliji we believe that success lies in the financial security and development of people to enable them to sustain a prosperous life. Our products and level of service reflect our belief that to be successful, we must meet the needs of both this generation and future generations of employees, customers, investors and business partners.

While financial objectives are key to sustaining our prosperity in any market, at al khaliji we believe that long-term sustainability is maintained by balancing our commitments to achieving our results, with the commitment towards the development of people and the preservation of natural resources.  

Visit www.alkhaliji.com and www.alkhaliji.fr to discover the latest 'next generation bank' news and information.

© Press Release 2012