Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) today announces the launch of a historic three year Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program designed to build on KNPC's existing strengths in environmental, social and economic strategy and Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting. By the end of the project, it is anticipated that KNPC will become one of the first companies in the world to comply with the new ISO26000 Corporate Social Responsibility Guidance Industry Standard (due to be launched in 2010/11).
The program will deliver a world-class CSR report within three years. The first draft KNPC Corporate Social Responsibility report will be circulated to internal and external audiences in 2009, the interim, first international report will be published in July 2010, and the final internationally recognized world-class report will be delivered by August 2011.
KNPC will be launching a Foundation to effectively structure all its social, cultural and educational contributions, and will set up a KNPC National Volunteers Program to encourage its staff to get involved in projects in their communities. It is planned that this program will eventually be rolled out regionally and internationally. KNPC will continue to address the environmental impacts of its industry, and look into all the ways it can reduce the effects of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
KNPC will also be launching a more sophisticated website to reflect the company's commitment to making the priorities of people and planet as important as profit. Just last month, KNPC won the "Cleanest Production" Prize awarded by the Council of Arab Environment Ministers for the year 2008.
London, Brussels and Kuwait-based Sovereign Strategy, whose clients include Formula One, Bloomberg and the City of London, will be advising KNPC's Senior Management and Corporate Communications Department on this initiative. Sovereign Strategy will have a permanent team based in Kuwait with further advisers working around the Gulf and in the United Kingdom.
Commenting on the importance of the new program, KNPC Chairman and Managing Director Farouk Hussain Al-Zanki said: "It is vital that each and every one of us appreciates our duty to contribute positively to our communities and to give back to the people and the planet that give so much to us. I see a great opportunity for our company to show that it is one of the most environmentally-conscious and socially aware companies in the region and across the wider world."
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Editors Notes:
Kuwait National Petroleum Company was established in October 1960 as a shareholder company owned by the government and the private sector. In 1975 it became fully state-owned. The company operates three refineries - Mina Al-Ahmadi, Mina Abdulla and Shuaiba - and 40 filling stations in Kuwait. It is one of the largest employers in Kuwait and a massive contributor to the country's GDP. To learn more about KNPC, visit the website at www.knpc.com.kw. Last month, KNPC won the "Cleanest Production" Prize awarded by the Council of Arab Environment Ministers for the year 2008. This award "is awarded to the best scientific researches and studies or the best practices on clean production by the service, production and social practice sectors and which in turn resulted in significant impacts that help in conserving both the natural resources and energy, cut of pollution and help in realizing sustainable development." The award was presented to KNPC Chairman Farouk Al-Zanki in Cairo on 21/12/2008.
Sovereign Strategy is a global strategic communications, government relations, corporate social responsibility and public affairs company. The company also provides specialist crisis communications and high-profile event management services. The firm was established in 2000 in response to a growing need by public and private corporations to deal with the increasing complexity of national and international public policy, and communications in a global environment. Sovereign Strategy has offices in London and Newcastle in the UK, as well as Brussels in Belgium and in Kuwait. Major clients of the company include Bloomberg, Formula One, and the City of London. Visit the website at www.sovereignstrategy.com for more information.
Project Title and information: The full title of the project is "Consultancy Services for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Program". The project is more readily known as the KNPC Corporate Social Responsibility (KNPC CSR) Project. The project is divided into three distinct parts over a period of three years. The first major deliverable is a Crisis Communications Manual, which will be delivered in January 2009. This is designed to provide a step-by-step guide to managing media engagement during an incident or crisis and keep all relevant stakeholders informed of developments. The second is the delivery of world-class CSR reports. The first draft Corporate Social Responsibility report will be circulated to internal and external audiences in 2009, the interim, first international report will be published in July 2010, and the final internationally recognized world-class report by August 2011. The third aspect of the project is strategic communications counsel. In partnership with the KNPC Communications Department, Sovereign Strategy will be proposing major new initiatives to help KNPC fulfil its social obligations to Kuwait and its communities, and to raise the profile of KNPC's activities and their benefit to the community to key stakeholders.
Project Director - Alan Donnelly, Executive Chairman, Sovereign Strategy. Alan Donnelly is a Former Member of the European Parliament and Leader of the Labour Party in Europe, a post he held for two years. During this time he worked closely with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and the British Government, as well as addressing international audiences alongside figures such as Al Gore, the former Vice-President of the United States. Following his retirement from the European Parliament in February 2000, Alan founded Sovereign Strategy, which has grown into a respected global Public Affairs Company. Sovereign Strategy's clients include Formula One, Bloomberg, the City of London and Westinghouse. In the past Alan has also advised large infrastructure companies such as the Fluor Group. Alan is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Extra Quotes: KNPC Manager of Corporate Communications Mohammad Mansour Al-Ajmi said: "This is a step that shows the commitment that KNPC has to its communities and key stakeholders. KNPC has made great strides in sustainability reporting. KNPC is more than a commercial company, it is key to the present and the future of Kuwait. and I look forward to working closely with Sovereign Strategy to build on our existing achievements".
Sovereign Strategy Executive Chairman Alan Donnelly said: "Sovereign Strategy is proud to be working with KNPC as the firm continues to develop its sustainability agenda. Sovereign Strategy has worked with some of the world's leading brands, and looks forward to helping KNPC demonstrate its commitment to genuine corporate citizenship."
Photographers: All of the photographs used in the marketing material for this project were taken by amateur and local photographers. The 'Our Nation' photograph of Noor Abdullah was taken by her father, Mohammad Abdullah, of Mangaf, Kuwait. The photograph of Kuwaiti citizens, titled 'We are the World', was taken by Ali Al-Mesri, also of Kuwait.
For more information, please contact:
KNPC Project Sponsor: Mohammad Al-Ajmi,
Manager, Corporate Communications Department
Telephone: 2320 9550/9551
Mobile: 99639707
Email: mm.ajmi009@knpc.com.kw
Sovereign Strategy Project Manager
Jolyon Kimble, Director MEA
Telephone: 2320 7727
Mobile: 9401 0585
Email: jok899@knpc.com.kw
Email: Jolyon.kimble@sovereignstrategy.com
© Press Release 2009
