ABU DHABI, 9th May, 2023 (WAM) — Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination (ZHO), through its innovative strategic partnership with Kuwait’s Public Authority for Disability Affairs (PADA), announced the launch of the UAE-Kuwaiti parking service for people of determination to support people of determination and facilitate their state-to-state movement.
The initiative is geared toward promoting domestic tourism between the UAE and Kuwait, based on the common ties and the great attention given by the wise leaderships in the two countries to social affairs, and to support the causes of people of determination, to provide interrelated services under the fruitful cooperation between the UAE and Kuwait to enhance the welfare of people of determination and improve their life quality.
Dr. Matar Hamed Al Neyadi, UAE Ambassador to Kuwait, hailed the strategic partnership between ZHO and PADA for the benefit of people of determination, in line with the vision of the wise leadership to enhance cooperation at various levels between the two countries. He stressed the depth and strength of the distinguished historical relations between the two leaderships and brotherly peoples and the advanced level reached by the joint cooperation between them, witnessing continuous development and characterised by mutual love and affection.
He added, “We hope to develop this partnership to a broader extent by launching initiatives and projects and implementing programmes that serve people of determination in the two countries and facilitate movement and mutual visits.”
Jamal Muhammad Al-Ghunaim, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the UAE, expressed his happiness with this fruitful collaboration between the UAE’s Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination (ZHO) and Kuwait’s Public Authority for Disability Affairs (PADA) by launching a shared parking service for people of determination to support these groups and facilitate their state-to state movement. He praised the wise policy of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the pioneering achievements of the UAE in all domains.
He stressed that the Kuwaiti-UAE ties had seen a significant across-the-board advance, reflected in the mutually beneficial coordination between the two sides at regional and international forums on issues of common interest. This is reinforced by high-level mutual official visits, a matter which takes the close fraternal relations to broader horizons in a myriad of fields and sectors, both at the bilateral level and through the course of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), serving their common interests, he added.
Abdullah Abdul Aali Al Humaidan, ZHO’s Secretary-General, emphasised that the ZHO accords top priority to customers’ happiness, including facilitating their movement outside the state. It works to expand its services beyond the local to the regional scope through strategic partnerships with institutions and bodies concerned with providing services for people of determination regionally and globally.
Launching this service and linking the issuance of a parking permit with Kuwait amid joint systems between the ZHO and PADA comes within a comprehensive plan aimed at providing services that support and enhance the integration of people of determination and facilitate their daily lives, as well as contributing to the development of services for people of determination among the GCC, he added.
The parking permit for people of determination covers all cities and regions of the UAE and Kuwait, including parking available in government buildings, public facilities, shopping malls, hospitals, airports, and other destinations that people of determination may visit in both countries, the ZHO’s Secretary-General said, noting that Kuwait would approve the permit only if the person of determination has a valid permit approved by the ZHO or any other UAE body, and vice versa due to the different names of disabilities. Upon registration, the person of determination must attach the permit issued by PADA if they are heading from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi. Vice versa, if they are heading from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait, they must have the permit issued by the ZHO or any other UAE body.
Al Humaidan said that the issuance of this permit makes it easier for people of determination to find car parking allocated to them, and saves them the time and effort required to find proper parking, adding that this new service reflects the commitment of the ZHO and PADA to provide the finest special services for people of determination for their happiness and comfort, which encourages Gulf tourism and makes the two countries friendly to people of determination.
He thanked the officials, PADA and all concerned authorities in Kuwait for their cooperation in issuing this service, stressing the depth and strength of the well-established UAE-Kuwaiti relations based on firm foundations stemming from the keenness of the leaderships of the two countries to support and develop relations in all areas, to be a role model at the level of brotherly relations between the two countries.
Dr. Bibi Alamiri, PADA’s Director-General, praised the strategic partnership and fruitful cooperation between PADA and the ZHO. “We appreciate this step by the ZHO, and we are eager for more joint cooperation between the two sides for the benefit of people of determination in our two countries and in the countries of the region,” she said. The bilateral UAE-Kuwaiti relations have seen milestones of excellence that have directly played a great role in reinforcing and advancing these relations, whether at the bilateral level or through the course of the GCC, in a manner that realises the interests of the two brotherly countries, she stressed.
She added, “We aim to transfer experiences between the two sides, develop joint strategic programmes and benefit from them, and develop walks of cooperation for the benefit of people of determination in the two brotherly countries to expand and include education, employment, rehabilitation, culture, arts and social services, a matter which reflects the remarkable development between Kuwait and the UAE in all areas. This relationship exemplifies the deeply-rooted ties between the two countries and their common history. Moreover, this step encourages Gulf tourism.”
Alamiri praised all the steps taken by the two sides and the speedy achievement by the ZHO’s cadres, which she described as professional in their common action. She also praised ZHO’s efforts and programmes for various groups of determination in Abu Dhabi.