Kuwait: Jasour – News Desk
The workshop organized by the Municipal Council’s Committee for Special Needs Affairs, chaired by Eng. Farah Al-Roumi, under the title “Introducing the Kuwait Code for Accessibility According to Universal Design to Enable Its Implementation,” concluded with several recommendations. These included tasking the municipality with studying penalties for non-compliance with the Kuwait Code for Accessibility according to universal design and submitting them to the Municipal Council for review and inclusion in the building regulations.
Eng. Al-Roumi stated that the workshop’s recommendations included the following:
Organizing introductory courses on the Kuwait Code for Accessibility according to universal design for relevant government agencies.
Informing the Federation of Engineering Offices and Consultancy Firms to circulate the Kuwait Code for Accessibility according to universal design to engineering offices and consultancy firms.
Training engineers, architects, and specialists to implement the Kuwait Code for Accessibility according to universal design.
Circulating Ministerial Decision No. 696 of 2024, applying the Kuwait Code for Accessibility according to universal design to all public-use buildings and facilities, by directing relevant government agencies to enforce it.
She added that the Kuwait Code is part of the project to achieve Kuwait’s 2035 vision for persons with special needs. The code aims to transform the built environment into one that is supportive and accommodating for persons with special needs, enhancing their opportunities for integration into society.
The goal is to define how to design, construct, and manage the built environment to enable people to approach, enter, use, and exit it independently, fairly, and with dignity to the fullest extent possible. The code was approved in the Municipal Council session on 22/7/2024 and issued as Ministerial Decision No. 696 of 2024. We are keen to see it implemented in reality to ensure buildings are suitable and accessible for persons with special needs.
She mentioned that the workshop aimed to introduce the code and present its components, with the General Authority for Special Needs Affairs explaining it to the relevant entities. Through cooperative efforts, we see the actual implementation of the code, which is a step in the right direction to prepare buildings for a very important segment of society.
For her part, Municipal Council member Eng. Munira Al-Ameer said that such events create communication channels with our special needs community, continuously defining their needs and ways to implement mechanisms that facilitate their mobility in government and private buildings. This is something we are proud of and a responsibility of every individual in society, whether a regular person or a government official.
Eng. Munira Al-Ameer stressed that dedicating the workshop to discussing details and updates of the Kuwait Code for Accessibility is an important step to introduce it. She noted that the Municipal Council is adopting this code, prepared by the General Authority for Special Needs Affairs, with all its outputs and recommendations. The council considered this code as the primary source of instructions for the requirements needed in the design and implementation processes of our buildings by including a provision in the building regulation tables that mandates the application of this code.
She emphasized the continuity of holding such workshops and even transferring them to different government entities to introduce the details of the Kuwait Code for Accessibility, making it part of the public awareness. This represents the real fruit of the significant effort made by the General Authority for Special Needs Affairs.
Municipal Council member Dr. Hassan Kamal said that during the workshop, discussions were held with government entities on the mechanism of applying the Accessibility Code for special needs individuals in the designs of public buildings in Kuwait, taking into account the engineering and technical standards and requirements that serve various types of special needs. He pointed out the need to focus on constructing new cities, public facilities, and service and recreational buildings according to these specifications and standards during design and implementation, avoiding previous mistakes.
Dr. Kamal continued: The participating entities in the workshop expressed their willingness to cooperate, coordinate, and work on developing this code if necessary to meet the actual needs of special needs individuals. He explained that the Municipal Council and the municipality have included in the building regulation tables a specific provision for adhering to the Accessibility Code, which was previously approved.
