BMG Foundation Chairman Basil Al-Ghalayini awarding Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel for her efforts to support the “Our Water, Our Life” initiative and GCC Polo Cup with Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor. — SG photos Roberta Fedele Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — In an attempt to create awareness on the delicate issue of water conservation, BMG Foundation, in partnership with some of the region's leading corporate names, is currently running the “Our Water, Our Life” campaign in the Kingdom through newspaper, magazine, TV advertisements, social media websites and video clips displayed at the Kingdom's airport terminals. Launched in July, the campaign's winning team was awarded by Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, Vice Chairwoman of Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundations, during the 16th edition of the annual GCC Polo Cup, an event organized by BMG Foundation in partnership with the non-profit humanitarian organization Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundations and KAB Holding. The GCC Polo Cup took place on June 20th at the Guards Polo Club, Windsor in the presence of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Ameerah who watched the remarkable performance of the GCC Polo team against the British Guards Polo Cup team. “Over 15 years ago, we had the vision to bring together high profile businessmen and social leaders from the East and the West with the shared noble intent to support philanthropic awareness campaigns. This is how the idea of starting an equestrian GCC Polo Cup competition was conceived,” explained Basil Al-Ghalayini, Chairman of BMG Financial Advisory Group and BMG Foundation. “This year, we wanted to promote, through the GCC Polo Cup and other high profile events, an innovative campaign aiming at reaching as many households as possible. Our objective is to generate a lasting impact on the mindset of people about the limited water resources that are at the disposal of future generations,” he added. Al-Ghalayini also anticipated some information on the competition accompanying next year's GCC Polo Cup, taking place as usual in June: “We will continue our endorsement of the water issue and will be organizing another competition for the best invention in the field of water preservation.” In addition to the water issue, BMG Foundation will start preparations for the safe driving awareness campaign. Once again, BMG Foundation wishes to engage youth in yet another important issue that impacts the lives of so many on a daily basis. “In Saudi Arabia, it is estimated that there are over 485,000 accidents a year with over 6,000 deaths as a result. An average of 20 people die every day due to road accidents, which is the primary cause of death in males aged 16 to 36. At the Ministry of Health hospitals in the Kingdom, 81 percent of deaths are due to traffic accidents. Traffic studies conducted in Saudi Arabia indicate that the annual loss resulting from traffic accidents is about SR21 billion. If current trends continue, Saudi Arabia could have more than 4 million traffic accidents a year by 2030,” said Al-Ghalayini. “Such stark facts need to be highlighted in order to change bad habits and idealistic youth can be the force behind promoting awareness and bringing about positive change. Hence, we aim to channel youth's creativity towards socially responsible issues and to take charge in shaping their future. At the very least, simple dialogue to discuss the issues using tools such as social media is a positive step in and of itself,” he added. BMG Foundation, the corporate cultural responsibility arm of BMG Financial Group, will continue to support the “Our Water, Our Life” campaign also through its two other high-profile pillars: Art Alive and BMG Classics. Art Alive initiative represents a way to enrich the modern Arab art scene by inviting internationally renowned artists and emerging talents to exhibit in the Kingdom and exchange their views and knowledge with local artists. Through Art Alive, BMG Foundation recently established the “Diplomacy of Art” initiative based on the idea of exhibiting - twice a year - the works of talented foreign artists in association with their respective diplomatic representatives. Last March, the first “Diplomacy of Art Exhibition” displayed the works of Turkish artist Ismail Acar at the residence of Turkish Consul General Salih Mutlu Sen and saw a large turnout from Jeddah's local community. “The success of this exhibition encouraged us to repeat the experiment before the end of this year probably in cooperation with the Italian Consulate General in Jeddah. In this case, our aim will also be to gain further international attention for our water campaign. In order to succeed in this, the event will possibly take place in December in concomitance with the 2012 Saudi Water & Power Forum,” said Al-Ghalayini.
