Prince Faisal bin Bandar, Riyadh Governor, inaugurated the SABIC Health Beacon, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, at the municipal grounds, Al-Jazeerah District, on Thursday. The eight-day program, under the theme “Your Life is Valuable,” is being organized by SABIC in collaboration with the Riyadh Municipality, the National Project on Prevention of Drugs (NIBRAS), and National Committee for Combating Drugs. On arrival at the ceremony, Prince Faisal was received by Prince Saud Bin Abdullah Bin Thenayan Al Saud, Chairman of Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu and Chairman of SABIC; Ibrahim Al-Sultan, Mayor of Riyadh; Yousuf Bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, SABIC acting Vice Chairman and CEO; Abdulelah Bin Mohammed Al-Shareef, general secretary of the National Committee for Combating Drugs; Gen. Ahmed Bin Sadi Al-Zahrani, general manager, General Directorate for Narcotics Control; Gen. Awwad Bin Eid Al-Beluwi, general manager, General Directorate for Border Guard; along with several SABIC executives, and senior officials of the Riyadh Municipality and National Committee for Combating Drugs. Prince Faisal expressed his admiration for the dedicated efforts in organizing this event. He had a special word of praise for The Cave, where the visitor can experience the bitter experiences of drug abusers. Cave visitors will watch a film on the harmful effects of drugs. They will go on a 15-minute group tour of 25 people of all ages, and experience the various stages in a drug abusers life as an addict – the early stages of addiction, the period of struggle to overcome the addiction, and the rehabilitation phase. Each stage is presented through stage performances. The Health Beacon also highlights the government's continuous anti-drug efforts. In a statement after the opening ceremony, Prince Faisal said that SABIC's participation in the event was valuable to the Kingdom. He thanked Prince Saud for inviting him and pointed out that SABIC was playing a key role in the Kingdom's cultural field. Prince Faisal noted that it is important that everyone takes up social responsibility, underlining the company's active role in this regard. The SABIC Health Beacon, he said, will have positive outcomes in many health, social, and industrial areas of activity. Prince Saud expressed his thanks to the Riyadh governor for attending the event saying this demonstrated the government's determination to achieve national growth and prosperity for all citizens. He added that ever since its foundation, SABIC has given top priority to social responsibility and have initiated ambitious programs to support the community. He said that the company makes strong efforts for the welfare of society, based on the care and directives of the government in all areas, including health. The Saudi government spent billions of riyals on health services, but the private sector has its own role to play. SABIC has participated in several projects for the good of the community. NIBRAS, an anti-drug project, is one such project launched under the auspices of the Crown Prince. In his speech at the opening ceremony, Yousef Al-Benyan said that the Health Beacon was the latest of SABIC's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative through which the company seeks to demonstrate its commitment for better health care. He said that SABIC has initiated several projects related to the health sector. Al-Benyan noted that SABIC pays due attention to the Kingdom's anti-drug efforts. The company has taken several initiatives in this regard to help prevent spread of drugs in society and among youth. SABIC has a five-year, SR50 million program, The National Project on Prevention of Drugs (NIBRAS), in collaboration with National Committee for Combating Drugs, and recently made a decision to establish, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, a SR300 million, SABIC Specialized Hospital for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment in Riyadh. This is in addition to the ongoing work with the Health Ministry to launch a SR15 million, “Midway Center”, which is a recovery, rehabilitation center. He said that SABIC was determined to continue on this path, as adopted by the country's leadership. Closing his speech, he extended his sincere appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, and the Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, for their ongoing care for all sectors to ensure the welfare of the citizen and prosperity of the Kingdom. The Riyadh governor watched the “Hope in your Hand” operetta, performed by SABIC Talents, and watched the “Your Life is Valuable” play, produced by the SABIC Stage Stars Team. He honored the participating bodies and inaugurated the program formally. SABIC presented a memorial plaque to him in recognition of his patronage of the program. Prince Faisal also visited The Cave where he watched a film on the harmful effects of drugs and toured its eight sections. The Riyadh governor also toured an accompanying exhibition where 19 participating bodies are displaying their experiences in the field of health awareness and drug combating. He also visited the Children's Theater, which can seat about 600 children. Other activities include the King Salman Center for Disability Research mobile car, a breast cancer early check-up mobile clinic, and King Faisal Specialist Hospital mobile van for blood donation. SABIC Health Beacon involves a combination of learning experiences through education and entertainment for the entire family, all under one roof. It aims at enlightening the community on the importance of adopting good practices for healthy living and educating them on the adverse effects of drug abuse. It will be open for eight days in two sessions – 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks as the world's second largest diversified chemical company. The company is among the world's market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers. SABIC's businesses are grouped into chemicals, polymers, fertilizers, metals and innovative plastics. It has significant research resources with innovation hubs in five key geographies — USA, Europe, Middle East, South East Asia and North East Asia. The company operates in more than 50 countries across the world with around 40,000 employees worldwide. Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals, polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. — SG
