Training Good Employees, Good Citizens See Pages 4 and 5
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December 4, 2019 Vol. LXXIV, No. 47 a weekly Saudi Aramco publication for employees Fikr: Ithra hosts fighting Type 2 diabetes ‘Arab Thought’ with education conference JHAH offers tips on controlling In a first for Saudi Arabia, and in blood sugar, eating better, and partnership with the Arab Thought exercising as tools to prevent and Foundation, Ithra is hosting Fikr17 control diabetes. — a leading cultural conference in see page 14 the Arab world. see page 2 training good employees, good citizens see pages 4 and 5 Volunteers from the Jiddah Industrial Training Center form a circle of hands with patients from Abdulatif Jameel Hospital in Jiddah during a visit organized by the center — just one of many volunteer activities undertaken by the trainees. Thursday, Dec. 5 is International Volunteer Day, as mandated by the UN General Assembly. (Photo: Habeeb Al Hadad/MPD) a protective pocket OPEC basket Saudi Aramco five-week price trend 2019 by the numbers 63.28 64.06 of scarcity $ 61.01 62.25 62.74 In ‘Udhailiyah, Saudi Aramco is battling desertification for an ecologically significant treasure trove of biodiversity. see pages 8 and 9 15,000trees have been planted in ‘Udhailiyah, with another 10,000 to be planted in two other locations in the area. Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29 December 4, 2019 the arabian sun 2 company news a first for Saudi Arabia Ithra partners with Arab Thought Foundation to host Fikr Dhahran — Partnering with the Arab gash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Af- to promote learning and spread knowl- Thought Foundation, The King Abdulaziz fairs; and Dr. Ghassan Mourad, professor edge, creativity, and innovation through Center for World Culture (Ithra) is hosting of Computational Linguistics and Digital impact-driven opportunities addressing the 2019 edition of the Fikr Conference Media at the Lebanese University. global topics,” said Alrashid. “Fikr pro- this week in Dhahran. Awit delivered the opening address, vides a significant regional platform to Fikr17, a leading cultural conference which was followed by an inspiring video promote the importance of dialog and in the Arab World, features 12 sessions about Ithra. Aboul Gheit also addressed the exchange of ideas championed by the under the theme “Toward New Arabic attendees on the opening night Monday, Arab World in a collaborative setting. Ithra Thought,” with 80 speakers, as well as with HRH Prince Faisal welcoming every- is dedicated to delivering programming 36 sponsors and partners. The event, one to the first-ever Fikr held in the King- designed to accelerate human potential, which runs through Thursday, is dom. foster youth empowerment and champion expected to draw more than 600 Arab culture, identity, and talent.” attendees from the around the a shared mission to promote Since launching in 2002, Fikr has be- region and beyond. learning and spread knowledge come a leader in cultural conferences The event has been featuring In addition to the opening session, within the Arab World, providing an inter- several workshops and talks, Fikr17 includes three public sessions and active platform for dialog, development, as well as an exhibition for the eight specialized sessions for attendees. and idea exchange designed to empower Fikr17 event. Key offerings in- Fatmah Alrashid, acting director of Ithra, the next generation of Arab youth. The clude the “Youth Café,” where commented on the significance of the conference promotes discourse in address- attendees will participate in talks partnered initiative. ing significant global topics in its duration. and workshops held at Ithra’s Li- “Ithra is proud to partner with the Arab For more information about the Arab brary and Plaza examining current Thought Foundation to host Fikr17 at Thought Foundation and Fikr17, visit global challenges and the important the Center as part of our shared mission www.arabthought.org role of dialog. HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal provides opening In line with Fikr17’s thought-provok- remarks Monday at Fikr17, which is being held in ing themes, Ithra’s curators have selected the Kingdom for the first time this week at the three installations by prominent pioneer- King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran. (Photos: Ahmad Al Thani) ing Arab artists such as Saudi artist Mu- hannad Shono, the late UAE artist Hassan Sharif, and Moroccan artist Younes Rah- moun, exhibited at Ithra’s Plaza and Lush Gardens. a commitment to providing a cultural platform Ithra’s partnership to host Fikr17 demon- strates the Center’s commitment as a lead- ing cultural platform for impact-driven programs that champion cultural enrich- ment and promote the importance of the exchange of ideas. This year’s conference features high profile attendees and speakers, includ- ing HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal, President of the Arab Thought Foundation; HE Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States; Professor Henri Awit, Director General of the Arab Participants in Fikr17 listen intently during one of several sessions conducted at the King Abdulaziz Thought Foundation; HE Dr. Anwar Gar- Center for World Culture. The event runs through Thursday. your voice marking years in Tanajib It was March 2010 when I decided to recreation opportunities available. riety of events and activities for employees move to a remote area, namely Tanajib, to But going to a remote area provides an and their dependents. get more exposure, and more “hands-on” opportunity to accomplish a lot in a short The recreation center is another won- experience dealing with Field Service and period of time. derful place to spend time if you have the Well Services tasks and requirements. Free time, and the free use of facilities, proper keenness, willingness, and dedica- This would get me involved in all kinds can motivate and stimulate a person to tion. This includes using the gymnasium, of production engineering work such as make themselves a healthier person in the pool, and participating in any number writing and designing programs, as well mind and body. of sports offered. as supervision of tasks and duties. It is amazing to see people utilizing their Joining organizations such as the Society Working in a remote area and in the free time in a proper and beneficial man- of Petroleum Engineers also offers excel- field is exciting — an adventure and al- ner, while others need to be directed to lent opportunities to expand your knowl- ways interesting in many ways if you know do so. In some cases, the guidance from a edge and advance your career by partic- how to manage your time and prioritize. mentor, adviser, tutor, or counselor is sen- ipating in various events and submitting Of course, it can be difficult to prioritize sible and desirable. abstracts for conferences. work, self-study, school, and family needs. However, proactive steps are needed to Many members of our management Working 12 hours in a remote area gives improve and increase the level of knowl- have spent time in a remote area and can by Rayed M. Zayer a person with enthusiasm and an optimis- edge that can be underlined as self-study. still recall the harshness and bleakness of Tanajib tic attitude a chance perhaps to invent, Being proactive is a good habit for em- such a stint can bring from their hands- [email protected] design new things, and also find ways of ployees to adopt. on experiences, and one day you could be doing something new — especially after The library in Tanajib is also a good des- one of them. working hours. tination, and it’s nice to see people with The 10 years working in Tanajib was a Your Voice reflects the thoughts and opinions of the writer, and not necessarily those of the Not all of us have an equal amount of books and articles that they read in a short bit of a long journey, but for me, it was all publication. eagerness to utilize all of the activities and period of time. The library also offers a va- over in the blink of an eye. the arabian sun December 4, 2019 company news 3 ‘Sustaining Excellence through Benchmarking’ Saudi Aramco announces new center to create a hub for benchmarking and knowledge sharing by Maytham Al-Musawi the seed of benchmarking Al-Khobar — In front of a full audience, In a keynote speech, Husam K. Al Du- Saudi Aramco’s Engineering Services re- laim, a senior engineering consultant cently held its first benchmarking con- with Engineering Services, revealed more ference under the theme of “Sustaining details on the intended benchmarking For Saudi Aramco, Excellence through Benchmarking.” center. The event, which welcomed more than “The objective of the benchmarking benchmarking 1,200 attendees — and more than 550 center is to create a hub for benchmark- through Shahed — from 202 depart- ing knowledge and best practices sharing is more than ments in 32 admin areas, was designed to among regional and local industry,” said give world leading experts an opportuni- Al Dulaim. a set of metrics. ty to share knowledge on benchmarking He noted that through this initiative, best practices, as well as tools and tech- Saudi Aramco will plant the seed to re- It is a mindset niques available to apply these practices. alize the advantages of benchmarking to be a trendsetter across regional and local industry, add- ‘benchmarking as a mindset’ ing that the initiative is in line with Saudi and premier Ahmad A. Al-Sa’adi, senior vice presi- Vision 2030 of becoming an exempla- dent of Technical Services, was the spon- ry and leading nation in all aspects. It is in everything sor of the conference, which was orga- Ahmad A. Al-Sa’adi announces the company’s also, said Al Dulaim, consistent with the nized as part of the company’s continuous intention to establish a Regional Benchmarking charter of the National Center for Perfor- that we do.