Key Moments in Kuwait’s Historical Timeline from 1936 to 2024

Early Foundations

Kuwait’s Education Council was established in 1936 under the chairmanship of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, marking the beginning of the shift from traditional to formal education in the country.

Situated at the northeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait is a Gulf state with a long history of legislative and cultural initiatives.

Institutional and Legal Milestones

In 1969, the Supreme Committee for the Master Plan and Major Construction Projects was formed, chaired by then Crown Prince and Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to review and approve construction projects included in the state budget.

Seven years later, in 1976, Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah issued Decree-Law No 74 of 1976, endorsing the agreement to create the Solidarity Fund for Economic and Social Development in Non-Aligned Countries, which had been signed in Kuwait on 30 August 1975.

In 1988, Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah promulgated Decree No 164 of 1988, establishing the Ministry of Higher Education responsible for university education, applied studies and scientific research.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 949 in 1994, condemning Iraq’s troop movements toward the Kuwaiti border and demanding the immediate and complete withdrawal of those forces to their former positions.

Four years after that, in 1998, the Kuwait Stock Exchange became a member of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS).

Cultural, Developmental and Sporting Events

In 2005, celebrated Kuwaiti singer Ghazi Al-Attar, aged 64 and a leading artistic figure since the 1960s who had helped popularise Kuwaiti music, passed away.

In 2011, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) signed a loan agreement worth KD 1.3 million with Burkina Faso to finance the construction and equipping of a regional hospital in the city of Manga.

The following year, 2012, Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah opened the inaugural Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit hosted by Kuwait.

In 2015, FIFA suspended the Kuwait Football Association from all international competitions with immediate effect.

Governance Changes and International Partnerships

In 2016, Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued a decree dissolving the National Assembly under Article 107 of the constitution, citing delicate regional circumstances and associated security challenges.

Six years later, in 2022, Amiri Decree No 191 of 2022 established Kuwait’s 42nd government, headed by Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and comprising fifteen ministers.

Most recently, in 2024, KFAED entered into an $8 million grant agreement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, contributing to the fund’s seventh replenishment for the period 2023-2025.

Source: KUNA