DUBAI: The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a special event at its premises today to recognise the various achievements made by members of its Sustainability Network in 2017.
The event was attended by members of the local business community, including representatives from Nestle Middle East and Emirates Group who spoke about how the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network is shaping responsible business practices in the UAE.
During their presentations, they noted that the companies’ participation in the network has provided them with an important platform to share their knowledge and approach in this area and learn from other member companies.
In 2017, 11 new Sustainability Network Task Forces were formed with each of these groups tackling key issues impacting the business community such as employee welfare, social inclusion, waste management and supply chain.
Meanwhile, seven high-profile networking events, and workshops were hosted which brought together key public and private sector stakeholders. The workshops provided a platform for leading organisations such as Dubai Municipality, RTA, Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs, and DEWA to share knowledge, expertise and develop innovative solutions to solve pressing challenges facing the business community.
In his welcome remarks, H.E. Hisham Abdullah Al Shirawi, 2nd Vice Chairman of Dubai Chamber, highlighted the remarkable progress made by the Sustainability Network in recent years, which is represented by a diverse group of member companies.
“2017 was an incredibly successful year for the Sustainability Network as many new members came on board, including local, regional and multinational companies, while the various Task Forces played an active role in building a CSR culture within Dubai’s private sector,” he said.
H.E. Al Shirawi noted that the Chamber’s Centre for Responsible Business has set new targets for 2018 to raise the bar even higher and encourage member companies to keep innovating and enhancing their approach to CSR and sustainability.
He revealed that the Network will aim to grow its membership to 100 in 2018, adding that the group would aim to attract the participation of companies across the UAE and GCC.
This year, the Centre is planning to expand its support to SMEs and provide more data and research on CSR to help member companies benchmark their activities, while it will also create a baseline for sustainability and CSR activities that will serve as a reference for companies across the UAE.
Activities, initiatives and events organised under the Centre’s Engage Dubai programme will be dedicated to the UAE’s Year of Zayed, with the aim of encouraging companies to make a difference in the communities where they operate.
“We are encouraging our Sustainability Network members to enhance and align their CSR and sustainability efforts with the UAE’s Year of Zayed. Businesses in Dubai have a very important role to play in supporting this national initiative by upholding the values of compassion, giving and volunteerism that were embodied by the UAE’s Founding Father,” H.E. Al Shirawi added.
Since its establishment in 2004, the Centre for Responsible Business has hosted 100 training workshops that were attended by 2,890 members over the last fourteen years. It has provided 60 research reports on the state of CSR in the UAE and produced several publications, CSR Toolkits, case studies, guidebooks, as well as 44 issues of its CSR Al Youm newsletter. As a result of these efforts, awareness on CSR matters among businesses in Dubai has increased from 59% to 87%.
In addition, the Centre’s ENGAGE Dubai corporate volunteering initiative has attracted the participation of 24,000 volunteers from 170 companies since its establishment. These corporate volunteers have dedicated nearly 88,000 hours of their own time to make a real difference in the lives of over 17,0000 beneficiaries.
Established by the Chamber’s Centre for Responsible Business, the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network serves as the focal point for the business community to share and exchange best practices in implementing CSR. The network provides an opportunity for local companies to network, learn, share experiences and constitute CSR leadership.
The Centre for Responsible Business was established by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2004 to support and promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. The Centre’s objective is to engage the Dubai business community in assuming greater responsibility for the emirate’s social and environmental needs. The CRB also promotes Dubai as the GCC’s gateway for global commerce by offering its business partners an environment of transparency and rule of law. News Desk
