Awards launched to honour companies for good practice

The announcement of the awards was met with considerable enthusiasm and interest from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) players across sectors.

What singles out this initiative is its inclusive nature. Supported by the United Nations Global Compact, and ably supported by a range of business leaders, think tanks and academics, the Arabia CSR Awards have the potential to become the biggest of its kind in the United Arab Emirates and the GCC. The need for a CSR Award is felt most acutely now that companies in the Region have taken a lively and productive interest in engaging more actively with communities, opting for eco-friendly practices, improving quality and performance, and supporting social and cultural issues and causes.

Those that are driving this movement deserve due recognition as leaders and pioneers. The Arabia CSR Awards provide a platform to recognize and reward companies that have demonstrated true commitment, delivered outstanding results and impacts, and shown innovation and leadership.

Speaking about the initiative EEG's Chairperson Habiba Al Marashi said, "The CSR Arabia Awards are a continuation of our work to enhance the overall environment of the United Arab Emirates as well as the Region. Through it we will attempt to throw light on those champions and endeavours that have contributed greatly in improving the economic, social and physical environment and demonstrated true vision and drive on the way. It is our aim to highlight these corporate best practices and showcase these achievements to the rest of the world. In the long run, we hope this initiative will be successful in building up a databank of best practices in corporate citizenship and CSR from the GCC Region, and uphold an effective CSR model that can be applied by any company here."

Commenting on the support received from the United Nations Mrs. Al Marashi commented, "Our association with the United Nations Global Compact ensures international visibility for the Awards, and makes it the leading initiative for recognizing CSR in this Region."

"We very much welcome the creation of the Arabia CSR Awards by Emirates Environmental Group, convener of the Global Compact Network for the GCC States," said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Office at UN headquarters in New York. "This award will give much-deserved recognition to the many good efforts in the Arab business community to align strategies and operations with universal social and environmental principles. It will also serve as an inspiration to all those whose mission towards greater sustainability has just begun."

The Awards will be opened for applications from May 22nd. A grand ceremony to honour winners will take place in October.