Corporate citizens gather in Dubai

'Enlightened regional companies and organisations will be joining hands with international majors in seeking practical solutions to contemporary problems related to globalisation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility,' said Kosta Petrov, Conference Manager for the summit organisers IIR Middle East.

The UN Development Programme, Nokia, the BBC, The Dow Chemical Company, Proctor & Gamble, Microsoft and PriceWaterhouseCoopers will be among international organisations joining major regional bodies such Aramex, Emirates National Oil Company, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Wildlife Society and the Dubai Centre for Corporate Values at the summit.

'The summit is designed to give companies and non-governmental organisations insight into how strong partnerships can be forged and how to sustain fruitful partnerships that constantly move forward,'

Petrov added.

The Dow Chemical Company is a supporting sponsor of the summit and Louis Vega, the company's Director Public Affairs, India, Middle East and Africa, stressed the importance of corporate citizenship programmes.

'To be a successful, thriving enterprise, with a long term, guaranteed future, we need a healthy environment that meets the needs of people,' he added. 'We need a stable and secure political climate. We need a healthy and optimistic community of potential customers and consumers. In other words, we are doing our part to set the stage for a future that is as full of promise and opportunity as our past has been.'

The CSR Summit Awards programme will honour companies in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries for outstanding, innovative and world-class products, services, projects and programmes. The projects must demonstrate a company's leadership, sincerity and on-going commitment to incorporating ethical values, compliance with legal requirements and respect for individuals, communities and the environment in the way they conduct business.

Sponsors of the 5th CSR Summit are, Etisalat, The Dow Chemical Company, Dubai Properties and Microsoft. Supporters of the Summit are CSR Middle East, Dubai Centre for Corporate Values, the UN Development Programme, Greater Good and Dubai Drums.

Full details of the CSR Summit programme and speaker line-up can be found at www.thecsrsummit.com