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Dubai Executive Council Signs MoU with Dubai Chamber to Establish a General Framework for Social Responsibility in Dubai [Emirates News Agency (WAM) (United Arab Emirates)]
[September 30, 2014]

Dubai Executive Council Signs MoU with Dubai Chamber to Establish a General Framework for Social Responsibility in Dubai [Emirates News Agency (WAM) (United Arab Emirates)]


(Emirates News Agency (WAM) (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dubai, 30th September 2014 (WAM): The General Secretariat of the Dubai Executive Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to establish a general framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Emirate of Dubai, to be the primary reference for companies and institutions interested to adopt the community-based strategies and initiatives. On the other hand, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed as well signed an MoU with Dubai SME - one of the institutions of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai - to activate a special program for SMEs' development in the field of social responsibility and educate emerging companies on this topic, with the aim of positive impact of the social responsibility, both socially and economically.



This comes to achieve the objectives of Dubai Partnership Agenda (DPA) and the recommendations made by the participants in the session which discussed the importance of the Corporate Social Responsibility and the importance of developing a strategy for sustainable development in this area.

DPA was launched in 2010 by the General Secretariat of the Executive Council with the encouragement and endorsement of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and the Ruler of Dubai and, under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and the Chairman of the Executive Council. DPA is a strategic government initiative meant to facilitate collaboration and increase synergy between the public and private sectors. It is an open dialogue and an interactive platform whose purpose is to ultimately produce policy recommendations that can support the Dubai Strategic Plan.


Since the launch of DPA, several and important topics have been discussed through the annual sessions? which were involving senior officials from the public and private sectors and all segments of society to enrich the subject of debate with creative ideas. And among the topics that have been discussed "The Role of Public and Private Sectors in Support of Tourism in Dubai", "The Enhancement of the National Identity in Education" and "Arts role in Sustaining and Promoting UAE Culture among the Youth" in addition to "Strategic CSR as Tool to Enhance Sustainable Development", which was held to discuss the current situation of Corporate Social Responsibility, address its challenges on government and private sector levels, and generate recommendations to boost sustainable development and promote the Emirate of Dubai through this strategic tool.

Then the issue of developing a general strategic framework in common between the public and private sectors for the Corporate Social Responsibility was raised and as a result two MoUs were signed today.

The first MoU aims at developing a general framework that defines the concept of CSR, to become the main reference for the commercial and professional companies registered with The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and interested in adopting special policies to participate in the implementation of the initiatives that serve the community in a sustainable manner. Moreover, the general framework will include the concepts and sustainability standards in the CSR and explain the importance of contributing to the initiatives of the social responsibility while showing their future impacts.

The action framework will also deepen the determination of the Emirate's required needs in this area and the development of clear and transparent implementation mechanisms for the community's initiatives, in addition to developing a list of the best companies collaborating in the adoption of general framework's initiatives through a system of evaluation established by the Chamber in collaboration with the General Secretariat.

The second MoU is signed by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry with Dubai SME - one of the institutions of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai. The MoU includes a cooperation agreement for the development and implementation of a program to develop the capacities of SMEs in the area of social responsibility, as one of the services offered by Dubai SME to raise awareness among the emerging companies' about CSR. Both parties will establish a program for "Development of SMEs in the field of social responsibility in the Emirate of Dubai" to train SMEs to adopt and apply the concepts of social responsibility, where the companies will contribute to the positive impact of social responsibility, both socially and economically.

Commenting on the signature of the MoU, Abdulla Al Shaibani, the Secretary General of the Dubai Executive Council said: "Dubai Partnership Agenda is a strategic dialogue platform between government and the community and it has the endorsement and encouragement of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to be the platform for the exchange of innovative ideas, the discussion of various issues and the development of practical recommendations that contribute to the continuation of the Emirate's rapid growth." He continued: "The MoU with Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry represents the ongoing integration, cooperation and coordination between both government and private agencies; our efforts to develop a general framework defining the concept of CSR came from the importance of strengthening the role of social responsibility and urging government and private agencies to maintain sustainability in this area, believing that the results will contribute to new development implications on the society, and enhance the global reputation of the Emirate of Dubai in the field of CSR".

Al Shaibani added: "UAE Vision 2021 affirmed the importance of spreading the culture of social responsibility, encouraging voluntary work, enhancing the social responsibility at the level of individuals and institutions and developing the regulatory framework for the NGOs and cooperative societies, moreover Dubai Strategic Plan focused on the need to provide high-quality social services that fit the needs of the society through the advancement of social and voluntary work and the civil society institutions, and from this standpoint, Dubai Partnership Agenda, which is managed by the General Secretariat of the Executive Council, were keen to implement the recommendations of the discussion session regarding on CSR, and the implementation results were interpreted in the signature of two MoUs that would support the current efforts. The experience of Dubai Partnership Agenda has proven its effectiveness through many recommendations that entered into force after the previous sessions, which were and are still working to support Dubai's position in particular and the U.A.E. in general." Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained, "The MoU on the development of a general framework for the CSR in Dubai reflects the keenness and commitment of Dubai Government to enhance the competitiveness and efficiency of the companies operating in the Emirate, and direct them toward the adoption of the best practices in their field, while pointing out that the CSR has become a mainstay in the successful strategies for the companies and institutions in the business world." Buamim, also pointed out that the adoption of the best responsible and sustainable practices by the companies helps them to achieve many benefits and advantages, most notably enhancing their reputation among their customers as being a responsible company for the community and the environment, raising the efficiency of performance and productivity, promoting the brand, regulating the risks, enhancing profitability and improving the resource use efficiency.

He confirmed: "The MoU shows the importance of harmony and communication between the various components of the business community in Dubai, and the close cooperation between Dubai Government and the private sector represented by Dubai Chamber, where we are keen through multiple channels, including Dubai Partnership Agenda to launch initiatives that serve the interest of the business community in the Emirate and support the implementation of Dubai Strategic Plan 2015. We also look forward to the fact that the general framework of the CSR contributes to stimulating the companies to enhance their competitiveness through the adoption of the best practices in the field of social responsibility and sustainability, in addition to the Chamber contributing through its initiative "Centre for Responsible Business" in strengthening the responsible and sustainable business culture in the business community in Dubai and enhancing the competitiveness of Dubai companies in the local and global markets." Moreover, Abdul Baset Al-Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME, said: "This agreement is an integral part of the role of the government agencies specialized in supporting the culture of social responsibility, where the Emirate of Dubai and the U.A.E. generally are the first countries to encourage social responsibility at the level of individuals and institutions. And considering Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development as the government agency in charge of the development of the entrepreneurship and the development of SME in Dubai, we believe in the importance of the role played by these companies in the Emirate on the economic and social levels, and the importance of establishing strategies for the sustainable development in this area in partnership with the public sector." Al- Janahi praised on the role of Dubai Chamber during the past periods and their current partnership with Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development, stressing that the coming stage will witness the development of a special program tailored to develop the capacity of SME and provide them with all the necessary logistics and administrative measures to help them implement and practice CSR. In addition, Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development will cooperate with Dubai Chamber to issue the annual report for the CSR program to be presented to the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Dubai." (c) 2014 Emirates News Agency (WAM) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

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