Region’s
leading CSR organisation holds prestigious Annual Awards event
Dubai, UAE, October 29, 2014: The organisations that have made the
most effort over the past 12 months to ensure a sustainable future for the
region were honoured last night at the seventh Arabia CSR Awards Ceremony,
which was held at Grosvenor House, Dubai. The glittering annual event, which is
the most prestigious CSR awards programme in the Middle East, was established
by the Arabia CSR Network to highlight the champions of sustainable projects
and initiatives across the Middle East and North Africa.
“Once again the Arabia CSR Network pays
tribute to those organisations that over the year have strived to make
sustainability a core part of their operations and who have championed CSR as an
integral part of their DNA,” said Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi, President and CEO,
ACSRN. “The winners and runners up in each category are certainly worthy
recipients of their accolades, as the Awards judging criteria are very rigorous.
We are the only programme of its kind in the region to be supported by the
United Nations Global Compact and the first to be granted the Auspices of H.E Mohammed Bin Ibrahim At-Twaijri, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic
Affairs for the League of Arab States. This makes it the most credible and
prestigious CSR awards scheme in the Arab world,” she added.
This year there were a total of six
categories for organisations to enter, divided between the private and public
sectors. For the private sector, there were classes for small-sized enterprises
with less than 99 employees, medium-sized companies with between 100 and 499 employees
and large-sized enterprises with more than 500 employees. There was also a New
Business category open to organisations of any size that have been established
for less than three years. This was done in a conscious attempt to encourage
young organisations to embrace CSR from an early stage.
Public arena organisations that were
eligible to apply to the Arabia CSR Awards included government departments and authorities
of any size that provide non-commercial services. The Partnership Project category
honoured public private partnerships, which was open to organisations from each
sector who have collaborated together to implement joint social or
environmental programmes.
Qatargas picked up the first place for
private sector organisations in the Large Category, having deemed to have made
the greatest strides in affecting sustainable solutions for the region. National
Petrochemical Industrial Co. collected the top honours in the Medium Category,
while British Orchard Nursery was placed first in the Small Category. EngageMe,
a communications strategy consultancy, won first place in the Best New Business
Category.
For the public sector, Emirates
Transport was awarded first place after impressing the judges with their policy
of limiting the consumption of resources, their reduction of emissions and
their commitment to disposing of waste through safe methods, among others.
Under Partnership Projects, Morocco-based BMCE Bank took the top spot.
Key highlights of the event also included the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Arabia CSR Network and the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the launch of a multi-sector
partnership initiative called ‘’Sharaka’’- the Arab Partnering Alliance.
The Arabia CSR Awards Ceremony is the
highlight in ACSRN’s extensive calendar of activities that sees it working at
the corporate and civil society level to drive sustainability in the Arab world.
