Dubai Chamber launches Sustainability Week as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations

As part of its 50^th anniversary celebrations, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) launched the Sustainability Week during a gala dinner at the Armani Hotel on Tuesday evening.

With its objective to highlight the Chamber’s vision in “Empowering stakeholders to lead the CSR and sustainability ‘Vision’ of the UAE”, the launch was attended by H.E. Hisham Al Shirawi, 2nd Vice Chairman, Dubai Chamber, H.E. Hamad Buamim, President & CEO, Dubai Chamber, and H.E. Eng. Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Undersecretary for Economic Affairs, UAE Ministry of Economy, and a number of business leaders and representatives of private sector companies in the UAE.

The Dubai Chamber Centre for Responsible Business is organising Dubai’s first “Sustainability Week” from 18 to 23 October. Under the theme ‘Ma’an معاً– (Together) Our World, Our Responsibility’, the Sustainability Week is a collaborative initiative by the CRB, and its members to bring together people from all parts of the society to engage in sustainability.

Also launched during the gala dinner was the report titled, “CSR Measurement and Impact: A Baseline for UAE Businesses”, which not only provides a summary of stakeholder’s expectations and perceptions on the CSR mandate of companies, but also provides guidelines for formulating CSR strategies that are aligned with business ambitions.

The week will be marked with a series of events and seminars exchanging information and experiences on best business practices in the application of corporate social responsibility in the business community.

The  week-long initiative looks at covering various topics like Innovation for SMEs, Sustainable Energy, Road Safety, and Workplace inclusion for People with Disabilities, Through the Sustainability Week the Centre is also launching several campaigns and initiatives such as the financial literacy for workers, waste management campaign and the Sustainability Fair to name a few. 

Also, presented were the “Happiness in the Workplace Award” exclusively for the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network members. This award, launched by the CRB, looks at recognising companies that make a commitment to foster employee happiness and well-being while enhancing organisational performance and productivity. H.E. Hisham Al Shirawi presented the awards to Wasl, UAE Exchange, Mashreq and Paramount Computer Systems.

In his welcome address, H.E Buamim said, “Dubai Chamber is fully committed to CSR and Sustainability and through our Centre for Responsible Business, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. The Centre is a leading expert Centre for excellence in CSR and Sustainability. Dubai Chamber is also the only Chamber in the world to have a dedicated Centre providing services to help the business community become more socially and environmentally responsible.

“During its successful decade of operations, the Centre has launched several products and services to help companies integrate CSR and Sustainability into their business operations,” he said.

The Centre’s major programmes include ENGAGE Dubai - the Employee Volunteering Program, the Dubai Chamber CSR Label that helps companies assess their CSR performance and profile themselves as responsible companies, and the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network which offers companies in Dubai and the UAE the opportunity to network, share experiences and demonstrate CSR, and sustainability leadership.

The Centre for Responsible Business, which was formed in 2004 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2014, plays an important role in instilling a culture of responsible business in the UAE. The Centre assists Dubai Chamber members to apply responsible business practices that enhance their performance and competitiveness. It also provides research, training and events related to the concept of corporate social responsibility while raising the profile of Dubai as a sustainable business destination.

-albawaba