The Arabia CSR Network hosted a special ‘Arabia CSR Awards 2010 Clinic’, on Tuesday, 15th June 2010, at the Movenpick Hotel, Dubai. The workshop aimed to provide potential Awards applicants with the complete Awards procedure; assist in giving in-depth understanding of the rationale behind the questions, synopsis and supporting documents.
Dr Gracia Ugut, Member of the judging panel, walked the applicants through the questionnaire briefly explaining each question and the rationale behind it. She stressed on the fact that the judges will be interested to know, the vision and mission of their organizations, the CSR strategy, implementation and execution of the strategy, commitment from the board or higher management, understanding of CSR within the organization and stakeholder involvement, reporting and communication and measurement tools and rewards. She further emphasized that there are no right or wrong answers for CSR, and the need to provide factual information with strong evidence, without assuming that the judges know their business.
The 2009 Awards finalists, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) and Dubai Customs came on board to share their Awards experience with the Clinic participants. Explaining the coordination among internal departments in sourcing data, the challenges they faced, the benefits gained of winning the Awards and practical tips on how they submitted an Award winning application (which can be found on the main Arabia CSR Awards page – please add a link here to the main page where the tips will be updated). They emphasized the importance of initiating the application process early on and providing factual information backed by strong evidence.
Addressing the audience, Habiba Al Marashi, President of the Arabia CSR Network stated “Most organizations have been involved in employee engagement and community engagement initiatives for a long time. However with the changing business climate these organizations are integrating such principles in to the strategy of their businesses. This is what the Arabia CSR Awards is about; a platform to recognize organisations who have been leading the way and encouraging them to reach greater heights and motivating others to join in”
The presentations were followed by an interactive question and answer session which was chaired by a panel consisting Habiba Al Marashi President Arabia CSR Network, Dr Gracia Ugut, Arabia CSR Awards judging panel and 2009 Awards finalists.
The third cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards will be launched with a press conference on the 13th of May 2010. The third cycle of the Awards will be built on the experiences and feedback from the preceding cycles.
Like last year, the Arabia CSR Awards are open to organizations from both the public and private sector, regardless of the size of the organization. Both Arab and multi-national organizations are welcome to participate, as long as they have operations in the Middle East and /or Northern Africa.
We warmly invite you to take part in this year’s cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards and submit your CSR best practices to our judges.
The Guidelines, Questionnaire and further relevant documents for participation in the Arabia CSR Awards 2010 can be downloaded from this website from 13 May 2010. The deadline for submission of entries is 26 August 2010, 17.00 UAE time
On June 7th 2010, the Arabia CSR Network and Hawkamah, the Centre for Corporate Governance, will host their first joint workshop. The topic; Transparency & Good Governance is especially relevant in the wake of the global financial & economic crisis and the subsequent drive towards greater transparency and accountability, amongst the world’s leading companies.
The workshop will feature international, regional and local expert speakers as well as a training session by Hawkamah. Please register for the workshop by sending an email to: admin@arabiacsrnetwork.com or calling 04-3448622
