Community Development Authority Discusses Its 2017-2021 Strategy with Partners

As part of its commitment toward Dubai society, the community Development Authority in Dubai (CDA) held productive brainstorming workshops today (Wednesday, October 4, 2017) to discuss the CDA 2017-2021 strategy with partners from private, public and non-profit sectors. 

The brainstorming sessions explored the prospective outcomes of CDA2017-2021 Strategy, which are aligned with the objectives of the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 and the Dubai Plan 2021. The Authority called on all segments and organisations of Dubai society to work together for a brighter future for the emirate.

The sessions – titled “Active Partnerships for a Happier Society” – explored potential projects, programmes and initiatives that promote sustainable development in the emirate, as well as ways to optimally invest Dubai’s resources to develop a social sector that matches the aspirations of the Government.

“Dubai has become a global role model, leading cities around the world by example and harnessing its resources to serve the public and invest in knowledge to catalyse the development of society”. said CDA Director General His Excellency Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, “This reflects the city’s ambitions, which have propelled it to the top of global indicators in such areas as tolerance, happiness, artificial intelligence and government services.”

“Dubai must prioritise the community when investing in future-oriented projects,” H.E. added; “this is where the Community Development Authority comes in: we are a partner to all social organisations, as well as individuals working towards community development.”

The brainstorming sessions covered four discussion topics: “Empowered, Proud and Happy Emiratis” explored a range of approaches to improve services for UAE nationals, spread happiness among them and encourage them to actively participate in the CDA’s community development activities. This while the second topic, “Cohesive Society”, identified the nuclear family as the cornerstone of a cohesive society, and promoted volunteer work as key for effective and participatory community development.

The third topic, “Investors as Partners in Community Development”, explored means of forging effective partnerships with the private sector and recruiting private organisations in community development – either through direct financial contributions or by offering their services pro bono. The fourth and final topic, “Society and Government: Working Together for a Better Tomorrow”, called for establishing social innovation as a central theme in policies and legislation, as well as for investing in the human capital and supporting at-risk groups.

H.E. Julfar explained that “the Authority’s strategy sets the tone for social responsibility and volunteer work in the UAE, guiding nation-wide efforts to serve all segments of society – especially vulnerable groups. The CDA’s strategy is a road map towards a strong and cohesive society, whose institutions are actively and continuously developing their services, capitalising on existing resources and talents and working to upgrade them, as directed by our wise leadership.”

“We have developed a series of Key Performance Indicators, opinion polls and periodic questionnaires that meet high international standards, to enable CDA staff to accurately measure the quality of its services,” he added. “The indicators additionally allow the Authority to anticipate challenges and opportunities, rectify errors, address weaknesses and capitalise on strengths. The CDA’s role in the upcoming period will be to facilitate and guide contributions from the public to community development activities.”

Brainstorming Sessions: Takeaways and Recommendations

Empowered, Proud and Happy Emiratis: Under this topic, participants discussed ways for young Emiratis to assert their national identity, touching on the role of the Arabic language in community development and knowledge. The session also explored the benefits of centralising social initiatives under one umbrella, promoting social responsibility among young people, advocating for innovation and creativity and the role of social media in enlisting young people in community development efforts.

Cohesive Society: Discussion under this topic focused on the family and its central role in community development, examining the role of the community in dealing with social issues such as divorce and child marriage, among others. Moreover, participants looked into ways to promote volunteer work in the various initiatives, as well as methods to channel volunteers’ efforts to the benefit of society at large.

Investors as Partners in Community Development: With this topic, participants considered several approaches to encourage the private sector to develop social responsibility systems, as well as mechanisms to steer current partnerships and agreements to the service of society. The session looked into the role of the media and social networking sites in highlighting community-based partnerships and their benefits, as well as sustainable community-service investment and long-term performance indicators.

Society and Government - Working Together for a Better Tomorrow: The session sought out various plans to educate and empower people, guide innovation to the benefit of society, and build partnerships with various sectors to develop national human resources – especially in the community development sector. Moreover, participants discussed potential initiatives that seek to motivate and honour social work, volunteerism and innovation.

The new strategy will be an integrated policy and plan to promote sustainable social development within a structured and effective framework. The strategy seeks to proactively plan for the future, empower the public, capitalise on future opportunities and set long-term future-oriented goals for the CDA and the sector as a whole.