Empowering the Third Sector: Dubai Launches Phase 3 of ‘Ethraa’ to Drive Institutional Excellence in Non-Profit Organizations

The Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai has launched the third phase of its flagship “Ethraa” initiative to evaluate and empower non-profit organizations, advancing Dubai's vision to strengthen a high-impact Third Sector ecosystem in line with the Dubai Social Agenda 33.

A Leadership Vision Focusing on Human Empowerment

Her Excellency Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Director General of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, underscored the strategic depth of the initiative, stating:

"The launch of Phase 3 of “Ethraa” fully reflects the vision of our wise leadership, which consistently puts human empowerment and social cohesion at the forefront of Dubai's priorities. Our ultimate core priority is building and empowering a high-impact Third Sector ecosystem through qualitative initiatives that foster an enabling and stimulating environment for non-profit entities. By doing so, we ensure they become highly sustainable strategic partners, driving comprehensive development and reinforcing Dubai's position as a global benchmark for institutionalized social work and exceptional quality of life."

Transitioning to High-Impact Governance

Out of 146 organizations supervised by CDA, 146 non-profit entities have actively engaged in this institutional development journey, the initiative evaluates technical, administrative, and financial pillars based on rigorous governance frameworks.

Commenting on the operational deployment, Dr. Ahmed Al Hashemi, CEO of the Social Regulation and Services Sector at CDA, said:

"Phase 3 of 'Ethraa' marks a qualitative leap in our operational, financial, and technical empowerment of the Third Sector. We are focusing on embedding institutional excellence as a sustainable work culture. Hosting the extensive orientation workshop at Al Khawaneej Majlis, which engaged over 146 sector leaders, reflects our community readiness to drive the sector toward unprecedented levels of institutional maturity and equip non-profit organizations with advanced methodologies to maximize their efficiency."

Three Pillars of Excellence

The "Ethraa" framework evaluates organizations based on three key pillars: Institutional Empowerment & Governance, Human & Social Capital Sustainability, and Performance Excellence. Upon completing the evaluation, organizations will compete for the "Ithraa Excellence Award" across three tiers: Gold, Silver, and Bronze, building upon the success of past cycles which saw winning institutions rise from 25 to 30.