58 members join ENGAGE Dubai employee volunteering program

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s ENGAGE Dubai initiative, managed by its Centre for Responsible Business, announced the success of the employee volunteering program in encouraging 917 volunteers to devote more than 4,300 hours of their time to make a positive difference in local communities. DLA Piper, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, and Mashreq Bank contributed with the most volunteering hours. 

This was revealed in ENGAGE Dubai’s annual report for the period from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012 when volunteers participated in a series of initiatives and events including the Give & Gain Day to swap their usual working day to volunteer for a good cause in the society. They also volunteered in the University of Dubai “Faculty for a Day” program and INJAZ-UAE Company Program as well as other social activities. 

The ENGAGE Dubai program has 58 members including 46 corporates and 12 community partners.   

Commenting on the role played by the ENGAGE Dubai program in promoting the concept of corporate social responsibility and its application in Dubai, Dr. Belaid Rettab, Senior Director, Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber, stated that the program encourages companies to mobilise the time, talent, energy and resources of employees to contribute to the community and to make a real difference on the issues that matter to the local community. 

He further stressed that the program comes as part of Dubai Chamber’s efforts to promote responsible business practices and to spread a culture of corporate social responsibility as well as to spark the desire to adopt voluntary work amongst the business community. 

Dr. Rettab called upon companies to participate in the voluntary program’s activities and to make a difference in the lives of the various sections of the society who deserve and need this type of support. 

Launched in 2008 by the Centre for Responsible Business, ENGAGE Dubai is part of an international network of businesses and community organisations that collaborate to support the development of healthy and sustainable communities through increasing the quality and quantity of employee involvement and volunteering in their local communities. The international ENGAGE Program, managed by Business in the Community (BITC) in the UK, operates in major cities including Paris, Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Hong Kong.