The Arabia CSR Network hosted a complimentary 'Arabia CSR Awards Clinic' for potential applicants on Tuesday, 15th June 2010, at the Movenpick Hotel, Dubai.
The Arabia CSR Awards 2010, instituted by the Arabia CSR Network and supported by the United Nations Global Compact is now inviting entries for the third cycle of the Awards which was launched on 13th May 2010. Considered the most significant award scheme for CSR best practices in the region, the Arabia CSR Awards has witnessed tremendous response from all sectors of corporate organizations across the entire Arab world in the previous cycles. The first two cycles of the Awards saw more than 130 entries from the GCC, Levant and Northern Africa.
The 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 any of the Arab countries.
The workshop aimed to provide participants with the complete Awards procedure; assist in giving in-depth understanding of the rationale behind the questions, synopsis and supporting documents.
The 2009 Awards finalists, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) and Dubai Customs came on board to share their Awards experience, The challenges faced, benefits gained from the whole Awards experience and give practical tips and hands on experience on how they submitted an Award winning application. They emphasized the importance of initiating the application process early on and providing factual information backed by strong evidence.
Dr Gracia Ugut, member of the Arabia CSR Awards Judging panel is an Associate Dean, Asian Institute of Management, the Philippines with many years of experience in corporate governance and corporate social responsibility and many published papers on these topics. Dr Ugut, is also an instrumental member of the Awards Cycles and was in Dubai on a special visit to walk the applicants through the 2010 Awards questionnaire briefly explaining each question and the rationale behind it.
The presentations were followed by an interactive question and answer session which was chaired by a panel consisting of Habiba Al Marashi President Arabia CSR Network, Dr Gracia Ugut, Arabia CSR Awards judging panel and Hope Sherwin, CSR Advisor to Arabia CSR Network.
Addressing the audience, Mrs. Al Marashi, stated that "Most organizations have been involved in employee engagement and community engagement initiatives for a long time and however with the changing business climate these organizations are integrating these principles in the strategy of their business. This is what the Arabia CSR Awards is about; a platform to recognize organisations who have been leading the way and encourage them to reach greater heights and motivate others to join in"
Entries for the Third Cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards close on 26th August 2010.
