President and CEO of Arabia CSR Network, Mrs. Habiba Al Mar’ashi in a press conference held at the FIVE Palm Jumeirah – a LEED Platinum and Spire Certified Hotel, making it the highest rated and sustainable hotel in the world, officially launched the 16th Cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards. The launch was attended by national and regional media, government organisations and corporate representatives; the event marked the beginning of the 2023 cycle of the annual awards.
The Arabia CSR Awards are the Arab region’s home-grown and premier awards for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. The awards are shaped by international benchmarks, standards and framework; it requires that applicants demonstrate their efforts and achievements within their respective local context. Globally operating companies and multi-national corporations are all expected to present results and outcomes achieved in the Arab Region, as a primary criterion of eligibility. Sustainability reports likewise need to reflect local performance and localised efforts targeting ESG issues on the ground.
The Awards are open to private and public bodies of any size and sector, from any of the countries located in the Arabian Gulf, the Levant and North Africa. Fifteen award categories are available for organisations to choose from, allowing for flexibility and fair competition. The categories are: Small Public Sector Organisations/Departments, Medium Public Sector Organisations/Departments, Large Public Sector Organisations/Departments, Large-sized Enterprises, Medium-sized Enterprises, Small-sized Enterprises, Energy, Financial Services, Social Enterprise, Construction, Hospitality, Healthcare, Best New Business, Automotive Industry and Partnerships & Collaborations (projects/programmes/initiatives).
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Al Mar’ashi said: “In the past 15 years the Arabia CSR Awards has gone from strength to strength. What started as a simple question-based application form is today a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment system. The Awards are dynamic, adapting to the changing context and the expectations of stakeholders. The number of categories has increased, the application has undergone various dissections, modifications and improvements, more languages have been introduced, and the whole process has become a paperless process from start to end. This dynamism has added a unique element to help the Arabia CSR Network enhance the awards time and again. The Awards criteria were developed based on the 10 UNGC Principles, the Global Reporting Initiative’s sustainability reporting standards, the EFQM fundamental concepts, the 17 UN SDG’s and the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance.
These fundamental concepts in CSR and sustainability were integrated into a rigorous and demanding application form. This helped set this award apart from any other similar award and scheme; placing us at the front of the global map of sustainability awards.”
The “Green Oscars of the Middle East” of the Arab region are renowned worldwide for the high-level rigour-based structure and comprehensive evaluation methodology, backed by inputs from an independent and international jury and a third party verification of results. All participating organisations are presented with a full report based on their applications, with self-assessed scores, jury scores and extensive jury feedback that includes recommendations as well. This enables organisations to understand strengths and weaknesses with respect to how they perceive their own performance and how the jury sees it. For years organisations have utilised the outcome of their participation to improve performance and aim for benchmarks and best practices. Thus, the awards have been pivotal in raising the standard of CSR practice in the region, and are viewed as the regional benchmark for CSR and sustainability best practice, helping over a thousand organisations to fit globally established principles and standards to their local contexts.
111 registrations from 12 countries under 15 categories of awards were filed for the Arabia CSR Awards in 2022. Based on a meticulous examination of the documents submitted by the contenders, the jury finalised a list of 31 awardees that were felicitated under 11 categories.
The duration and schedule of the awards was disclosed at the event. Following are the key dates:
- Thursday, April 6th: Arabia CSR Awards 2022 Clinic – A workshop to assist applying organisations and those interested to apply (Virtual)
- Friday, June 30th: Deadline to submit the Awards application. 17:00 hours UAE time
- Saturday, July 1st to Tuesday, August 15th: Review of applications by ACSRA Jury Panel
- 1st Week of September: Announcement of short-listed Organisations
- Wednesday, October 4th: Gala Awarding Ceremony and official conclusion of the 16th cycle
Mrs. Al Marashi also explained that the fully functioning, electronic process of registration, application, submission and evaluation has created an efficient, error-free, technology-driven system.
Three distinguished speakers from RTA, Total Energies and Cyrus Group, represented several of the winning institutions for the year 2022. Their message included the importance of the award as a catalyst for sustainability in the region and a tool for capacity development that contributes to raising its position and enhancing its reputation in the market. The speakers highlighted how the Awards have positively impacted their performance and enhanced sustainability practices. They emphasized the positive difference made by valuable feedback received after the conclusion of the whole process.
While concluding the event, Mrs. Al Mar’ashi expressed her appreciation to all the sponsors for coming on board this cycle of the Awards: GPIC – Platinum Sponsor, McDonald’s UAE – Silver Sponsor, Five Palm Jumeirah – Venue Support, Climate Control and Pan Asian Media – Media Partners, DNV – Assurance Provider, ASDA’A BCW – official communications partner, Emirates Environmental Group – Environmental Partner.
In ACSRN’s continuous effort to minimise the environmental impact of its activities, the Awards will be carbon neutral event courtesy of Farnek. For all those entities looking to advance their sustainability agenda, sponsorships opportunities are open. Get in touch with the team at admin@arabiacsrnetwork.com or awards@arabiacsrnetwork.com for more details.
About the Arabia CSR Network
The Arabia CSR Network is a professional multi stakeholder organisation established in the UAE in 2004. It is devoted to advancing the principles and practices of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in the Arab Region. It facilitates networking, learning and sharing experiences and knowledge in matters of CSR and Sustainability. The Arabia CSR Network was the first GRI certified training partner for the Arabic speaking Middle East countries. The Arabia CSR Network promotes, encourages and recognises responsible business practices through a bunch of services and offerings, including trainings, research and best practice, advisory services, third party assurance and a Pan-Arab acclaimed award initiative known as the Arabia CSR Awards as well as a biennial intellectual platform to discuss the latest in the CSR & sustainability arena known as the Arabia CSR Forum.
For more information, please visit www.arabiacsrnetwork.com;
Email: admin@arabiacsrnetwork.com, awards@arabiacsrnetwork.com
Tel: +97143448622 or +97143448120.
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