The Arabia CSR Network has received until now 1,319 applications since its inception – stated by the awards’ Founder and President Mrs. Habiba Al Mar’ashi

The Arabia CSR Network announced the opening of nominations for the 15th round of the Arabia CSR Awards, during a hybrid press conference held in Dubai yesterday morning at the Stella Di Mare Hotel - Dubai Marina, in the presence of a group of local and international media and many representatives from government and private entities both physically and virtually.

Speaking at the conference, Ms. Habiba Al Mar’ashi, Founder and President of the Network, said, “The Arabia CSR Award has established itself as the most rigorous and highly acclaimed award of its kind in the region, as it has sought to integrate and implement the strongest international guidelines and frameworks in the Arab Region and bridge the gap between theory and practice is beautiful, and over the past fourteen cycles, the network has received 1,319 submissions from 1,236 organisations from 14 countries in the Arab world, representing 43 industries and businesses.

Furthermore, she highlighted that with fifteen categories to choose from, an organisation can apply to the one that best fits its description and activities. 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).

In 2022, two newly introduced categories targeting applicants from the public sector, based on the size of the entity. This enhancement has been made with the intent of ensuring fair competition among different governmental entities and departments. The development is a product of the annual review that the awards undergo at the conclusion of each cycle; an exercise that helps to maintain the high standards, contemporaneity and relevance of the awards.

Mrs. Al Mar’ashi called on all government and private institutions, joint ventures and social institutions in the Arab region to apply and win the prestigious award, noting that the award's new cycle has been launched after the great success it has achieved over the past 14 years. She said that the door for candidacy is open to entities of any size, sector and geographical location within the Arab World.

Once again the search is on for the Sustainability Champions in the Arab world. Any organisation that is keen for a place in the distinguished gallery of winners of the Arabia CSR Awards can join the 15th cycle by registering via the website and contacting the award secretariat for any information or clarification. The secretariat will provide continuous support to applicants throughout the cycle. The following are the key dates of the 2022 awards:

• Wednesday, January 12th: Press Launch of Arabia CSR Awards in Dubai, UAE Registrations are open for the 15th Cycle
• Thursday, April 7th: Arabia CSR Awards 2022 Clinic – A workshop to assist applying organisations and those interested to apply (Virtual)
• Thursday, June 30th: Deadline to submit the Awards application. 17:00 hours UAE time
• Friday, July 1st to Monday, August 15th: Review of applications by ACSRA Jury Panel
• 1st Week of September: Announcement of short-listed Organisations
• Wednesday, October 5th:  Gala Awarding Ceremony and official conclusion of the 15th cycle

Speaking at the event, Mrs. Habiba said: “The 2021 award cycle was remarkable, in many respects. More than 100 registrations were received from 74 private and public sector entities in 13 categories across 9 countries in the MENA region, which is a noteworthy achievement given the persistence of the pandemic. Among the countries, the United Arab Emirates recorded the largest number of requests, followed by Saudi Arabia.

She added: “Out of the 13 award categories, the highest numbers of 25 registrations were received for the Partnerships & Collaboration category, followed by 13 for the Large Business category. In the past year, another notable factor was the high rate of sustainability reports which was evident with the fact that 40 applications made it to the final assessment, 33 were supported by published sustainability reports. All this attests to the spread of sustainable development practices in the Arab region and the increasing number of sustainability leaders.”

The awards’ President Mrs. Habiba Al Mar’ashi added, “The world as we knew it changed in 2020, presenting unprecedented and unforeseen challenges on the socio-economic and environmental front. No sector of society was unscathed, and every business was affected in one way or another by the pandemic and its consequences. Governments and corporates grappled with forced lockdowns, human distress and death, slowing down of economic activity, and a society operating on a 24/7 high alert, emergency mode. However, the extraordinary circumstances also created rare opportunities for innovation and breakthroughs. Two years down, we continue to witness the monumental efforts of governments and the private sector to deal with the situation and fabricate new structures that will support economic recovery and bring stability to societies.”

She underlined that the Arabia CSR Awards is hailed as the Arab region’s ‘Green Oscars’. The awards have been instrumental in setting a regional benchmark for CSR and sustainability best practice, helping over a thousand organisations apply globally established principles and standards within the local context. These are broadly based on the UN Global Compact Ten Principles, GRI Standards, European EFQM business excellence model and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). It also provides ample scope for alignment with local priorities, mandates and strategies.

A complete electronic process of registration, application, submission and evaluation ensures an efficient, technology-driven system. A panel of global experts independently judges all submissions, and the final assessment and results are audited and verified by a third-party assurance provider. One of the richest take-away from the awards is the detailed jury report with scores and comments. These standards enable a comprehensive understanding of the social responsibility and sustainability system, which shows applicants the scope and depth of practices that should be covered, as this leads to the creation of a valuable learning curve that allows institutions to reach new heights of excellence and achievement. This also helps organisations develop responses to changes and developments that occur in physical and business environments thus creating unparalleled opportunities for closing gaps, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and bringing in great improvements within the organisation’s sustainability structure.

Mrs. Al Marashi was joined by speakers from Dubai Police, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, who represented several of the winning institutions for the year 2021. 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.

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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 on the latest in the sustainability arena known as the Arabia CSR Forum.