The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Monday launched the "SCCI Social Responsibility Platform", with the aim to spur sustainable practices in the business environment in the Emirate of Sharjah, raise awareness of the notion of social responsibility, and increase the engagement of the private sector in the initiatives organized by government bodies and institutions.
This came during a ceremony held at the SCCI headquarters, attended by HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman, SCCI, board members, HE Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al-Awadi, Director-General, SCCI, and Maryam Saif Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General of the Support Services Sector, SCCI.
Also attending via video conference were Noha Muhammad Safar Al Harmoudi, Director of the National Fund for Social Responsibility, Jassim Al Balushi, Head of Institutional Excellence at Sharjah Islamic Bank, Hind Abdul Hawaidi, Director of Awareness Programs at Bee’ah, and a number of representatives of private sector companies in Sharjah.
Commenting on the launch, Abdullah Sultan Al Owais said: "We are glad to launch such initiative which aims to enhance the business community’s awareness of the culture of social responsibility, highlight the social role, contributions, and initiatives of the private sector to spur companies to adopt this noble culture and make it an integral part of their institutional values."
He added: "The platform will be a trademark through which the role of private sector companies making tangible change in the society and environment via social sustainability programs will be evaluated. It will also serve as a development tool for companies to implement best practices of social responsibility business and discover weaknesses and strengths in their practical directions to manage the effects of their business activity on the environment and society."
Concluding his remarks, Al Owais highlighted the UAE’s pioneering efforts in humanitarian action its prominent role globally in supporting needy peoples at the global level, thanks to the directives of the wise leadership and its innovative initiatives in this regard, as well as the so many initiatives of government and social institutions.
For her part, Noha Mohamed Safar Al Harmoodi said the National Fund for Corporate Social Responsibility is meant to increase community awareness of social responsibility, activate public-private sustainable development partnerships, encourage companies to set a general policy for concessions, and regulate the contributions of the companies towards community development projects.
"The Fund is a federal agency concerned with setting a regulatory framework for social responsibility contributions and the mechanism for documenting, managing, and directing them in the country. It is also responsible for the development of the general framework of incentives and privileges for practicing social responsibility and activation the role of concerned authorities to regulate and stimulate practices within companies and establishments," she noted.
Jassim Al Balushi said: "Social responsibility has become one of the requirements of our today’s rapidly-evolving world and we can’t achieve objectives of development plans and projects without effective community participation."
He stressed that Sharjah Islamic Bank is committed to its social responsibility towards the community and to support voluntary initiatives, activities, and institutions. This comes in line with the vision of wise leadership, which always calls on the private and government agencies to adhere to their social responsibilities and provide all the necessary support for the success of voluntary work and initiatives.
In turn, Hind Al Huwaidi shed light on the strategic partnership between Bee’ah and the SCCI which falls within the framework of constructive cooperation to enhance the values of social responsibility. She added this comes in line with the vision of the leadership of the Emirate of Sharjah, which puts the sustainability of the environment at the forefront of its priority.
Al Huwaidi noted that Bee’ah considers social responsibility a mainstay in its business. The company also believes that every institution or company has a responsibility towards society and towards preserving the environment through constructive initiatives making a mark in the short or long term.
She further said "Bee’ah" launched the "Bee’ah School for Environmental Education", which aims to create an educated generation of young people who take responsibility. The school also seeks to increase environmental awareness and instill social responsibility among students.
The school has reached more than 170,000 students and 5,000 faculty members so far, to ensure a more sustainable future, she noted.
For her part, Aisha Saleh from the Chamber’s Social Responsibility Department gave a presentation on the most important advantages offered by the SCCI Social Responsibility Platform to its members, noting that the platform aims to highlight members’ contributions, publish and share inspiring examples in this regard, create a specific a brand to evaluate companies’ contributions, provide certain privileges for the contributors such as the “Preference Card”, in addition to organizing an annual forum for best practices, workshops and training courses for members, and consulting services to companies.
She underlined that the platform will also support and contribute to the tasks of the Social Responsibility Committee.