Oman International Social Responsibility conference opens

PARTNERSHIP: The event saw handing over of the international merit award for sustainable development in 2016

SALALAH: Oman International Social Responsibility Conference began at Salalah on Tuesday.

The three-day conference is organised by Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), branch in the Governorate of Dhofar, in collaboration with the Regional Social Responsibility Network and its Social Responsibility International Ambassadors’ Programme.

The opening ceremony included speeches from Awadh bin Hassan al Shanfri, CEO of Salalah Methanol Company, the conference’s strategic partner, as well as the Regional Social Responsibility Network and its Social Responsibility International Ambassadors’ Programme.

Shaikh Duaij bin Khalifa al Khalifa, International Ambassador for Social Responsibility delivered the speech of the Social Responsibility International Ambassadors’ Programme and Dr Abdullah Maatouq al Maatouq, Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, presented the speech of the Social Responsibility Personality of the year 2016.

The event included handing over the international merit award for sustainable development in 2016 to several personalities and institutions at the GCC and Arab states. The sponsors of the conference were also honoured.

Salalah Methanol Company also signed several CSR agreements worth of about RO 600,000 in favour of Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO), the Directorate-General of Health, the Directorate-General of Social Development, the College of Technology in the Governorate of Dhofar.

A specialised exhibition themed “Responsible Social Partnership” was organised on the sidelines of the conference. The exhibition displayed models of the best institutions in terms of CSR in Oman, GCC, Arab and foreign states.

Responsible News Agency (RNA), the first Arab dedicated news agency in social responsibility and sustainable development, was also launched during the event. RNA is one of the initiatives of the Regional Social Responsibility Network.

The digital platform for the social responsibility international ambassadors was also launched.

The opening ceremony was attended by Sayyid Faisal bin Turki al Said, Chairman of the Omani Special Olympics, the ex-Sudanese President Abdul Rahman Suwar al Dahab and ministers from GCC and Arab brotherly states. The conference aims at creating an effective partnership between the private sector and civil society organisations. It also aims at highlighting the role of social responsibility in the Omani society and encouraging private companies to contribute to social projects as this will contribute to achieving the aims of the UN Sustainable Development goals 2030.

The conference aims at creating an effective partnership between the private sector and civil society organisations.