Awards for firms’ sustainability efforts
826 organisations representing 31 sectors have registered to participate
The 11th cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards was launched yesterday with the introduction of a new sector-specific category this year.
The Arabia CSR Awards recognise and honour organisations in the Arab region that demonstrate outstanding leadership and commitment to corporate sustainability.
With the introduction of a new sector-specific category, the awards will be spanning 12 categories this year, raising the bar for both intra-sector and cross-sector competition. The categories are Public Sector, Large, Medium, Small, Energy, Financial Services, Social Enterprise, Construction, Hospitality, Health care, New Business, and Partnerships and Collaborations.
The awards are in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and externally verified by one of the world’s most reputed providers of business assurance, DNV-GL. The criteria of the awards are derived from global and regional frameworks and standards, namely, the UN Global Compact Ten Principles, GRI and the European EFQM business excellence model.
As many as 826 organisations representing 31 sectors have registered to participate in the awards, with more than 1,000 applications recorded, 13 countries covered and 161 awards conferred on the CSR champions of the Arab world over the last 10 years.
Habiba Al Marashi, Arabia CSR Network president and CEO, said the Arabia CSR Awards are seen as the Arab region’s own benchmark in CSR and sustainability. “Using the application process, hundreds of organisations have been able to upgrade their CSR and sustainability practices and brought them into alignment with international standards and best practices.
“This is primarily the reason for its popularity and why it has grown in stature over the years to become the most highly coveted CSR and sustainability award among Arabian companies and government establishments,” Al Marashi said.
During the launch, the 2017 winners were presented and they shared how the awards had taken them the extra mile on their sustainability journeys.