Speakers address journalists at the media launch of Arabia CSR Awards.

The accepting of applications for the 13th cycle of the Arabic CSR Award has started and the last date is June 30, 2020. The results will be announced in a grand ceremony on Oct.6 in Dubai.

Running successfully for the past 12 years, the thirteenth cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards was officially launched in Dubai yesterday morning.

The awards are open to companies of any size, sector and geographical location within the region. The results will be announced in a grand ceremony to be held on the 6th of October in Dubai.

There are manifold reasons behind the immense popularity and global renown enjoyed by the “Arab Sustainability Benchmark” or the “Green Oscars”. Starting with a highly rigorous criteria based on leading international standards (notably, UN Global Compact Ten Principles, GRI Standards, European EFQM business excellence model and the UN Sustainable Development Goals), to the modern, smart technology based fully automated process, an independent jury of experts coming from various parts of the globe as well as the opportunity for self-assessment, and going down to the third party verification of the results – the awards are believed to be unique in every aspect and of a very high standard of quality in every way. The added value of the awards is widely recognised, for providing applicants with a detailed analysis by the jury along with the scores for each question (termed as ‘statements’) in the application. Past applicants of the awards have openly expressed their deep appreciation of this aspect of the awards, citing its effectiveness in enhancing their knowledge and practice of CSR and Sustainability.

Presented in 13 categories this year, the awards provide ample space for selecting suitable categories. Separate and tailored questionnaires make each category contextual and fit for purpose. The categories are: Public Sector Organisations / Departments, Large-sized Enterprises, Medium-sized Enterprises, Small-sized Enterprises, Energy, Financial Services, Social Enterprise, Construction, Hospitality, Healthcare, Best New Business, Partnerships & Collaborations and Automotive (New).

This represents a valuable learning curve that takes organisations to new heights of excellence. Furthermore, it helps organisations to develop responses to the changes and developments taking place in the physical and business environments by alerting them to new or emerging issues, best practices and innovations. So far, close to 1,200 participants have applied across the 12 past cycles, representing 42 sectors, and belonging to 14 Arab countries.

Speaking at the launch, President and CEO Habiba Al Marashi of Arabia CSR Network, the organisation that instituted and continues to run the awards, said, “The Arabia CSR Awards has established itself as the most rigorous and highly acclaimed Awards of its kind in the region, integrating the most powerful international guidelines and frameworks and implementing them in the Arab region, bridging the gap between theory and practice beautifully.”

The launch was also attended by including several speakers that represented last year’s winning organisations including Etihad Esco, Dewa, Accenture Middle East and Aster DM Healthcare.

Once again, the Arabia CSR Awards are out in search of the “influencers” and “game changers” within the sustainability domain. This year too the awards look forward to unveil the real champions and showcase their achievements in a bid to honour their efforts and inspire others to follow suit. Organisations are urged to grab the opportunity to compete with the best in class performers across the Arab world in terms of CSR and Sustainability good practice, and be judged by highly rated subject matter experts from around the world.

Instituted in 2008, the Arabia CSR Awards marked its tenth anniversary in 2017. Hailed regionally and globally as the sustainability benchmark of the Arab region, the awards have grown and expanded its ambit considerably during the past decade. Through 12 cycles, the Arabia CSR Awards has received more than 1,200 registered applications from more than a thousand organisations representing 42 industry sectors from 14 countries in three different languages (Arabic, English and French).