Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (3rd Oct 2018).  In a star studded affair featuring the leading luminaries of the Arab Region, the 12th Cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards, the first of its kind in the reigon and considered to be the glittering jewel of CSR and sustainability in the Middle East, announced the 2019 winning entities. 

 

The  shimmering, high profile Awards Gala was held under the patronage and in presence of H.E. Eng. Sheikh Salem bin Sultan bin Saqr Al-Qasimi - Chairman – Department of Civil Aviation – Ras Al Khaimah and was attended by almost 300 VIP personalities and dignitaries both from the public and private sector from the UAE and beyond. 

 

The 12th  Cycle of the Arabia Corporate Social Responsibility Awards was exclusively sponsored by Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC). Other sponsoring entities included Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) as Gold  and McDonald's UAE as Silver Sponsor. Gulf News, Climate Control Middle East and UAE-Swiss Magazine were the official Media Partners of the event.

 

Having built up a reputation of integrity and rigorous scrutiny, the Awards, now in its 12th Cycle, galvanises organisations across the Gulf, Levant and North Africa to compete with regional counterparts in the field of CSR and sustainability. The twelve carefully identified  sectors ensure that the Awards cater to all types and categories of entities operating in the region. The criteria of the awards, based on global benchmarks such as the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Principles, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model, makes it one of the most rigorous CSR awards at the global level. In keeping with the linguistic diversity of the Region, applications can be submitted in English, Arabic or French.

 

In addition to introducing an element of healthy competition amongst responsible businesses, non-profits and government entities, the Arabia CSR Awards’ key strength is that of capacity-building and raising the bar for sustainability practices in the region. In the process of receiving and evaluating applications, participants are given trainings and detailed feedback on their performance to allow them to improve over time. 

 

Speaking about the evolution of the Arabia CSR Awards and its application process, Arabia CSR Network President and CEO Habiba Al Mar’ashi commented, "Since its inception, the Arabia CSR Awards has received strong support and sponsorship from across the Arab world and beyond, enabling it to become the region's most deeply rooted award and consistent with the local context and changes," she added that "The Arabia CSR Awards are a platform for all institutions operating in the Arab world, regardless of the size of the institutions, their experience or the number of times they have submitted," she said. 

 

The Group CEO of Emirates National Oil Co. who are the Exclusive Sponsors of the Arabia CSR Awards, H.E. Mr. Saif Humaid Al Falasi said “On behalf of ENOC, I would like to express my gratitude to the Arabia CSR Awards for recognising our Group’s commitment towards Corporate Social Responsibility, a philosophy we truly believe is at the core of our strategy and operations. Energy demand is on a constant rise, and as a leading energy player, we remain committed to explore avenues that enable us to give back to communities in which we operate, and minimise impact on the environment.”

 

In 2019, the Arabia CSR Awards have driven 116 organisations from different parts of the Arab Region, to demonstrate the level of maturity that would reflect their commitment, inclusiveness

and the quest for continuous improvement. These submissions originated from 42 wide-ranging and diverse sectors operating out of 14 countries in the Arab Region. Out of them, 28 organisations

were able to convincingly distinguish themselves as true champions and exemplars of sustainability.

 

List of Winners :

 

 

S.No. Position Name of Organisation

 

 

 

Country 

Small

1 Winner AESG Project Development Consultant United Arab Emirates 

2 1st  Runner Up Knowledge Group United Arab Emirates 

3 2nd  Runner UP Etihad ESCO United Arab Emirates 

Medium

4 Winner Al Jazeera International Catering LLC United Arab Emirates

5 1st  Runner Up Salalah Methanol Company Sultanate of Oman 

Large

6 Winner (Tie) Emirates Integrated Telecommunication Company PJSC United Arab Emirates

7 Gulf Petrochemical Indusctries Company (GPIC) Kingdom of Bahrain

8 1st  Runner Up (Tie) Accenture Middle East United Arab Emirates

9 ALSAYER Holding Company State of Kuwait

10 2nd  Runner Up Transguard Group United Arab Emirates

Public Sector

11 Winner Dubai Electricity and Water Authority United Arab Emirates

12 1st  Runner Up Dubai Customs United Arab Emirates

13 2nd  Runner Up Municipality and Planning Department of Ajman United Arab Emirates

Social Enterprise

14 Winner Oman LNG Foundation Sultanate of Oman

Energy

15 Winner Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) United Arab Emirates

16 1st  Runner Up ENGIE United Arab Emirates

Financial Services

17 Winner BMCE Bank of Africa Kingdom of Morocco

18 1st Runner Up UAE Exchange Centre United Arab Emirates

19 2nd  Runner Up Saudi Investment Bank Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Hospitality

20 Winner Holiday Inn Dubai - Al Barsha United Arab Emirates

21 1st Runner Up Two Seasons Hotel & Apartments United Arab Emirates

Construction

22 Winner AF Construction United Arab Emirates

Healthcare

23 Winner Aster DM Healthcare United Arab Emirates

Partnerships & Collaborations

24 Winner

  Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation United Arab Emirates

25

1st Runner Up (Tie)

Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) Kingdom of Bahrain

26 Ma’aden Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

27

2nd Runner Up (Tie)

BMCE Bank of Africa Kingdom of Morocco

28 Morouj Commodities Ltd Republic of Sudan

 

 

The Awards Gala also featured two interesting segments that added lustre to the proceedings. First of all, Dr. Dena Assaf  the UN Resident Coordinator for the United Arab Emirates gave an insightful and riveting speech about the state of CSR and sustainability both globally and in the Arab Region. Then the winners and attendees were enthralled by a lively musical performance by the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Ending the night, Mrs Habiba Al Mar’ashi congratulated the winning entities and encouraged the participants to take this as another step in the journey and to not give up. She hoped to see all of them and more from the region to participate in the 13th Cycle of the Awards.