April was another busy CSR month for the region with forums, exhibitions, training programs, and conferences. We can clearly see an increasing interest and important activities for CSR at the regional business community. Coming months will be more busy in terms of events and we expect to see new CSR reports.

CSR News from the region also change from only charity direction to other topics of CSR, such as environment, volunteering, governance improvements, employee rights, etc. You can reach to the news about each category at CSR Initiatives categories.

We are happy to welcome 83 new corporate members to CSR Middle East. Join us today! (http://csrmiddleeast.org/)

The most read CSR News in April 2012

National Bank of Oman (NBO) has become the first publicly listed organisation in Oman to release its sustainability report, entitled Responsible Banking. For You. For Our Nation. (http://goo.gl/d6tpU) Mashreq Qatar, a leading financial institution in the region, took part in the Ministry of Environment and Qatar Green Centre's Forestation Campaign for a greener Qatar. (http://goo.gl/fTqMW) RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) lit up the company’s headquarters building with blue lights to mark World Autism Awareness Day. The company’s gesture was in connection with the campaign organised by the State of Qatar to support World Autism Awareness Day. (http://goo.gl/o7EBp) DIFC encourages corporations to adopt more sustainability practices through its CSR workshop. The workshop discussed sustainability practices of different corporates in the UAE and the region, showcasing a number of successful initiatives. (http://goo.gl/uUp9X) The Savola Group, represented by Faten A. Al-Yafi, senior executive director of CSR and PR at The Savola Group, was named one of the nine global winners — and one of only three winners from the MENA region — of the hotly contested CSR Global Challenge initiated by the San Francisco based Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE).(http://goo.gl/CLVXv) CCC celebrates the Sixty years of continuous giving rooted in the beliefs and values of the founders is what distinguishes CCC and makes it unique among other companies. Even before the term ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ became quite popular in recent years, the CCC founders made giving and care for the communities, employees and their families one of their core values which they have been practicing throughout the history of the company.(http://goo.gl/M8vjw) The College of Business Administration (CBA) (Saudi Arabia) signed agreement with Alroha CSR Consultancy company to teach CSR at university. (http://goo.gl/1W7Dk) ALJCI has been given the "Sanabel Al Atta" CSR Award for the business sector, in recognition of its unique initiatives and programs launched in the Arab world, and especially in Saudi Arabia, to create job opportunities. (http://goo.gl/tMzW8)

The most read article of the month:

Delivering the Main Purpose of the Business to the Right Addresses (http://goo.gl/uke4R)

CSR Jobs posted in April 2012

• Social Responsibility Lead - Bilingual Arabic (Thuwal, Saudi Arabia)
• HEAD OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS - A Leading Bank
• CSR Project Manager - PricewaterhouseCoopers / Egypt
• Environment Specialist - Qatar Foundation
• Corporate Social Responsibility Advisor - Arabic Speaker

Maha Al Olayan
Membership and Stakeholder Relations Manager
CSR Middle East
www.csrmiddleeast.org