The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised the emirate’s largest business-led sustainability conference, “Dubai Dialogue: Responsibility Matters – Driving Sustainability Forward through Smart Business Planning” at its headquarters on Tuesday.

Advocating the importance of corporate social responsibility in the real business world, the conference organised for the 4th running, was inaugurated by H.E. Hamad Buamim, Director General, Dubai Chamber.

This Dubai Dialogue provided a learning platform for business leaders from the UAE’s private sector looking to integrate CSR and sustainability into their strategies and daily business processes. It aimed to add to participants’ knowledge to bring more clarity and direction to the application of CSR.
Participants had the opportunity to discuss practices and challenges in implementing CSR and sustainability and hear from leading business professionals about how to successfully integrate and embed new CSR and sustainability into the culture of an organisation. The conference showcased real-examples from UAE-based companies that are leading the way in CSR.

The day-long event highlighted some common challenges which businesses in Dubai and the UAE are facing and identified alternative ways to help them continue to move forward with their sustainability agendas.


In his opening address, H.E. Buamim said that over the years, CSR has become increasingly important for companies as customers and stakeholders demand businesses be more ethical and less damaging to the environment.

“Dubai has been quite mindful of the need to incorporate sustainability into our economic and social policies for long-term development. We are constantly striving to create a business environment that is conducive to investments and jobs, and enhances the living environment for the people,” said H.E. Buamim.

The Director General of Dubai Chamber added that implementing and integrating CSR and sustainability is still a huge challenge for businesses today, as shown by the 2012 annual survey conducted by the Centre for Responsible Business, which found that only 44% of companies believe that CSR is important to the company andthat only 8.5% of companies have a CSR policy and strategy.

H.E. Buamim urged Dubai businesses to benefit from the products and services offered by the Centre for Responsible Business, which are designed to help companies understand and implement CSR and sustainability into their business operations. These include ENGAGE Dubai, the employee volunteering programme; the CSR Label, a framework that helps companies assess their CSR performance and profile themselves as responsible companies; and the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network, which offers companies the opportunity to network with other forward thinking firms, share their experiences and demonstrate their CSR achievements.

The topics discussed at the conference included how to develop a CSR strategy, how CSR can improve profits, risk management and sustainability reporting, why climate change is a source of strategic risk and how to lead change towards sustainability within an organisation.

Speakers included Mr. Tom Pennella, Senior Vice President and Managing Director – Middle East and North Africa, CH2M Hill; Ms. Deanna Othman, General Manager, Premium Banking Business Unit, Standard Chartered; Mr. Raji Hattar, Chief Sustainability and Compliance Officer, Aramex; Mr. Steven Pratt, Sales Director and Sustainability Ambassador, Middle East, InterfaceFLOR, and Board Member of the Emirates Green Building Council; Mr. Omar Shaban, Director, Cisco NetVersity, Cisco; Mr. Victor Schoone, Country Manager (Middle East) ROCA; and Mr. Yves Manghardt, Chairman and CEO, Nestlé Middle East. A summary of the conference and concluding remarks were delivered by Dr. Belaid Rettab, Senior Director – Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber.

Mr. Manghardt, said: “Creating shared value is Nestlé’s approach to sustainability, our way of doing business across the entire value chain. We believe that for our business to be successful in the long term, we must create value not only for our shareholders, but also for society at large.”

Mr. Schoonesaid: “Now we still have a choice to act, let’s do so. We all have a responsibility which we, as a modern and developed society, should start taking very seriously. The future of our children, the next generation, is in our hands and we need to act.

The Country Manager for ROCA added: “ROCA and the We Are Water Foundation are confident that by contributing to creating awareness about the need to change our behaviour with regards to the consumption of water, the positive change this world needs will ultimately happen, even if our contribution is small: in the end, all contributions add up; the important thing is that the sooner we all contribute, the better it is all for all, including ourselves,” he said.

Mr. Pennella said: “CH2M HILL is built on respect, delivery excellence and client service. We take great pride in investing our professional expertise, volunteer time and financial resources to address environmental and social issues that affect the communities where we live and work.”

Mr. Shabansaid: “At Cisco, CSR is a disciplined approach that creates sustainable benefits for our business and global communities. For example, the Cisco Networking Academy Program is one of the largest education programmes in the world, recognised globally for its innovative approach to providing ICT skills education in partnership with educational institutions, governments and community based organisations to prepare students for careers in the 21st-century global economy.”

In his concluding remarks Dr. Rettab said:“Today, sustainability and corporate social responsibility are no longer idealistic concerns.

Developing a credible and effective CSR strategy can be an overwhelming and time-consuming task. Organisations need to understand and prioritise both the strategic and reputational risks that arise as a consequence of their business practices and operations.”

Dr. Belaid added: “Over the past seven years the Centre for Responsible Business has made significant achievements in mainstreaming CSR and sustainability values into the business community by forging common ground around issues that are at the sidelines of corporate strategies and decision making.”

A Dubai Chamber initiative, the Centre for Responsible Business was formed in 2004 in order to promote CSR in the UAE. The Centre assists Dubai businesses in applying responsible practices and encourages them to enhance their performance and competitive advantage.