Etisalat sponsors Corporate Social Responsibility Summit
March 22, 2005
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation-Etisalat has announced that it has signed on as the Platinum Sponsor for the 2nd Middle East Corporate Social Responsibility Summit. The conference, which is held under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, and supported by the Dubai Development and Investment Authority (DDIA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is scheduled for June 5-8, and will be held at the Dusit Dubai Hotel.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the increasingly popular business principle that companies have a responsibility to act in an as ethical manner as possible. The initiation of projects aimed at benefiting the public good—for no other reason that it is ethically the right thing to do, is the core of CSR doctrine. Thousands of businesses across Europe, Japan and North America are now adopting CSR principles into their operating procedures. Etisalat, with its long history of sponsorship and support for community and charitable projects in the UAE, is interested in encouraging the adoption of CSR policies by companies operating in the Middle East, according to Ahmed Bin Ali, Manager of Public Relations for Etisalat.
“Companies with CSR programs are companies that exhibit good management; are successful, well-run companies that have a forward-thinking management style. They increase employee job satisfaction and they build a strong reputation for the company, “Bin Ali said. “As an international telecommunications company Etisalat has an interest in the societies and environments we are operating in now—or will be soon in the future. CSR is something that Etisalat is making a part of our overall way of conducting business.”
The Summit will attempt to explore best practices in CSR and deepen the current practice of CSR principles within the region. A number of the major companies in the UAE and GCC nations are expected to attend.