127 Applications from 72 Organisations in 12 Arab Countries

Mrs.Habiba Al Marashi: Introduction of 3 new categories increasing total to 9

Dubai, UAE, June 15^th, 2015: The Arabia CSR Network announced receiving 127 applications from 72 organisations in 12 Arab countries across 24 sectors to date for the 8^th Cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards. ACSRN has also announced that the number of award categories have increased to 9 including 3 new categories which are : 'Financial Services,' 'Energy' and 'Social Enterprise' in addition to the previous categories :'Large,' 'Medium,' 'Small,' 'Public,' 'Partnership & Collaboration,' 'Best New Business,'.

Organisations who are driving CSR to a new era in the Arab world will be honoured at this year's Arabia CSR Awards, Forum and Ceremony, which will be held on October 27-28, 2015 in Dubai. Now in its eighth cycle, the annual programme from Arabia CSR Network, (ACSRN), the region's largest and most influential CSR and sustainability multi-stakeholder platform, will pay tribute to public and private sector entities from across the Arab region  that have helped achieve excellence in their sustainability practices.

The Arabia CSR Awards recognises organisations who are helping to change the regional CSR landscape from one previously characterised by perfunctory activities to one now leading the way on the global CSR stage in an elegant gala dinner. The Arabia CSR Network will also hold the highly anticipated Awards Forum which will be held under the title ''Beyond Responsibility: Towards Transformational Sustainability'' in 2015. The dais will host an array of global experts in the field who will gather to deliberate on the journey and challenges towards transformational sustainability and share CSR best practice.

"The Arabia CSR Awards was launched in 2008 to honour those organisations that have excelled in their sustainability operations. The accolade has enhanced our role as a multi-stakeholder platform that effectively empowers and recognizes organisations to aspire to become sustainability champions. This year, our focus is on those public and private sector bodies that have been instrumental in helping to create a new CSR paradigm for the region by going beyond cursory initiatives and instead making CSR an integral part of their business practice," said Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi, President and CEO, ACSRN.

She added that ''The Arabia CSR Awards Forum and Ceremony is the first programme of its kind to reach out to private companies, public departments and civil society organisations across the GCC, North Africa and Levant. It is the only such scheme to be supported by the United Nations Global Compact, leading to its reputation as a premium platform for CSR professionals and high-ranking government officials''.

This year's Awards will be held under the auspices of the League of Arab States for the second consecutive year. It is also being held in strategic collaboration with UNEP following a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in October 2014, which outlined the Awards' role in the promotion of sustainable development goals in the Arab world. Further adding to the programme's significance is the ACSRN's 3^rd party assurance by the DNV-GL, the third largest CSR accreditation body in the world. Sponsors for the 2015 awards include: Ma'aaden, The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Exclusive Strategic Sponsor) and ENOC (Emirates National Oil Company) and NATPET National Petrochemical Industrial Company (Gold Sponsors). Emirates Environmental Group will be the Environmental Partner for the event with Media Partners including: Arabian Business, News Services Group Middle East ME Newswire, Gulf News, Omnicom Media Group, 7DAYS, Eye of Riyadh and Blu Lowe Kuwait.

Further information about the Arabia CSR Awards can be found on awards.arabiacsrnetwork.com.

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About the Arabia CSR Awards
The Arabia CSR Awards is the Arab region's premier knowledge and recognition initiative on CSR and sustainability. Currently in its 8th cycle, the Awards have so far elicited close to 800 applications from small, medium and large businesses, governmental entities, academic institutions and civil society organisations from thirteen countries situated in the Arabian Gulf, Levant and North Africa. Entries are sought across nine categories as applicable; Large, Medium, Small, Public, Partnership & Collaboration, Best New Business, Financial Services, Energy, and Social Enterprise. Up to the second week of June 2015, there have been 127 applications from 72 organisations across 24 sectors in 12 MENA countries. The Arabia CSR Awards' previous cycles have accomplished two valuable outcomes - the establishing of the Arabia CSR Awards Forum and the Best Practices Publication, both which have served to educate and inspire sustainable practices among public and private organisations from across the Arab world. The Arabia CSR Forum and Awards 2015 is supported by the UN Global Compact and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and will be held under the auspices of the League of Arab States. Its corporate sponsors and partners are Maaden (The Saudi Arabian Mining Company), NATPET, ENOC, EEG, Arabian Business, BLULOWE, NSG, 7 Days, DMTV and Eye of Riyadh.

The 8th Annual Arabia CSR Awards is being held in conjunction with the Arabia CSR Forum, the most prestigious sustainability platform in the region. The annual event has become renowned for its hosting of an array of international experts in the field. The title of this year's Arabia CSR Forum is: Beyond Responsibility: Towards Transformational Sustainability, with the event preceding the Arabia CSR Awards and taking place on October 27-28, 2015 in Dubai.For more information about the 8th Annual Arabia CSR Awards, please visit: http://awards.arabiacsrnetwork.com/

About the Arabia CSR Network
Established in the UAE in 2004, the Arabia CSR Network is a professional organisation devoted to advancing the principles and practices of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Arab region. It is a multi-stakeholder platform to network, learn and share experiences and knowledge in matters of CSR. The Arabia CSR Network was the first GRI-certified training partner for the Arabic speaking Middle East countries. The Arabia CSR Network promotes, encourages and recognises responsible business practices through a comprehensive array of services and offerings; including trainings, research and best practice, advisory service, third party assurance and a Pan-Arab acclaimed award initiative known as the Arabia CSR Awards. For more information, please visit www.arabiacsrnetwork.com or email us at admin@arabiacsrnetwork.com.

© Press Release 2015