DUBAI, 20th March, 2017 (WAM) -- In line with the implementation of the national strategy for 2017 as the #Year of Giving, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, headed the first coordination meeting today in Dubai to discuss the corporate social responsibility, CSR, agendas of companies and institutions. This falls within the CSR path assigned to the Ministry of Economy in partnership with several local and national government agencies in the UAE involved in the implementation of CSR initiatives.

The meeting was attended by Ministry officials Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Under-Secretary for Economic Affairs, and Humaid bin Butti Al Muhairi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Corporate Sector and Consumer Protection. Other senior officials present were Sami Al Qamzi, Director-General the Department of Dubai Economy, Naji Al Hai, Assistant Under-Secretary for Social Affairs of Ministry of Community Development, Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Deputy Chairman of the UAE Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Humaid Mohammed bin Salim, Secretary-General of the UAE Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Mansour Sultan Al Kharji, Director-General of the Department of Economic Development in Umm Al Qaiwain.

The meeting reviewed and discussed initiatives listed on the CSR path for companies and private institutions within the national strategy for the #Year of Giving. The initiatives will focus on developing supportive and stimulating corporate environments for social responsibility as well as finding suitable tools for the state to measure the level of development and corporate commitment in this regard through the launch of a smart platform and a national index for monitoring related corporate practices.

Minister Al Mansouri said that the proposed initiatives will establish a set of incentives and regulations for encouraging private and foreign companies operating within the state to enhance their commitment to social responsibility and invest responsibly in the community to serve the UAEs development goals for their mutual benefit.

Al Mansouri added that there are many experiences for companies within the UAE to emulate in terms of the adoption of activities and initiatives that serve the community as part of the commitment to social responsibility. These, he explained, fall within the framework of ongoing partnerships between the government and private sectors that support the UAEs social, economic and environmental development.

The Minister added that the initiatives include financial privileges and in-kind incentives to be provided by federal and local government entities for companies showing excellence in corporate giving, which will be incorporated in the federal law on social responsibility to be introduced within the course of a "legislative system relevant to the objectives of the year of giving."

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2017.