Governments in the Middle East urged to promote corporate social responsibility

Dubai: Governments should promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an integral part of business operations and a proven management tool to achieve success in an organisation, Habiba Al Marashi, president of Arabia CSR Network, said.

“It is time for Middle East governments to step in and put the right rules and regulations in place to encourage corporate social responsibility across businesses,” she said. “Implementing and integrating CSR and sustainability is still a huge challenge for businesses today. Only 30 per cent of companies believe that CSR is important. Most companies in the Arab world don’t have a CSR policy,” Habiba said.

CSR is a new concept not only in the Arab world but also worldwide. Governments should develop rules that encourage businesses to implement CSR programme as part of their business strategy, she added.

Established in 2008, Arabia CSR Network is a multi-stakeholder platform that aims to bring a greater focus on CSR programmes within government and private entities in the Arab world.

Arabia CSR Network launched the 7th cycle of its Award which will take place on April 21. It will recognise organisations from the public and private sector for their social, environmental and corporate performance.