Watch: Majra to unify UAE’s ‘collective good’ at Impact Summit 2025

Majra, the National CSR Fund, is preparing to gather the country’s most influential changemakers at the Impact Summit 2025 on November 27, Thursday, in Abu Dhabi – a flagship event designed to turn corporate social responsibility (CSR) from scattered goodwill into a unified national force for measurable impact.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Sarah Shaw, CEO of Majra, stressed the authority’s central mission: directing private-sector contributions to priority national challenges. “We ensure that the private sector contributions really address real community needs, they align with our national priorities, and result in measurable change,” she told Gulf News. “The Summit turns this vision into action by launching platforms, commitments, and even tools that drive sustainable high-impact programmes across the UAE.”

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The Summit will gather government entities, private-sector leaders, civil society, academia, social entrepreneurs and community groups under a single national framework.
Shaw said this year’s summit theme: ‘Unifying Collective Good for the UAE’ reflects Majra’ drive to bring order, structure, and purpose to CSR.
“Once we standardise our definitions of CSR and sustainability, and when we establish a shared sense of priorities, we can enable a strategic collaboration that will allow us to accelerate the development of what we call a unified national impact ecosystem.”

Since its establishment in 2018, Majra has built some of the UAE’s most influential CSR frameworks. Among its achievements are: Impact Seal – the highest national recognition for CSR and sustainability excellence, CSR project verification – a mechanism that combats social-washing and greenwashing, Sustainable Impact Challenge launched in February 2025 with a Dh600,000 prize pool with winners announced in June.

These achievements will be showcased on the Impact and Action Stage, where more than 20 CEOs, founders and philanthropic leaders will present national success models that demonstrate scalable, long-term impact.

Shaw pointed out that two groups of the society required urgent, coordinated attention: youth and People of Determination (PoDs).

The summit dedicates an entire section to PODs – presenting updated national data, government services, and solutions from social enterprises. Four high-potential PoD-focused startups have been handpicked to connect with companies and decision-makers to expand employment, skills development and entrepreneurial pathways.

The summit itself is being planned by an internal team that is “all women, all under 35” – a deliberate move by Majra’s leadership.
“We really believe that youth can achieve great things.”

Majra is also showcasing its governance and evaluation frameworks through the new Impact Ecosystem Hall, giving attendees a clear map of the UAE’s CSR landscape – who the players are, how the system works, and where opportunities lie.

Its Impact Market Exhibition highlights top-performing projects ready for scaling through new partnerships grounded in evidence and measurable outcomes.

Shaw underscored the importance of the Impact Declaration, which all companies must file to disclose their CSR activities.

“You might not be obliged to do CSR, but you are obliged to report it. The Impact Declaration helps to identify the needs of the companies and support them accordingly. Because CSR is voluntary, it is not mandatory in the UAE.”

Shaw pointed out that Majra X, an initiative supporting UAE-born companies like Dubai Fix and Careem, showcases how strategic collaborations can turn corporate goodwill into long-term national benefit.

“The summit will push more innovation, co-creation, and shared value,” Shaw said. “Discussions that would happen during the summit would allow us to be competitive and contributing to the growth of the nation, and designing what we call the impact economy – an economy that is directed by the government, spearheaded by the private sector, and done and delivered by third and fourth sector.”

Majra is working closely with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to promote sustainable investments and green startups. Its latest partnership with Expo City’s Green Innovation District will support new low-carbon technologies and link them directly with private-sector opportunities.

The summit itself will operate with carbon-offsetting measures to ensure a net-positive environmental footprint. “We walk the talk,” Shaw underlined.

“Majra is a broker for good. It means I work with government to identify the challenges, and I work with private sector to find solutions for these challenges with other players.”

Shaw offered a direct message to CEOs across the UAE: “If you want to start giving in the UAE, the best place to start is in the Impact Summit 2025.”