UAE- The region's most prominent CSR and sustainability awards conferred on twenty organisations

Dubai 30th October 2015 (WAM) - In a glittering gala held in Dubai 20 public and private organisations were acknowledged for their role in creating positive societal impact. The Arabia CSR Awards eighth cycle concluded in Dubai with an impressive awarding ceremony which drew a large number of business leaders government officials and VIPs. Some of the leading businesses in the Region were on the coveted list of winners.

The Arabia CSR Awards has made a name for itself well beyond the Arab region. Although meant for organisations operating in the Gulf Levant and North Africa it is supported by renowned international institutions like the United Nations Global Compact and United Nations Environment Programme as well as regional institutions like Hawkamah and Terous.

The Arabia CSR Awards for the second consecutive year was held under the auspices of the League of Arab States.

Chief Guest Dr. Iyad Abu Moghli Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for Western Asia stressed on the important role played by the Arabia CSR Awards in featuring champions of CSR in the Arab world especially within the current scenario and in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The awards are known for their stringent criteria which are benchmarked against the UN Global Compact Ten Principles the GRI principles of sustainability reporting and the EFQM Excellence Model. In the year 2015 the awards came packed with three additional categories taking the total number of categories of application to nine. These categories are: Public Sector Large Sized Enterprise Medium Sized Business Small Sized Business Energy Financial Services New Business Partnerships and Collaborations and Social Enterprise. The entries were judged by an independent six-member jury comprising of global and regional experts. The awards were opened to application in three languages - Arabic English and French. This year a total of 92 applications out of 131 were considered eligible for the jury evaluation out of which there were 38 shortlisted organisations. The finalists of the 2015 Arabia CSR Awards were: Public Sector: Winner: Emirates Transport (UAE) First Runner up : Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityDEWA (UAE) Second Runners up in a Tie: Al Ain Distribution Co. (UAE) and Dubai Customs Large Sized Enterprise: Winner: Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (Bahrain) First Runners up in a TieMedcare Hospital (UAE) and Al Futtaim Carillion (UAE) Second Runner up: Farnek (UAE) Medium Sized Enterprise: Winner: Petrochemical Industries Company (Kuwait) First Runner up - Al Jazeera International Catering (UAE) Second Runner upABB Qatar (Qatar) Small Sized Category: Winner: Road Safety UAE Energy: Winners in a Tie: Masdar (UAE) and Gulf Grilling International (Qatar) Financial Services: Winner: BMCE Bank (Morocco) Best New Business: Winner: Green Design (UAE) Partnerships and Collaborations: Winner: Emirates NBD (UAE) First Runner up: Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (Bahrain) Second Runner up: DLA Piper (UAE) Social Enterprise: Winner: Green Design