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Kuwait Hosts Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference
Kuwait Hosts Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference
Published 06-07-04
Submitted by Trans-Arabian Creative Communications Services (TRACCS)
Speaking on behalf of the organizers, SACCS/TRACCS President and CEO Mohamed Al Ayed announced that the CSR Conference will take place on December 4-5, 2004 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuwait with the purpose of achieving a series of objectives, of which the most important is raising awareness on the vital role that Gulf companies can play in the communities they serve.
He added, "We are launching this event for the first time in Kuwait and the conference aims to demonstrate practical experiences and showcase successful CSR models from multinational companies to the area while maintaining the cultural and social identity of the various Gulf markets. The desired end result is tailor-made and effective CSR strategies for Gulf-based companies which are based on long-term community involvement and activism."
The organizers envisage Kuwait as a CSR Center of Excellence where companies can find out how they can play a bigger role in this field by learning from successful examples that will be presented as model case studies for the benefit of the corporate sector throughout the region.
Al Ayed continued that this will be the first Conference of its kind in the State of Kuwait and that the event will include an exhibition featuring all the participating companies, along with a series of workshops based on local and regional case studies from GCC and other Arab countries demonstrating how companies can contribute to the development of the communities in which they are active.
He added, "The workshops will complement the presentations and case studies delivered by speakers from global multinational companies who are currently implementing CSR projects in communities around the world. In addition, the Gulf experience in corporate social responsibility will be delivered by leading enterprises from across the GCC.
Al Ayed also highlighted the significant amount of money multinational companies spend annually in various community related projects and programs with the aim of immunizing themselves from accusations that they are purely profit oriented, without any clear intention of weaving themselves into the fabric of local society and contributing to the development of the community.
He continued, "Corporate Social Responsibility for the private sector is not just a complementary role for companies and organizations, but is now part and parcel of future strategies and plans, and has become a new direction that has led many companies to put in place systems and procedures for strong, coherent, long-term contributions to their communities.
The most recent statistics reveal that 73% of business leaders in Europe believe that taking a keen interest in corporate social responsibility will increase profitability, while at the same 27% of consumers in approximately 25 developed countries reprimanded companies for neglecting their social responsibility.
In addition, 80% of the workforce in these developed nations announced that, given a choice in the matter, they would not work in any organization that does not practice corporate social responsibility.
Trans-Arabian Creative Communications Services (TRACCS)
Trans-Arabian Creative Communications Services (TRACCS)
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