The Dubai Ethics Resource Center (DERC) is the arm of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry established to promote best practice Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through regular dialogue with key stakeholders. In order to lead by example, DERC has begun conducting a series of stakeholder engagement workshops and meetings to better identify the core CSR challenges and issues currently facing Dubai’s business community.
To this end, DERC is looking to create a group of committed businesses that will act as its informal ‘sounding board’. Their support will ensure that:DERC’s objectives and targets are sound and achievable; its products and services are focused on the priority issues facing the local market; it is maximising value to DCCI members and the general business community; and that DERC is generally moving in the right direction.
HE Engineer Hamad Buamim, Director General of Dubai Chamber, said “DERC, as part of the DCCI, wants to listen to the business community. We interact with them daily, conduct research surveys to understand and explore key issues, host events to promote discussion and the sharing of knowledge, and work to drive forward change and development in areas that will improve the current market for our members. Consequently we feel we have a good understanding of the key issues facing businesses operating in Dubai today. However, we know that this is not enough. We need to lead by example. We need to really listen to the business community to confirm that our understanding is correct and to give them the opportunity to tell us what they would like to see, what would help them succeed and develop in the long term, and in turn what we can do to help them. Stakeholder engagement is about listening, but it is also about acting on what you hear. Through this approach we are better positioned to prioritise issues and suggest new initiatives. We are here to serve the business community and these meetings reinforce the importance of this message. By listening to our customers we can improve our services, explore the challenges they face, help to alleviate their concerns, and generally provide value to local businesses which we hope will in turn improve the productivity, responsibility and efficiency of the current market economy.”
A selection of key stakeholders and members of the Dubai business community, with a particular interest in corporate social responsibility and sustainable growth and development in the local market, were invited to contribute to DERC’s inaugural Stakeholder Strategy Meeting earlier this month. “We had a great turn out for the meeting. Companies are really doing a lot in this area and are truly interested in learning more and committing their time and energy towards encouraging CSR. We had participants from companies of different sizes and sectors from blue chip firms such as BP, Standard Chartered, Shell and Johnson and Johnson, to regional firms such as Daman, Nakheel, Jumeriah, Dnata and Emaar. I would like to thank them for their support and I call upon them, and others interested, to continue to communicate with us, to support our programs, and provide feedback or advice on emerging issues and priority areas of concern for the local market” said Dr. Belaid Rettab, Director of DERC at Dubai Chamber.
The stakeholder meeting took place at Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry offices on the 30th October. Those present discussed DERC’s new strategy, as it becomes a fully functioning element of the Chamber, and explored the primary CSR related challenges of the business community in the local market. Through this process of collaborative engagement the Dubai Ethics Resource Centre hopes to ensure its CSR related products and services gain the support, buy-in and partnership of the business community.
DERC offers a number of CSR activities and services for the business community. It has initiatives designed to help the local community, through employee volunteering, works to fill the void of CSR research in Dubai, provides guidance and training on how to integrate CSR into organisations, and is looking to evaluate, certify and benchmark CSR performance through innovative programs. It welcomes the collaboration of all, businesses and organisations.
Dubai Chamber established DERC in 2004 to foster corporate integrity, promote Dubai as a global gateway for business, and assist organisations in applying responsible business practices that enhance performance and competitive advantage.
