CSR Oman 2014 brought together the Omani business community, government officials and members of a multitude of non-profit organizations to debate and discuss the changing role of sustainable development and the huge potential for CSR in Oman and the GCC.
CSR Oman 2014 was inaugurated by H E Sultan bin Salim al Habsi, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Planning, chaired by Bart Burghgraef, EMG’s associate partner for Qatar. Held at the Grand Hyatt, Muscat, the CSR summit featured prominent speakers from the Oman Oil Company, OPAL, the Oman Economic Review, Alizz Islamic Bank and H E Sheikh Abdullah Salem Al-Salmi of the Capital Market Authority.
Zeljka Davis, managing partner with EMG, led the certified CSR workshop on how to implement CSR. The training session focused on the commercial benefits of sustainable development, and how to synergize CSR with business objectives: managing business risks, optimizing resources, and ultimately generating revenue and growth for the so-called ‘triple bottom line’. The session concluded with dynamic interaction in focus groups, enabling participants to apply effective methodologies first-hand.
For the last 40 years Oman has been pursuing a path of new lifestyles and principles, and is one of the Arab states leaders in sustainable development. It has had a national team for this purpose since 2008 and the Ministry of Education, working together with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Affairs, has included sustainable development in the national curriculum for schools in the country. The 2010 UN Human Development Report pays tribute to this strategy. In the international field, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has established the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation.
According to Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, “Developing sustainably is one of the most important tasks we face today. Countries in the Gulf region understand this better than anyone. Diversifying economies beyond oil and gas is vital. The development of tourism and agriculture cannot be based on the poor use of limited resources.”
Click here for an overview of EMG’s CSR training courses and workshops in Oman and the GCC.