Dubai Executive Council adopted policies aimed at encouraging corporate social responsibility (CSR) among private sector companies to build a strong and cohesive society and enable the sector to contribute to Dubai’s development.
The CSR Policy was approved at a meeting held at Expo 2020 Dubai, chaired by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council. H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, also attended the meeting.
The newly introduced policy, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, seeks to raise the role of businesses and private entities in social and economic growth and inspire companies to contribute to the community. The policy also seeks to align its projects and contributions with the priorities set by the government.
During the process of developing the policy, the Community Development Authority (CDA) collaborated with stakeholders from the public, private and non-profit sectors to gain a deeper understanding of their expectations. A survey showed that 67 percent of companies’ social responsibility initiatives were in the field of education, while 63 percent contributed to causes related to the environment, and 58 percent contributed to empowering people of determination.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai & Chairman of Dubai Executive Council
“The deep commitment demonstrated by local companies and the private sector promotes partnerships between the private, public and nonprofit sectors with the aim of creating a positive impact on the community. The concept of social responsibility represents the commitment of companies to enhance the wellbeing and happiness of the community. Strong partnerships with the private sector, which is a strategic partner in our development journey, is vital to accelerate our development plans.”
To promote the use of mass transportation in the emirate, The Executive Council also approved the RTA’s joint mobility plan and an electric scooter policy designed to support the use of sustainable transport. The joint mobility plan, which covers the individual’s journey from the ‘first mile’, highlights various means of transportation provided by Dubai’s RTA to take users to the ‘last mile’ of their journeys.
By 2026, the joint mobility strategy seeks to boost public transit utilization to reach around 35.5 percent of overall sustainable mobility. Dubai intends to legalize and operate multiple forms of joint transportation that will be integrated with the public transportation system as part of the strategy.
The RTA has begun a trial run of several initiatives that support this plan, including the use of electric scooters. Surveys revealed an 82 percent satisfaction rate in the use of electric scooters in key areas of Dubai. A total of 390,000 electric scooter journeys were made during the period from October 2020 to June 2021.
