Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the region, has issued its first annual Sustainability Report covering the organisation’s social, ethical, corporate governance and environmental performance across the calendar years 2015 and 2016.

The report, prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards: Core option, is also aligned to the GRI G4 Financial Services Sector Disclosures and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Principles.

Group CEO Shayne Nelson said: “We have incorporated sustainability as one of our key growth deliverables, and are proud to be a regional leader in innovation by developing smart and user-friendly products and services. We have acted with integrity and transparency towards all stakeholders including shareholders, customers and employees and used our leadership and expertise to address various social and environmental challenges which positively contribute towards the communities we serve.”

Key focus areas of Emirates NBD’s Social Investment Strategy Framework comprise the #TogetherLimitless advocacy platform for people with disabilities and #moneywise to encourage and promote financial literacy, with support areas comprising health and wellbeing, women empowerment, community development and the environment.

During 2015 and 2016, the Group contributed over Dh59 million ($16 million) across its social investment programmes. Emirates NBD’s award-winning corporate volunteering programme Exchanger, established in 2015, has seen a 61 per cent increase in the number of volunteers over the last year, and has directly impacted more than 45,000 members of the public.

Emirates NBD recently became one of 11 financial institutions in the country to have signed the ‘Dubai Declaration of Financial Institutions in the United Arab Emirates on Sustainable Finance,’ as part of the Group’s commitment to align its activities with the UAE Vision 2021, the UAE Government’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the UAE Green Agenda 2015-2030. – TradeArabia News Service