The 13th edition of the CSR Summit has been re-branded as Ta’atheer, the Mena social impact and CSR Forum, in recognition of how attitudes are changing towards corporate social responsibility and a shift in focus on business strategies and programmes that ensure long-term sustainable social impact.
 
Building on a successful 12-year legacy, Ta’atheer – which means impact, influence and creating legacy in Arabic – will bring together an unparalleled speaker line-up of regional and international social impact experts when it returns to The Address Hotel, Dubai Marina from May 22 to 25.
 
Supported by the Community Development Authority of the Dubai Government, the forum will open with a keynote address by Khaled Al Kamda, director general, before speakers from organisations such as Nestlé, Facebook, Young Arab Leaders, Saudi Aramco and the World Economic Forum deliver thought-provoking presentations and panel discussions.
 
Hoda Abdelhay, forum director of Ta'atheer, said: “We have recognised a shift in the mind-set of businesses and organisations moving away from traditional philanthropic and charitable donations, towards a more sustainable and strategic social impact.  We understand that the summit needs to evolve to keep up with the changing times and a rapidly changing industry.
 
“Our research has highlighted the need for organisations to rethink and reposition their CSR initiatives, ensuring they are strategic and aligned with both business objectives and with society’s expectations.  As such, this is what the shift to Ta’atheer is based upon.”
 
The Ta’atheer 2016 forum will feature keynotes and plenary sessions, case studies and panels, Ta’atheer impact hubs, collaboration zones, social meet-ups and match-making.
 
The event will start with a two-day forum and conclude with a choice of three boot-camps split across the following two days, each dealing with different topics and themes through the use of lectures, role-play, real-life examples and case studies.
 
The opening day of the forum will feature a keynote session by Nestlé Middle East chairman and CEO Yves Manghardt, who will be outlining details of the company’s Creating Shared Value strategy and progress on commitments. He said: “We were the first in the Middle East to publish forward-looking commitments in the areas of nutrition, responsible sourcing, water, environmental sustainability, and people and compliance, in our Nestlé in Society report for the region, published in 2015.”
 
The company will call for an Alliance for Youth in an interactive session in line with its commitment  to “foster further opportunities of starting and developing careers for the youth in the Middle East,” because “we believe that our efforts can create a bigger social impact through partnerships and collaboration,” added Manghardt.
 
Ahmad Al Ashkar, founder and CEO of the Hult Prize Foundation, and partner and member of the Clinton Global Initiative will also be featured in an opening plenary session.  He will tackle the subject of social impact in the Middle East, and uncovering the eco system.
 
Al Ashkar said: “Global activity in social impact investment is growing rapidly, and this is slowly but surely finding its way into Middle Eastern markets. There are new activities every day in this developing space, but what does it all mean?  My presentation will introduce the social impact market in the region, define the mainstream investors and outline what industries are being invested into.  I’ll offer a panoramic view of the social impact space in the region and discern trends going forward.”
 
Other speakers will include Caroline Fiennes, founder at Giving Evidence; Amira Rashad, head of brand, Facebook Middle East & Africa; Elaine Kelly, CSR manager at Microsoft Gulf; Sami Khoury, executive director at Young Arab Leaders; and Heather Alner, associate director corporate partnership, Habitat for Humanity International EMEA.
 
The Nestlé Youth Employment and Employability Collaboration Zone is one of the new inclusions to the summit which will introduce discussions and case studies on youth development and employability, while the Ta’atheer impact hub will enable young social entrepreneurs and innovators to share their successes, failures and experiences.
 
The Ta’atheer Social Impact Awards will also take place on the opening day (May 22) to recognise and honour the outstanding achievements of organisations and teams that have contributed to the development of social impact and CSR agenda in the Mena region.  - TradeArabia News Service