The Qatar CSR Summit 2023, hosted by Qatar University (QU) under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, concluded on Thursday evening with the Qatar CSR Awards official gala dinner.
In a speech at the beginning of the ceremony, Dr Saif al-Hajari, CEO of the Qatar National Programme for Social Responsibility, thanked the sponsors and supporters of the conference and exhibition. He praised their efforts in the field of social development through the various initiatives and programmes that were reviewed during the event.
He noted that the awards ceremony "comes to highlight these efforts to be an example to be followed for how to serve society, the environment and people". Haidar Mshaimesh, general manager of IFP Qatar, organiser of the Qatar CSR Summit, said the Qatar CSR Awards included 20 different categories covering most economic sectors.
According to an official press statement, the Ministry of Municipality won the award for the best social responsibility initiative in the government sector for the rainwater drainage project and the initiative to plant 1mn trees, while the ministries of Defence and Justice won appreciation awards for their overall efforts in this field.
Qatar Red Crescent Society won the Best NGO Initiative Award for its volunteering programme. The Best Private Sector Initiative Award went to Seashore Group for its leadership and various programmes in the fields of sustainability and recycling, while Al Faisal Holding and Aamal Group received an appreciation award in this category in recognition of their continuous contribution to many social development initiatives.
In the multinational corporate category, DHL Express won the award for its initiative in collaboration with the Mind Center for Empowering People with Special Needs. QNB Group was the first to win the award in the category of banking and financial sector, as QNB is the leading bank among national banks in the field of social responsibility, and its initiatives and programmes in this field cover various aspects of social responsibility in the fields of development, education, environment and others, a press statement notes.
QIIB received an appreciation award in the same category.
In the energy sector, the award went to Shell Qatar for its NXplorers Youth Education Programme, while Qatar Cool received an award in the same category for its environmental initiatives. In the ICT sector, Ooredoo came in first place as the company adopts the principles of social responsibility in various aspects of its work and is keen to harness these principles for community development, while Bevol was recognised for its work in enabling volunteer programmes and volunteers.
In the education sector category, Hamad Medical Corporation's Itqan Clinical Simulation Center won the award for its role in training and developing the skills of health professionals at various levels. In the health sector, the award went to Weill Cornell Medicine.
In recognition of its exceptional efforts in the sports sector, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) received the award for the Tamreen and Generation Amazing initiatives. In the tourism and hospitality sector, the Women's Circle initiative to empower women from Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel received the first prize, while Qatar Tourism received an award for its overall social contributions.
In the food sector, talabat won the award for its innovative initiatives in employing advanced technology to serve the community, while McDonald's Qatar won for 'Rahlatuna'. In the retail sector, the award went to Apparel Group for its partnership with Qatar Charity on the Taif project, and Carrefour Qatar for partnering with Qatar Foundation's Ma'an Education Project.
In the Facilities Management category, FMM received the award in recognition of its green approach to its day-to-day operations. United Development Company also ranked first in the real estate development category, while Al Rayyan Water Company was first in the industrial sector.
As for the environmental sector, which witnessed the highest number of nominations, Al-Waad Company for Industries and Packaging came in first place for the comprehensive self-sufficiency system under which the company operates, while Sasol and Realis Design received appreciation awards in this category.
In the media production sector, Dallah Media Group won the first place.
The Civil Aviation Authority and Al-Attiyah Foundation also received appreciation awards in recognition of the social development efforts of both organisations. The ceremony concluded with the honouring of Prof Dr Rana Sobh, dean of the College of Business and Economics at Qatar University, and head of the Conference Committee, for her guiding and supervising role of the conference work.
Jack Saba, general manager of Mubadara CSR Foundation, said the conference witnessed the meeting of major national institutions active in the field of social responsibility at QU as part of the Qatar CSR Summit, which was rich in valuable discussions on the prospects of social responsibility in Qatar.
“With the awarding conclusion, we look forward to the coming year that we hope will witness an increase in the number of national companies participating in the event to contribute to spreading the principles of social responsibility in the Qatari business community," he said.
Glimpses from the awards ceremony.
Glimpses from the awards ceremony.
Glimpses from the awards ceremony.