HE Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah receives the CSR Person of the Year award from Prof Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad.

By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter


HE the Chairman of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah has urged Qatar University (QU) students to continue their efforts in highlighting QU’s place on the “CSR (corporate social responsibility) map of international universities”.
HE al-Attiyah noted that QU has produced qualified students who have contributed to the success of other national institutions in Qatar by being aware of their responsibility towards the community.
“I have had the privilege of working with many of my brothers and sisters in our country who have distinguished themselves with a great sense of social responsibility,” he said. “Many of them are graduates of QU.”
HE al-Attiyah, who was honoured as the CSR Person of the Year, was speaking at the launch ceremony of the CSR Report Qatar 2014 at QU yesterday. It was attended by senior government officials, ambassadors, professors, partners, sponsors and guests who contributed to the report.
He reiterated the “great role” of an academic institution such as QU in building Qatari society and developing its human resources.
HE al-Attiyah thanked QU president Prof Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad and the institute’s teaching staff and students for hosting what he described as an outstanding event.
He also congratulated all those who were involved in the release of the third edition of the CSR Report Qatar. “The visions of the CSR leaders contained in this report reflect an exceptional blend of veteran and youth experiences that contribute to a future filled with achievements,” he said. “We appreciate the great efforts of the team and the eagerness to document all the remarkable initiatives.”
The report accounts some of the initiatives of various stakeholders such as ministries, public agencies, private institutions and multinational companies.
Qatar Central Bank (QCB), for example, issued the Law of the Qatar Central Bank and the Regulation of Financial Institutions at the end of 2012 to promote the culture of social responsibility. It was followed by the Law of 2012 of the Qatar Financial Markets Authority.
QCB, led by its Governor, HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Saoud al-Thani, also implemented the State’s environmental vision by urging financial institutions to reduce the use of paper and use electronic records instead. It also issued some instructions to provide services for people with special needs in accordance with best practices.
Another initiative cited in the report is Ooredoo’s mobile banking service where customers can send money securely, conveniently and reliably 24 hours a day using their mobile phones.
Under Friendly Initiatives, the Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) headed by CEO Dr Abdulla al-Hamaq set up a number of committees and departments to deal with the chronic disease that reached pandemic proportions in GCC countries.
QDA provided innovative patient care and worked hard on diabetes prevention and management by providing the public with useful information.
In HE al-Attiyah’s case, he was chosen as the 2014 CSR Person of the Year as a tribute to his efforts to promote CSR values. He was at the time Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar and Minister of Energy and Industry, and served as chairman of the boards of a number of leading local organisations.
“We are determined to plan in advance our next steps forward – together – towards making the report more influential in the future, given that the effective monitoring of certain activities requires careful planning and long-term focus, as well as commitment and perseverance,” said Prof al-Misnad.
“We also urge everyone to mobilise all efforts and resources to fast-forward the establishment of this culture that is of central importance in the process of sustainable development in Qatar,” she added. “So far, we have yet to work, and we must improve our performance, because everyone wants this culture to prevail.”
QU’s College of Business and Economics partnered with the Qatar CSR Network for the launch.




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