Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) recently organised a training session entitled “Developing and Implementing Effective Corporate Social Responsibility: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)” which raised awareness about the importance of developing and adopting an effective CSR strategy for SMEs.

The training, held at Dubai Chamber’s premises, was led by Dr. Kamel Mellahi, Senior Manager at Dubai Chamber’s Centre for Responsible Business, and Dr. Sangeeta Sharma, Program Manager, Centre for Responsible Business, Dubai Chamber, and attended by managing directors and business owners representing SMEs in Dubai.

The session aimed to enhance business leaders’ understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and share best practices and practical advice related to mapping, materiality matrix and capability analysis. In addition, session also addressed various steps related to implementing projects, measuring CSR impact and communicating CSR achievements successfully, as well as key challenges that SMEs face in this area.

The Centre for Responsible Business was established by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2004 to support and promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. The Centre’s objective is to engage the Dubai business community in assuming greater responsibility for the emirate’s social and environmental needs. The CRB also promotes Dubai as the GCC’s gateway for global commerce by offering its business partners an environment of transparency and rule of law.