Dubai Chamber wins Best Chamber’s Competition

Its 15 years of Corporate Social Responsibility leadership in the Middle East has brought international recognition for the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry as it won the Best CSR Project in the World Chambers Competition on the concluding day of the 8th World Chamber Congress in the Qatari capital Doha recently.

During its participation in the Congress, organised by International Chambers of Commerce’s World Chambers Federation (WCF) from April 22 to 25 at the Qatar National Convention Centre, Dubai Chamber won the award for demonstrating a positive impact on the environment, through its initiatives of green building, the University of Dubai, the establishment of the Centre for Responsible Business and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award Program  thus covering excellence in various areas of economic and social importance.

The Chamber was pitted against the Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

The 2013 competition, organised by the ICC World Chambers Federation, is the only international event of its scale that recognises innovative projects undertaken by chambers of commerce and industry from around the world. It received entries from 65 chambers of commerce and industry from 42 countries for the five projects as 25 finalists from each project presented their innovative projects to an international judging panel during dedicated Congress sessions.

H.E. Hamad Buamim, Director General, Dubai Chamber and Deputy Chairman of WCF, informed that Dubai Chamber’s winning of the Best CSR Project reflects its commitment to its vision of becoming one of the best chambers in the world. It also shows the Chamber’s long legacy of various CSR initiatives and its dedication to the culture of corporate social responsibility which is not restricted to businesses but extends to the protection of environment and the society at large. We implement green initiatives in our work environment and lead by example for other companies and organisations to follow suit, he said.

The Director General of Dubai Chamber informed that this global recognition will definitely boost the image of Dubai and the UAE as a sustainable business destination and goes in line with the Dubai Government’s call for the application of responsible business practices implemented for the betterment of environment and the society. It will also help us to promote the emirate as a regional hub offering a sustainable business environment for global investors.

As an Emerald sponsor, Dubai Chamber represented the emirate’s business community to global business leaders while showcasing itself as one of the leading chambers in the region in light of the Congress being held in Qatar. The Chamber also used the opportunity to highlight the world-class services offered to multinational businesses in Dubai and to meet, exchange best practices and develop long-term cooperation ties with other chamber leaders.

H.E. Buamim informed that Dubai Chamber’s participation in this global event provided it a fitting platform to promote Dubai’s bid to host World Expo 2020, the African Global Business Forum 2013 being organised in the emirate next month besides promoting the emirate as an international business hub to the business leaders from 12,000 chambers of commerce coming from 100 countries.

He added that Dubai Chamber is playing the role of an active member of the World Chambers Federation and the leading business facilitator has recently been expanding into emerging markets through new representative offices established by the Chamber to promote the competitiveness of Dubai businesses in regional and global business arenas.

The Director General of Dubai Chamber moderated The Chamber of Commerce Brand workshop session which dealt with the topic of how can chambers reinforce their global image as flexible, dynamic organisations while facing higher member expectations, increased competition, diverse member market and shrinking revenue sources as well as their readiness in meeting the challenges of the future.

The panel included Michael Barnett, Chief Executive of the Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Salah S. Hassan, Professor of Marketing at the George Washington University, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, and André Marcon, President of CCI France.

Also, the Chamber’s Senior Director, Commercial Services Sector, Mr. Atiq Juma Nasib, who is Deputy Chair of International Certificates of Origin Council, spoke at the CO workshop session discussing the importance of COs in facilitating global trade, acceptance of eCOs as well as some of the current trends and challenges faced in the issuance of COs and the importance of ATA Carnets in facilitating global trade.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Nasib informed the gathering about the UAE’s role in the promotion of ATA Carnets as one of the leaders in the GCC to implement the system as the country is heavily dependent on trade.

He said that the ATA Carnet is helping the Council members to enhance their bilateral trade ties as he called upon the GCC countries to accelerate the pace of implementation of the system in their respective countries as it augurs well for the overall economic development of the region.

Mr. Nasib informed that he was expecting the number of ATA Carnets issued for the temporary admission of goods by the Chamber during the current year to go up by 10% compared to last year which saw the issuance of 66 Carnets for goods worth AED 34 million thus immensely supporting the exhibitions and conferences industry in the emirate.

Meanwhile, Dubai Chamber’s attractive booth disseminated information about the Chamber’s initiatives, services and facilities offered to its members and the investment opportunities available for the international business community in the various economic sectors in Dubai and the important role played by the Chamber in promoting global trade.

The Chamber used the opportunity to promote Dubai’s bid to hosting the World Expo 2020 in the emirate and sought the support of global chambers of commerce participating in the Congress while highlighting the readiness of Dubai in hosting a an expo of such a large magnitude.

The Chamber also promoted the African Global Business Forum 2013 being organised in cooperation with the COMESA Regional Investment Agency (RIA) in Dubai on May 1 and 2. The global event will be attended by over 40 ministers and 2,000 participants from around the world and discuss the investment opportunities and advantages associated with doing business in the African Continent while highlighting the strategic role of Dubai as a world-class hub for connecting to Africa.

The biennial global Congress organised by the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the theme ‘Opportunities for All’ was a first in the region and saw an assembly of the global community and their business leaders from more than 12,000 chambers of commerce from over 100 countries sharing, learning and building new networks of opportunity in the wake of the challenges faced by the leading business facilitators of the world.