The Union of Arab Chambers organized, at its headquarters in Beirut, "Adnan Kassar Edifice for the Arab Economy", a conference entitled: “The Social Responsibility of the Private Sector and its Role in Sustainable Development”, on July 17, 2023, in the presence of representatives of 17 Arab and foreign countries. Led by His Excellency the Minister of Economy and Trade of the Lebanese Republic, Mr. Amin Salam, Her Excellency Nevine Kabbaj, Minister of Social Solidarity in the Arab Republic of Egypt, President of the Union of Arab Chamber Mr. Samir Abdullah Nass, President of the Federation of Lebanese Chambers His Excellency Mr. Mohammed Choucair, President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce Khalil Haj Tawfiq, Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers Mr. Khaled Hanafi, Minister Plenipotentiary Dr. Tarek Nabulsi, Director of the Development and Social Policies Department, Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, Secretary General of the Arab Brazilian Chamber Tamer Mansour, Vice President of the Arab Brazilian Chamber Iraqi Commercial Rack Dara Jalil Al-Khayyat, President of the Tripoli and Northern Chamber in Lebanon Tawfiq Daboussi, Vice Chairman for Business Affairs at the International Federation for Social Responsibility (Bahrain) Professor Ali Al-Ibrahim, President and Founder of the CLIN GROUP, and President of HOPE MCF Dr. Nadia Shuaib, Head of the Investment and Technology Promotion Office (UNIDO-Bahrain) Dr. Hashim Hussain, in addition to delegations and heads of delegations from Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, and the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Amin Salam
His Excellency the Minister of Economy and Trade of the Republic of Lebanon, Mr. Amin Salam, spoke at the conference and stressed, "The interest in social responsibility is not far from our tolerant religion, which urged people to cooperate for the good of society and the preservation of the environment, and focused on the importance of paying attention to the good use of resources, not extravagance and waste, and not neglecting the right of future generations."
He said: "The social responsibility of the private sector in the Arab countries is of great importance as a cornerstone, and an important tool to mitigate the control and intransigence of globalization, as the private sector and companies represent the largest and basic part of the national economic system, and therefore attention to social responsibility has become a basic requirement to reduce poverty through the commitment of economic institutions to provide the appropriate environment, not to waste resources, carry out recruitment, training and raise human capabilities, empower women and raise their capabilities and skills to qualify them to participate in the process of Sustainable Development".
He stressed that "for our Arab world, which is witnessing a qualitative transformation in terms of economic and social diversity, the private sector today has a golden opportunity to build the right rules and foundations on the subject of social responsibility of the private sector and its role in the sustainable development of the future of Arab countries and future generations."
Samir Nass
The President of the Union of Arab Chambers, Mr. Samir Abdullah Nass, considered that "professionalism in social responsibility and transparency in non-governmental organizations is of crucial importance for growth, and from this point of view, the Union of Arab Chambers, the Unions of Arab Chambers and the Arab, foreign and joint chambers that operate under the umbrella of the Union have adopted the concept of social responsibility and placed it at the top of its priorities in order to contribute to achieving sustainable growth, establishing a society based on equal opportunities and providing a better standard of living and environment."
He said: "We believe that the responsibility of the private sector is one of the basic elements at all local and international levels, due to its positive impact in terms of improving the standard of living, and facing many economic and social problems facing societies, in order to achieve sustainable development in the educational, health, social, economic and environmental aspects."
He considered that "despite the important and prominent role of the private sector in this field, it cannot play this role alone, as there is great importance to strengthen the partnership in the field of social responsibility between the public and private sectors, as well as the banking sector and international financial institutions, by encouraging voluntary initiatives to cover development fields, which leads to strengthening, supporting and concerting all efforts that aim to achieve development among communities and within families and individuals.
He concluded by saying: "The Corona crisis, which hit all over the world, confirmed that the business sector is the most affected and affected by the resulting results. Looking at legislation, the social responsibility of the private sector is still seen as a traditional system of laws related to voluntary and charitable work, rather than a real societal responsibility that is contributed to in a way that transcends to achieve the required goals, as there is no regulation of this responsibility except in legislation related to donation and other voluntary work that is carried out based on self-will. On this basis, in light of the exceptional circumstances surrounding the world, there is an urgent need for the solidarity of all segments of society, including individuals and institutions, in order to protect society, achieve stability for it, and preserve the gains it has reached in times of prosperity."
Mohamed Choucair
For his part, His Excellency the President of the Federation of Lebanese Chambers, Mr. Mohamed Choucair, stressed in his speech that "for us in the economic bodies and in the Lebanese Chambers, since the launch of the idea of corporate social responsibility, we are very aware of the importance of this trend and this pioneering culture, and we have kept pace with it seriously and effectively and encouraged companies to adopt it," pointing out that "for us in Lebanon and in light of the economic collapse that permanently stopped the state's ability to play its natural role in development, development and investment in infrastructure, where The greatest burden in this matter has fallen on companies and the private sector, and many pioneering initiatives of our companies have been recorded in this context, whether in the capital Beirut or in the regions, and it is necessary to mention the distinctive initiatives that followed the catastrophic Beirut port explosion towards the destroyed and affected areas."
He stressed that "a lot is required in Lebanon after the erosion of the capabilities and capabilities of communities and local authorities, and from my position at the head of the Lebanese private sector, I encourage and call on capable companies to carry out their duties within the framework of social responsibility, but unfortunately, within the current reality in Lebanon, the possibilities of the private sector are also limited in the collapse and economic slowdown."
Choucair called for the immediate election of a president "because this is the key to addressing all our crises and returning the country to the path of recovery and advancement, which also allows our companies to play a greater role in the framework of social responsibility. I also call for more cooperation and coordination between the Arab private sector, to progress further on the path of corporate social responsibility to include it at the heart of the goals and ethics of our companies, because of its important and fundamental impact on local development and in achieving sustainable economic and social growth."
Haifa Abu Ghazaleh
His Excellency Minister Plenipotentiary Dr. Tariq Al-Nabulsi, Director of the Department of Development and Social Policies, General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, delivered the speech of Her Excellency Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector at the League of Arab States, where he stressed that "thanks to the effective partnership between the League of Arab States and the Union of Arab Chambers, it has effectively contributed to making the Arab private sector a key partner in this important path, and in light of the results and recommendations of the meeting that took place in February last year, here at the headquarters of The Union where important partnerships have crystallized between the Union and the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, through the social sector, and we launched, in the presence of His Excellency the Secretary-General, the "Independent Living Initiative for Persons with Disabilities", for which the Arab private sector played an important and key role for its success, as well as entrepreneurship programs for persons with disabilities, and in coordination with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport. We also intend to implement the second edition of the "Initiative for Living Independently for Persons with Disabilities" and the Arab Exhibition for Productive Families during the last quarter of this year, also in coordination with the Union of Arab Chambers and with important support from the Arab private sector."
Ali Al Ibrahim
Prof. Ali Al Ibrahim, Vice Chairman for Business Development, at the International Federation for Social Responsibility (Bahrain), spoke at the opening session, where he addressed the role played by the Federation in supporting social responsibility. Considering that "the application of social responsibility in the Arab private sector in accordance with international practices requires a full conviction among leaders of the importance of building a comprehensive strategy that contributes to these practices being institutional and involved in all decisions, activities, services, and products of this vital contributing sector in the development of our societies and countries."
He continued: "It is also required to adopt community initiatives by the Arab private sector by studying societal needs and adopting initiatives that correspond to these needs with scientific and professional tools. In addition, measuring the impact of these community actions and initiatives that promote sustainable development requires that they be done with professional tools. Finally, linking these practices in our Arab private sector with global professional tools and standards will certainly contribute to supporting the sustainable development goals through their global agenda as well as Arab and national strategies."
Hashim Hussain
Dr. Hashim Hussain, Head of the Investment and Technology Promotion Bureau (UNIDO-Bahrain), also said: "The Investment and Technology Promotion Office in the Kingdom of Bahrain has an important role to play in promoting social entrepreneurship across the Arab region and the world to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by supporting and connecting entrepreneurs, stakeholders, investors and by creating a network for knowledge sharing."
He continued: "The Arab Center for Entrepreneurship and Investment also promotes cooperation between the private and public sectors and civil society in the field of social entrepreneurship. It also works to provide partnership opportunities and exchange of knowledge and experiences between actors in this field in order to promote innovation and develop new projects through the Entrepreneurship and Investment Development Program, which is applied in 52 countries around the world, including China, India, Italy, and most Arab as well as African countries."
Khaled Hanafi
The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, considered in his speech that "the participation of 16 Arab and foreign countries in this important conference in Beirut is a strong message of support on the part of the participants that Beirut, this city that is always glittering, refuses to break and will rise, God willing, again with the vigor of its leaders, sons and the Lebanese private sector headed by His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Choucair, who plays an important and pivotal role through the Federation of Lebanese Chambers and Economic Bodies in providing all the elements of survival and resilience of the Lebanese economy."
He continued "We live in a changing time, and from this standpoint, it is necessary to adopt methods that are commensurate with the changes taking place in order to enhance the reality and role of corporate social responsibility, in line with the digital and industrial revolution, blockchain, the Internet of Things, and other modern concepts that have replaced old concepts, which would contribute to improving the services provided to society, creating real job opportunities, paying fair wages, ensuring the safety of workers and employees, and participating in finding solutions to social problems, and environmental".
He stressed, "The Union of Arab Chambers, as the true representative of the Arab private sector, pays great attention to the issue of social responsibility and to people of determination in order to empower them economically and socially. By working with the concerned authorities in the Arab world, in order to ensure that they have opportunities and experiences that enable them to live independently. In this context, we are proud of the launch of the "Living with Independence Initiative to Support People of Determination" competition, in which entrepreneurs of people of determination or those who have ideas and projects that serve people of determination and help them live independently and face the challenges that arise in the Arab and international communities in the future."
He considered that "corporate social responsibility does not stop at donations to development and charitable projects and programs, as there are areas of work and principles that companies must adhere to, and this will bring great benefits to societies and countries, avoiding disasters and environmental, economic and social crises that will be in their costs and results much greater than the costs of these responsibilities and obligations.
Nadia Shuaib
The President and Founder of the CLIN GROUP and President of the HOPE MCF, Nadia Shuaib, delivered a speech in which she highlighted the role played by the institutions she chairs in supporting the reality of social responsibility, pointing out that "social responsibility arises, from an underlying feeling in each of us, responsibility towards every poor and needy, responsibility towards those who cannot educate their children and those who are waiting for death at the doors of hospitals, and from this point of view established countries that respect human humanity. Legal bases for the spirit of participation and social responsibility, especially institutional ones, and the most prominent of these legislations is a framework that defines the private sector’s responsibility, i.e. companies that achieve large profits, towards NGOs that implement social assistance campaigns."
She said: "In order to achieve sustainability and transparency in the relationship that is supposed to take place between the private sector and NGOs, these associations must give a clear, transparent, effective and straight model for their work in organizing social assistance campaigns, and transparency here is a necessary condition for sustainability, and the ultimate goal will inevitably be the goal of promoting and disseminating social responsibility."
Nevin Kabbaj
At the end of the opening session, the Minister of Social Solidarity of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Her Excellency Nevine El-Kabbaj, delivered a virtual speech, in which she explained the role played by the Ministry of Social Solidarity in Egypt in order to achieve solidarity and social solidarity.
Sessions
Within the framework of the conference, three working sessions were held, the first session was entitled: "The Role of Arab Chambers in Supporting the Culture, Policies and Practices of Social Responsibility. The second session was entitled: Corporate Social Responsibility and its Role in Sustainable Development. The third session was entitled: Presentations of successful Arab experiences from the private sector and non-governmental organizations, which emphasize the role achieved in the implementation of the national strategy for sustainable development.
