Forward thinking and innovative companies setting trends in corporate citizenship are gathering in Dubai for the 5th Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Summit that opens today (Sunday). “Enlightened regional companies and organizations will be joining hands with international majors in seeking practical solutions to contemporary problems related to globalization, sustainable development and corporate responsibility,” said Kosta Petrov, conference manager for the summit organizers IIR Middle East. The UN Development Program, Nokia, BBC, Dow Chemical Company, Proctor & Gamble, Microsoft and PriceWaterhouseCoopers will be among international organizations joining major regional bodies such Aramex, Emirates National Oil Company, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Wildlife Society and the Dubai Center for Corporate Values at the summit. “The summit is designed to give companies and non-governmental organizations insight into how strong partnerships can be forged and how to sustain fruitful partnerships that constantly move forward,” Petrov further said. The Dow Chemical Company is a supporting sponsor of the summit and Louis Vega, the company's director public affairs, India, Middle East and Africa, underscored the importance of corporate citizenship programs. “To be a successful, thriving enterprise, with a long term, guaranteed future, we need a healthy environment that meets the needs of people,” he added. “We need a stable and secure political climate. We need a healthy and optimistic community of potential customers and consumers. In other words, we are doing our part to set the stage for a future that is as full of promise and opportunity as our past has been.” The CSR Summit Awards program will honor companies in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries for outstanding, innovative and world-class products, services, projects and programs. The projects must demonstrate a company's leadership, sincerity and ongoing commitment to incorporating ethical values, compliance with legal requirements and respect for individuals, communities and the environment in the way they conduct business. __
