HE’s assurances came during the panel discussion moderated by Emirati media specialist, Ahmed Al Hammadi, held as part of the Human Resource Club Forum which was organized by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) recently at the Park Hyatt in Dubai under the title " Social Responsibility: History & Ambition". The event was attended by His Excellency Humaid Mohamed Al Qatami, Minister of Education and Chairman of FAHR, and HE Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Director General of FAHR, along with dozens of FAHR staff, HR Club members, as well as HR professionals and those interested in the field from public and private sectors..

The minister explained that the private sector has a central role in supporting the Union, as well as consolidating the country's position at various levels. This role, she said, is becoming more important than ever in order to promote the national spirit of solidarity and joint work, through the adoption of strategic initiatives that serve the Government's policy directions, in line with the needs of the UAE community, noting at the same time that the UAE government will spare no effort to support this vital sector.

She said: "Social responsibility is considered an essential means for supporting the public interest, as it shapes the relationship between the institution and the community in which it operates, adds great value to institutional vision, and constitutes a strong foundation for communication with the customer base and stakeholders. Generally, social responsibility is a form of institutional self-regulation that integrates with the business model, in order to ensure positive contributions and initiatives that benefit the public interest

"The active participation of institutions in promoting social responsibility will ensure the support of members of the community to its developmental goals and mission and recognition of its existence

“Social responsibility gained a wider dimension following the emergence of new patterns of modern government that tend to abandon many of social roles and services, thus allowing opportunities to companies and institutions to take up these roles by providing services like education, health, housing, environment protection, etc that are in the public interest and contribute in the development of communities”.

According to HE the Minister of Social Affairs, the most important characteristic of social responsibility is that it is a voluntary exercise that aims to achieve purely social security benefits, and is based primarily on respect for the laws, regulations and positive ethics.

HE Mariam Al Roumi gave a brief overview of the emergence of the term social responsibility, saying: "The term social responsibility came to existence in the private sector in early nineteenth century by major corporations such as oil companies, and was centered on the commitment of these companies to improve the lives of workers and their families through the provision of schools, hospitals, housing and some recreational and social services. The term quickly became common among members of the community

According to Roumi, social responsibility aims to contribute effectively in providing all that would achieve sustainable development preserve the environment and promote the community.

HE considers social responsibility as one the most important pre-requisites of real citizenship, because it means the responsibility of the individual towards himself, the family towards its members and society towards all, saying that it is just about “doing good”, but has become a trend in companies and institutions, and a basic input in strategic planning process.

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Addressing the key factors that contributed to enhancing the idea of social responsibility at the global level, HE said that these include: the concept of protecting the environment rather than harming it, compliance with mandatory quality standards in every area and sector, timely achievement of social development objectives, in addition to meeting the requirements of sustainable development.

She shed light on the roles and responsibilities of the Ministry of Social Affairs in order to uphold the concept of social responsibility and partnership in the country, pointing out that the Ministry has launched many programs and initiatives to achieve this goal. These include organizing awareness campaigns about the important roles of individuals and institutions in promoting social development and welfare, building robust partnerships with the private sector, encouraging the private sector to support and deliver quality social services, establishing a social responsibility fund, as well as launching the Emirates Social Award.

Finally, the Minister reviewed a number of initiatives and projects launched by some of the public sector entities driven by a deep belief in the importance of social responsibility. In this context, the Ministry of Interior established a center for training and employment of the disabled in 2002, in an effort to integrate people with special needs into society through developing their skills and to find suitable jobs for them. Dubai Islamic Bank also launched Dubai Islamic Humanitarian Foundation which aims to improve the livelihoods of the poor and needy people.