The Arabia CSR Awards Receives 70 Applications, 45% of the Expected Total Number of Registrations

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi, President and CEO of the Arabia CSR Network, stated that the number of registrations for the 8^th Cycle of the Arabia CSR Awards has expanded on both local and regional levels as of date. This is a testament of the Awards' prestige which it has rightfully earned as a result of the heightened transparency and stringent standards applied in the winner selection criteria. International and regional acclaim of the Awards such as the Auspices of the League of Arab States and the Strategic Support of the United Nations Environment Programme has encouraged organizations to the region's most credible recognition platform. The Awards boasts a comprehensive application form that integrates the principles and frameworks of United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the EFQM Model.

Mrs. Al Marashi pointed that the 8th cycle of the Awards has received 70 applications to date which constitute 45% of the anticipated number of applications based on previous trends. She stressed that the Award's categories have increased from 6 to 9 categories with focus on the impeding and emerging sectors such as Financial Services, Social Enterprise and Energy.

The Arabia CSR Awards 2015 is being held under the auspices of The League of Arab States for the second consecutive year and in strategic collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) on October 28^th under the theme: "Beyond Responsibility: Towards Transformational Sustainability".

"The Arabia CSR Awards is a unique homegrown initiative from the Middle East which is a product of the Arabia CSR Network which began as part of Emirates Environmental Group (EEG). Today it has flourished into one of the most proactive organizations in the Arab world, becoming an independent body in 2009. It reflects the sustainability journey of businesses in the Arab region paying homage to responsible champions and is a genuine added value to the region's sustainable development," stated Mrs. Al Marashi.

The Arabia CSR Awards is the only platform to be founded by an organization in the Arab world and gain the blessings from the UAE leadership as well as the support of the United Nations Global Compact since its inception. Its objective is to alleviate indigenous knowledge and sustainability performance to global standards and best practices for the region's prosperity.

The submission deadline is June 30^th and attractive sponsorship opportunities are available; interested organizations are requested to contact the ACSRN secretariat.

About the Arabia CSR Network:

The Arabia CSR Network was the first GRI certified training partner for the Arabic-speaking Middle East countries. The Arabia CSR Network promotes, encourages and recognises responsible business practices through a bunch of services and offerings, including trainings, research and best practice, advisory services, third party assurance and a Pan-Arab acclaimed award initiative known as the Arabia CSR Awards. For more information, please visit www.arabiacsrnetwork.com. For further enquiries please email us at admin@arabiacsrnetwork.

*Source: ME NewsWire