UAE's private sector welcomes Year of Giving

Dubai - Companies expressed happiness over the chance to serving the country and contributing to its development.

The UAE's move to declare 2017 as the Year of Giving has been welcomed with both arms by the private sector. Companies expressed happiness over the chance to serving the country and contributing to its development. They are now looking forward to taking their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to the next level.
V. Nandakumar, chief communications officer, Lulu group, said: "At Lulu, we have always seen ourselves as a community player and development partner of the society. In fact, every month we make it a point to do one CSR project, be it supporting Red Crescent, Dubai Cares, Make a Wish Foundation or centres for differently-abled kids.
"Going forward, we are working on the roadmap for the next year and we wholeheartedly welcome this new announcement by the President of the UAE, which not only makes the UAE one of the most benevolent countries in the world but also encourages each resident here to play their role in supporting the lesser privileged ones."
Rizwan Sajan, head of Danube Group, also welcomed the move. "I am extremely pleased to hear that the 2017 has been declared as the year of giving. It shows the dedication of our leaders towards making the UAE a better place to live and thrive in. Moreover, as a businessman in this country, I believe that it is our responsibility to give back to the society and actively contribute to its betterment."
UAE Exchange COO Sudhir Shetty said: "As an organisation, we have been always involved in the CSR, right from the inception as and it is our duty to extend our support to the community and society regardless of nationalities. We will continue doing that and since 2017 has become a year of giving we will enhance our social responsibility by raising our contribution.
Zayd Maniar, international liaison partner, Crowe Horwath UAE, said: "The private sector is truly inspired by our benevolent leaders, who lead by example. Shaikh Mohammed has inspired many business owners as well as multinational corporations to be generous where it matters most. From Educational initiatives to essential healthcare to building homes, there are examples left unexplored when it comes to giving. So let us together make 2017 truly a year of giving."
Amit Vardhan, CEO and managing partner, Prism Advertising, said: "We would like to be a part of this initiative in anyway possible giving back to the society and nation which has provided such an amazing environment for businesses ... We would like to undertake many more such initiatives during the Year of Giving to support the government in its endeavours."
ankita@khaleejtimes.com