Mohammed bin Rashid to attend Giving Retreat

Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will attend on Wednesday the "Giving Retreat," along with more than 100 senior officials, including ministers, other officials, and community and humanitarian leaders.

The gathering aims to launch a permanent strategic roadmap for ongoing ideas and initiatives related to the Year of Giving.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid also called on the public to participate in this national plan by contributing their ideas and suggestions via the #YearOfGiving hashtag, launched across his social media accounts. He noted that by doing so, the community can proactively drive the private sector’s role in social responsibility, and nurture a spirit of volunteering and patriotism for future generations.

"Since the declaration of the UAE’s national Year of Giving by the UAE President, we have been receiving many ideas and some initiatives that look very promising. We decided to organise a Giving Retreat to discuss a unified plan for the country that covers all charity initiatives. We believe that the retreat will further boost the UAE’s position as the region’s leading charitable hub and transform people’s enthusiasm for giving into a sustainable institutional work, which will make a tangible difference in people’s lives. We also plan to declare a permanent strategic charity framework in the UAE after the Retreat," he said.

The Giving Retreat aims to create an inclusive brainstorming session that will encourage ideas, suggestions, initiatives and projects built around the pillars of the Year of Giving. The Retreat will also define responsibilities and key performance indicators or KPIs besides defining the role of various entities to implement the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the Year of Giving.

"We aim to translate the Year of Giving declaration by the President into a viable action so that 2017 becomes a year for enhancing the values of charity and generosity, and deepening the sense of responsibility among individuals, corporates and institutions towards their society and the country at large. Today, our goal is to continue the legacy of the founding father of the UAE, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, through preserving the spirit of charity and generosity that has been evident in the UAE since the establishment of the Union. These values shape our national identity and are the true indicators of national progress," His Highness Sheikh Mohammed added.

The agenda of the Giving Retreat is based on six key pillars. A minister will take charge of the pillar related to his/her field and will oversee the strategy and initiatives, liaise with national authorities on large-scale implementation, follow up on achievements and present regular reports to the Higher National Committee for the Year of Giving.

Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri will be in charge of the corporate social responsibility pillar. The volunteer work pillar will fall under the remit of the Minister of Community Development Najla bint Mohammad Al Awar. Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, will oversee the humanitarian organisations pillar. Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council, will be responsible for the media pillar. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness, will head the pillar related to legislative system and government policies. Minister of State for Youth Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui will head the "Serving the Nation" pillar.

The Higher National Committee for the Year of Giving has also set up a portal for the Year of Giving (www.giving.ae) to enable all stakeholders and the general public to stay up-to-date with the developments throughout the year.

A dedicated team has also been formed to receive the new ideas shared on the #YearOfGiving hashtag, assess them and direct them to relevant entities for implementation and execution.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.