Panel outlines plans to promote culture of giving

 A high-powered committee established to drive the Year of Giving initiative on Wednesday announced a national strategy for giving for 2017.

The first committee meeting on Wednesday identified the main pillars of the Year of Giving – Corporate Social Responsibility, Volunteerism and Serving the Nation.

The committee also reviewed the general outlines of the programmes and activities dedicated for the Year of Giving during its first meeting. The committee members extended their thanks to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for entrusting them with the responsibility of overseeing the charity programmes for the year.

It established three subcommittees — on social responsibility to be chaired Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, on volunteering to be chaired by Najla Mohammad Al Awar, Minister of Community Development, and on serving the nation to be chaired by Shamma Suhail Faris Al Mazroui, Minister of State for Youth.

The sub-committees will chart out plans through special frameworks for each panel. They will seek to create and promote a culture of giving on all levels across the nation. They will also implement strategic initiatives in coordination with federal and local bodies.

A media committee was also established under the chairmanship of Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and chairman of the National Media Council (NMC), to provide media support to all initiatives, programmes, projects and campaigns that will be launched during the Year of Giving.

The committee will encourage media to interact with the yearlong initiatives and harness the new social media as an interactive platform that ensures the greatest deal of networking with various community segments. It will be also tasked with launching the official website of the Year of Giving soon.

Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, said, “The Year of Giving presents a valuable opportunity to entrench the ideals of both compassion and patriotism among young UAE citizens.” He continued, “The role of the Higher Committee is to implement a plan that will realise the ambitious goals of the Year of Giving, as visualized by His Highness Shaikh Khalifa and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad. The committee will develop clear and simple procedures for both the private sector, who will play a vital role in the success of the Year of Giving, and for citizens, who are encouraged to participate in skills-based volunteering. The committee will also collaborate with the media, private sector, public sector, charities, and more, to generate and implement hundreds of philanthropic initiatives, and usher in a new era in the UAE’s history of humanitarian giving.”

The Higher National Committee instructed relevant authorities to prepare for the Year of Giving retreat and the setting up of local committee in each emirate to coordinate between each other with regard to strategic initiatives. The committee approved the formation of the Year of Giving Secretariat that falls under the Public Diplomacy Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future. It will be chaired by Saeed Al Eter, director-general of the office.

The secretariat will assume the responsibility of providing administrative and technical support to the Higher National Committee, coordinate major events, following up on the work of the local subcommittees and provide consultative and logistic support to ensure their compliance with the Year of Giving.

The members of the Higher National Committee includes seven ministers and secretaries of local councils. They include Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, as chairman, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Najla Al Awar, Minister of Community Development, Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council, Ohoud Bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness, and Shamma Suhail Faris Al Mazroui, Minister of State for Youth.

The members also include Dr Ahmad Mubarak Al Mazroui, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al Shaibani, secretary-general of the Dubai Executive Council, Sultan Ali Obaid Bin Butti Al Muhairi, Secretary-General of the Sharjah Executive Council, Saeed Saif Al Matroushi, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Ajman, Dr. Mohammad Abdul Latif Khalifa, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Ras Al Khaimah, Humaid Rashid Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Umm Al Quwain, Mohammad Saeed Al Dhanhani, Director of the Fujairah Amiri Diwan and Saeed Al Eter, Director-General of the Public Diplomacy Office The Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, as rapporteur.

source : gulfnews