Arabia CSR Network Launches Sustainability Certified Trainings for 2015

The First GRI certified Training Partner in the Region

Dubai, UAE, February, 2015: Helping organizations to compile accurate sustainability reports is the focus of a newly inaugurated programme that has been introduced for 2015 by the Arabia CSR Network (ACSRN). Taking place on February 24-26, the first in the series of courses from the first certified training partner of GRI in the region has been designed to assist corporations in the production of documents that adhere to the Global Reporting Framework (GRI), the world’s leading sustainability frame of reference.

“Sustainability reporting is becoming increasingly sought after in the Arab world, as cross-industry companies from both the public and private sectors are keen to use the process as a medium of disclosing their CSR practices and enhancing their transparency,” said Habiba Al Marashi, President and Founder of  ACSRN. “The Arabia CSR Network is working to assist companies in this part of the world to accurately and effectively compile sustainability reports, which will increase their credibility with their stakeholders. Training these organisations to use the GRI framework not only enables them to issue a well-balanced and reliable report, but also aids them to better assess the impact of their operations on the environment and the community,” she added.

ACSRN is GRI’s first certified training partner in the Arab world. The company’s forthcoming February training will be conducted in Arabic and is one of six that have been planned for the year in the UAE, with subsequent courses taking place in April, May, September, November and December. The programme for each will follow the fourth generation of GRI, ‘G4,’ which was launched in the MENA region in Abu Dhabi in January last year. ASCRN has been instrumental in ensuring that the latest G4 guidelines are disseminated in Arabic and is conducting a number of its forthcoming 2015 workshops in the mother language of the region.

“One of ACSRN’s landmark achievements in the area of training has been the introduction of the first GRI G4 in the Arabic language. This step was strategically planned so that organisations in the region could report on their sustainability performance in their mother tongue,” said Al Marashi. The move should improve the take up of sustainability reporting and help entrench it as a part of the corporate culture here. ACSRN strives to stay true to its Arab identity and to provide organisations in the region an effective tool to benchmark their sustainability performance and elevate it to world-class standards,” she added.

To date, ACSRN has imparted GRI certified trainings to 199 professionals representing 124 organizations. The organisation is promoted as the premium CSR and sustainability capacity building platform in the Arab world, offering professional training specifically designed to enhance ability around corporate responsibility and sustainability. In addition to its partnership with GRI, ACSRN has teamed up with other various acclaimed institutions, such as AIM, UNGC, and SROI  to train companies in the region in various aspects of CSR and sustainability. ACSRN’s training programme for 2015 follows on from its successful 2014 schedule, which saw it conduct a total of nine training courses, composed of six GRI workshops and three CSR workshops.