Dubai’s Community Development Authority (CDA) has embarked on a journey to strengthen social development in the emirate, outlined in the Dubai Strategic Plan which was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

CDA is responsible for the overall supervision to achieve social sector outputs, and provide the provisions of social services in order to create an integrated and efficient management system for the development of social services in the emirate.

The aim of this journey is to provide CDA and the emirate of Dubai with insights into the current practices that are taking place within the social sector as well as to notice any gaps in the sector that should be attended to, said a statement from the Authority.

Saeed Al Tayer, CEO, Social Planning and Development Sector at Dubai CDA, said: “With every milestone we achieve, our ambitions get higher and this Social Impact Study is the next step along our journey, one that we hope will reach us to an ideal society.”

“Sheikh Mohammed has put the city on a march towards excellence and it is our duty to push the march forward by improving the overall state of the social sector in the emirate, while encouraging the private sector’s buy-in,” remarked Al Tayer.

“We are extremely hopeful for the future of this Social Impact journey and are keen on ensuring the best outcomes for the social sector within Dubai,” he added.

As part of the Social Impact Study, CDA initiated and launched a survey to over 200 organisations across a range of sectors and industries and included a variety of sizes and types of businesses as well.

The survey questions are designed to help CDA better understand the social areas organisations primarily contribute to, the challenges organisations face when attempting to initiate and execute community development programmes and the organisations’ expectations of the role the city of Dubai should play in regards to community outreach activities.

Fatma Al Mheiri, investment and CSR director, CDA, said: “We are extremely excited to initiate this Social Impact journey, where our overarching goals are to better understand the current CSR practices and to gauge how to effectively cater to the needs and expectations of organisations in Dubai.”

“This journey is a milestone for our organisation as we strive to use the data gathered throughout this journey to grow the overall social sector in Dubai, while serving as a role model city for other nations to follow,” she added.

Through this Social Impact journey, CDA will implement strategic objectives and efficient management systems in order to encourage and stimulate excellence within the social sector. By embedding larger goals, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UAE Vision 2021, into everyday activities, policies and procedures, the CDA and Dubai are working towards building and fostering an environment that is inclusive and resilient, it added.-TradeArabia News Service