The gathering will be organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and is expected to be attended by more than 500 people — senior government officials and top managers of Saudi, Arab and international companies in addition to expert houses and consultancy offices.
“The index of social responsibility has gone up tremendously from what it was five years ago,” said Faysal Alaquil, director of business development and administrative affairs at the Construction Products Holding Company, which is sponsoring a number of forums, conferences and gatherings related to the issue of social responsibility.
He said the support of the government to the social responsibility programs had played a great role in shaping many activities connected to the issue. He recalled that Minister of Social Affairs Yousuf Al-Othaimeen had considered social responsibility a national obligation that was now part of the public concern. The first social responsibility forum was held in Riyadh in 2009 following a call by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to the private sector to spread the culture of social responsibility and to expand its role in this regard through social programs and activities.
Alaquil said his company, a sponsor of the forum, had various social responsibility programs and activities including scholarships to female students studying architecture at Effat University in Jeddah, and the provision of job opportunities for Saudi youth in various branches of the company. “We organize training sessions to qualify local cadres for the labor market and hence reduce the rate of unemployment.”
Alaquil, whose company has 27 companies specializing in building material, said he did not consider social responsibility charitable work but sustainable development.
“Since its establishment in 2007, the company has been keen to make sure that all its projects are environment-friendly,” he added.
The company has branches in Egypt, Syria, Qatar, UAE, Senegal, India and Algeria. “We have taken the concept of social responsibility to all these countries,” he explained.
