جريدة عاجل 24
In collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Egypt, the Arab Council for Social Responsibility (ACSR) hosted a pivotal panel discussion during the 12th World Urban Forum held in Cairo, Egypt.
Dr. Randa Rizk, Secretary-General of the Arab Council for Social Responsibility, highlighted that the session, which lasted over an hour, focused on maximizing the impact of social responsibility efforts to address sustainable development issues and the role of technology in serving the community, especially in times of global crises and pandemics. Dr. Rizk also emphasized the importance of the educational system in achieving sustainability and resilience for universities. She announced the initiatives “Cairo: Capital of Science in the Arab World” and “Cairo: Heart of the World,” aimed at making Cairo the leading regional center in higher education and scientific research, as well as in tourism, particularly international conference tourism.
The session was inaugurated by Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities, and Dr. Ahmed El-Dorghamy, Head of Basic Services and Climate Change Program at UN-Habitat Egypt. Also, Dr. Naeema Al-Gasseer, former WHO Representative in Egypt and Chair of ACSR’s High Advisory Committee delivered a keynote on the role of technology in addressing urgent societal issues, particularly in public health.
Speakers shared diverse insights on enhancing the impact of social responsibility efforts and the roles of various entities in promoting this crucial concept. Discussions included the roles of the banking system, international efforts, universities, donor organizations, and global companies.
Participants included:
• Mr. Akef El-Maghraby, Chairman and Managing Director of Suez Canal Bank, who discussed the role of national banks in advancing sustainable development goals.
• Dr. Ghada Tawfik, CSR Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, who emphasized the Central Bank’s role in integrating CSR efforts within the banking system to maximize the impact of community initiatives.
• Dr. Dina Kafafi, Chief of Party of Pathfinder Egypt, who highlighted the synergy between international donors, the private sector, and civil society in high-impact projects for women’s and youth empowerment and addressing sustainable development challenges.
• Dr. Sherine Farouk, Vice President of Abu Dhabi University for Academic Projects and Internationalization, who stressed the role of educational and research institutions in instilling CSR principles among students and faculty, and providing research platforms to support startups in developing community-serving technological solutions.
• Mr. Ahmed Ali Gaafar, Marketing Director at Samsung Electronics Egypt, who noted the active role of international companies in supporting technological initiatives for sustainable development, training youth in social entrepreneurship, and maintaining environmental practices for safe electronic waste disposal.
Also, Dr. Mohamed Azzam, during the session, presented ACSR’s initiative “Mogtamai.Tech – Technology Serving the Community,” aimed at leveraging technology to create decent and sustainable jobs, particularly for youth, women, people with disabilities, and those with basic skills. The initiative seeks to direct technological innovation towards finding solutions to enhance public health systems and food security. Dr. Azzam announced that ACSR is set to launch several innovative projects to achieve the initiative’s goals, including creating decent and green job opportunities and developing technological applications to address health and urban agriculture challenges. These efforts will be in partnership with Egyptian state institutions, UN, international, and regional organizations, and multinationals.
In conclusion, speakers emphasized the need for integration through activating partnerships to support sustainable economic and social growth and maximize the impact of community initiatives.
