IN working toward improving business behavior in corporate accountability and transparency in the Arab world, Pearl Initiative held recently its first Integration Board meeting at the American University of Sharjah attended by senior executives of both companies. The meeting focused on the role of the business community in driving efforts to improve accountability and the need for Gulf companies to think in a more integrated way by embedding corporate governance best practice into their overall strategy and decision- making processes. Saudi-based company Construction Products Holding Company (CPC), which is one of the partner organizations of Pearl Initiative, attended the meeting represented by Dr. Faysal Alaquil, Director of Business Development and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. Making his remarks at the meeting, Alaquil said: “Without a presence of a CSR charter, strategic CSR programs will not achieve its sustainable development goals, the absence of assessment and CSR classification is like a tree without fruits.” He added: “One of the most important goals of sustainable development is to serve the community by allocating a portion of its corporate profits and to take advantage of these profits in support of CSR programs to achieve its sustainable development goals.” Alaquil emphasized the importance of enforcing the Cooperation Triangle in CSR at the level of the Arab Gulf states in order to set rules that govern sustainable development which could implement the needed programs in corporate social responsibility in the private sector. On behalf of CPC, Faysal Alaquil received a certificate of appreciation presented by Imelda Dunlop, Executive Director of Pearl Initiative Group for CPC active corporate partnership. – SG
