King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has called for developing a sustainable partnership between public and private sectors to jointly shoulder the social responsibility in the country. Dr. Yousuf Al-Othaimeen, Minister of Social Affairs, read out a speech on behalf of King Abdullah at the opening of the three-day CSR Conference on Public-Private Sector Partnership in Riyadh, Sunday. Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Secretary General of Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Awad Raddadi, Deputy Minister for Social Development, Ministry of Social Affairs, CEOs, presidents and vice-presidents of companies and a large number of businessmen were present at the conference organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs. “The King is keen on promoting the culture of social responsibility through the integration of the public and private sectors under the theme of ‘Constructive partnership,' the minister said before reading out the King's speech. The real partnership (between public and private sectors) will ultimately lead to sustained social development in the Kingdom, the Minister said quoting King Abdullah from a prepared text. “The time has come to make social responsibility a reality and not just a rhetoric by the elite,” King Abdullah was quoted as saying referring to corporate business houses. This forum will not merely tackle the general concept of social responsibility but should be a platform for studying the issues of society, he said. The participants should deliberate and explore all possible means leading to practical steps and mechanisms for executing and achieving the goals of social responsibility based on realistic measures, the King added. “This concept (social responsibility) should not be restricted only to the elite class but should also engage every member of society from the public and private sectors,” the King said, adding “I am happy that the private sector is now fully engaged in this process for developing a culture of social responsibility in the country.” He said it is time that every citizen should feel such a responsibility and work to achieve it. Minister Othaimeen said it would never be too late to organize such a conference although some of the big corporate players such as Saudi Aramco and Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) were not present. He said the purpose of the conference was to enlighten the people about corporate social responsibility (CSR) and set standards through which the ministry could evaluate the progress made in the field. “The country's institutions whether from the public or private sector are taking good care of orphans through a number of charity programs,” he said while replying to a question on the increasing number of orphans in Saudi Arabia.
