December 18, 2019: The Community Development Authority (CDA), has embarked on a journey to strengthen social development in Dubai, while simultaneously achieving the goals of Dubai’s Strategic Plan. 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.

Saeed Al Tayer, CEO, Social Planning and Development Sector at Dubai Community Development Authority noted, “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. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai 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. 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.”

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 & CSR Director at CDA mentioned, “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 the CDA 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. We feel blessed to be living in a city like Dubai and believe it is our duty to help our local communities thrive and flourish through a series of strategic Social Impact guidelines and policies, which will promote the sustainable development of the city.”

The study results are invaluable as they provide CDA with a clear picture of the realities on the ground, in regard to the social sector. CDA is on a mission to continuously reach the highest standards and through this journey, is taking the next steps to forecast the future social requirements of numerous vulnerable groups, while ensuring equal opportunities and easy integration of these groups into society. After accumulating and analysing the survey results, CDA will proceed by conducting in-person interviews with key stakeholders. These interviews reveal deeper insights from the organisations’ perspectives, which will assist CDA in developing appropriate, specific and relevant policies and practices, ones that will truly help the organisations thrive and flourish when working with the social sector in Dubai.

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.