ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 09th Dec, 2020) The Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council,GCC, and Emirates Foundation, the national organisation set up to facilitate public-private funded initiatives to unite social responsibility across the UAE, have signed a memorandum of understanding, MoU, with the aim of supporting the volunteerism platform at the GCC Pavilion for EXPO 2020.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sheikh, Director General of the Economic and Development Affairs Authority Office at the GCC Secretariat General, and Ahmed Talib Al Shamsi, Acting CEO of the Emirates Foundation.
Speaking on the announcement, Khalid Al Sheikh said: "The General Secretariat signed an MoU with Emirates Foundation with the aim of attracting young men and women from the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council to support the volunteer platform in the GCC pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai."
He said that volunteer work represented an important component in the decisions issued by the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, a position which was adopted at the entity’s thirty-sixth summit held in Riyadh in December, 2015, a vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, which included encouraging volunteer work in the GCC countries and instructing the General Secretariat to set the necessary mechanisms to enable this.
Due to the importance of achieving concrete steps in this regard, the General Secretariat has set the promotion of volunteer work as one of the main items in the relevant ministerial committee meetings in order to enhance integration between the GCC states in organising and supporting the culture of volunteer work and raising awareness about societal issues, including the ability to participate and endure responsibility and leadership and promote the values of citizenship, belonging, solidarity, cohesion and other inspiring values.
He added that the General Secretariat, through the volunteering platform that was launched, will work in cooperation with the Emirates Foundation to attract 300 volunteers from the citizens of the GCC countries and train them to contribute to the operations of the GCC pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, whose six month long activities will be launched on October 1, 2021.
He concluded by saying that the Emirates Foundation is a pioneering national institution in the field of establishing social responsibility between the public and private sectors, stressing the important role the Foundation plays in consolidating social responsibility, qualifying young cadres, and raising their competencies to participate in national and international programs in support of community development in the United Arab Emirates by developing innovation, creativity and knowledge skills.
For his part, Ahmed Al Shamsi said: "This partnership between the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Emirates Foundation constitutes a qualitative step forward and will accomplish positive joint benefits in developing the field of volunteerism in accordance with high-quality standards. This effort is aimed at increasing the participation rate of the number of volunteers, as it meets the objectives and developmental and cultural aspirations of the UAE, and is consistent with its efforts and future plans. "
He added, "Emirates Foundation is committed to providing the required support by contributing to raising the name of the nation across the Gulf Cooperation Council, and in coordination with the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, such support will be provided with all elements of success available."
The partnership will contribute to providing a comprehensive database through the national platform for volunteerism, and will enable citizen volunteers from the Gulf Cooperation Council states that are currently residing in the UAE with enhanced volunteerism organisational efforts by expanding their scope. This will be accomplished by facilitating the search process and engaging in volunteerism opportunities in the GCC pavilion according to the preferences of volunteers from the GCC, along with their interests, skills, and experiences.
The MoU establishes a framework for coordination between the two entities with the aim of qualifying and training volunteers in all aspects related to the management and organization of events in a professional manner.
