The Department of Community Development launches awards for the Third Sector

The Department of Community Development – ​​Abu Dhabi (DCD) has announced the Third Sector Awards competition. The third sector plays a key role in accelerating the emirate’s sustainable development by integrating the work done in all relevant sectors and implementing initiatives and programs. The Third Sector Awards aim to celebrate the efforts and contributions of third sector entities (non-profit organizations and social enterprises), volunteer teams and CSR creators in Abu Dhabi.

The awards aim to motivate third sector entities to support Abu Dhabi’s agenda to improve the quality of life of community members and enable the third sector to play its role in supporting the community through a variety of skills, experiences and resources, thereby improving services and the overall quality of care life.

The Third Sector Awards cover four areas: non-profit organizations, social enterprises, volunteering and corporate social responsibility.

The nonprofit domain includes two categories: Nonprofit Entity of the Year 2024 and Nonprofit Entity with the Most Impact. There are two awards in the Social Enterprise domain: Social Enterprise of the Year and Most Influential Social Enterprise.

The Volunteering domain contains one category, Volunteer Team of the Year, while the CSR Initiative of the Year falls under the Corporate Social Responsibility domain.

His Excellency Mohamed Al Balooshi, Executive Director of Community Engagement and the Sports Sector at DCD, said that the department, as the regulatory body for the third sector in Abu Dhabi, continues its efforts to support and enable the development of the sector, recognizing its role in supporting comprehensive social development and economic emirate.

His Excellency Mohamed Al Balooshi said: “The Third Sector Awards, in their inaugural edition, provide a platform to recognize the contributions of non-profit entities, social enterprises, the private sector and community leaders in fostering a culture of engagement, innovation and social responsibility in Abu Dhabi.”

His Excellency stated that the Third Sector Awards embody the complementarity of roles and partnerships between entities supporting the DCD Government and third sector entities. His Excellency also emphasized that DCD, together with its partners, will continue to develop initiatives and programs that will highlight these efforts and enable development in the sector. His Excellency extended his best wishes to all participants. Winners will be announced and honored in late 2024.

DCD will organize introductory and awareness-raising workshops for third sector entities, voluntary teams and people involved in CSR in Abu Dhabi. During the workshop, we will learn about the competition conditions and eligibility for participation, as well as answer inquiries from licensed institutions in the emirate.