“The development of the Pearl Initiative is making good progress and we are working hard to engage Private Sector Partners, Global Partners and the academic community.

I joined Badr Jafar and Amir Dossal, co-initiators of the Pearl Initiative, for a strategic meeting with Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdullah al Thani, and Dr. Peter Heath, Chancellor of the American University of Sharjah, at the American University campus. Our aim was to discuss the next steps in our collaboration with the AUS and in developing curricula focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social entrepreneurship. In addition to developing training programs we also talked about the need to facilitate a dialogue to engage business leaders in creating a culture of transparency and accountability. The Pearl Initiative will therefore commit to provide a platform for the sharing of best practices where learning from each other through exchanging ideas and experiences are key. In engaging business leaders at the highest level we will promote a culture of corporate social responsibility through leadership by example.

Prior to our meeting our hosts treated us to a high-level tour of the campus, which included a visit to the Engineering and Architecture departments. We had the opportunity to meet students and learn about their projects – one being a student-built wind tunnel. It was impressive to see how the students build their mechanical project modules in the University’s own workshops.”

Robin
International Coordinator Pearl Initiative