DUBAI: The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced that it won the Best Unconventional Project Award at the 10th World Chambers Congress which took place last week in Sydney. The prestigious award, part of the World Chambers Competition 2017, recognised the Dubai Innovation Index as an exceptional and innovative project in an activity not typically associated with a chamber of commerce’s mission and objectives. The Dubai Innovation Index, launched by the Chamber in 2015, serves as an important tool for companies in Dubai to assess and benchmark their innovation practices and performance. Through the Index, the Chamber is keen to create awareness and enhance private sector participation in the total innovation efforts of the emirate.
Dubai Chamber had been shortlisted for the Best Unconventional Project award along with four other finalists, namely the Chamber of Commerce of Guayaquil (Ecuador), the Chamber of Commerce of Pereira (Colombia), Greater Des Moines Partnership (USA), and the Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce (Brazil). Following the announcement, H.E Hamad Buamim, President and CEO of Dubai Chamber and Deputy Chairman of the Paris-based World Chambers Federation (WCF) – International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), described the win as a major achievement which solidifies Dubai Chamber’s reputation as one of the leading chambers of commerce in the world. He added that the index remains one of the key pillars of the Chamber’s innovation strategy, while it also supports the Dubai Plan 2021’s objective of the encouraging collaboration between the emirate’s public and private sectors. Mr. Khalil Haddad, Director of Strategy and Corporate Development at Dubai Chamber, said the first-of-its-kind index stood out from the competition as it uses a unique approach in evaluating macro-economic data to determine how innovative cities are. He noted that a lot has been accomplished by the Dubai’s business community since the first edition of the index was launched in 2015, especially with regards to the adoption of innovation-focused strategies. In 2013, Dubai Chamber won the Best CSR Project award during the 8th World Chambers Congress in Doha. The award recognised the Chamber’s positive impact on the environment through its initiatives of green building, the University of Dubai, the establishment of the Centre for Responsible Business, and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award Program. The 10th World Chambers Congress, held September 19th-21st, 2017, in Sydney, brought together delegates representing 12,000 chambers of commerce from over 100 countries. A high-level delegation from Dubai Chamber participated in the premier event, showcasing the Chamber’s services and initiatives, and informing delegates about the advantages of doing business in Dubai.
