Al-Baha University president Dr. Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Hussein today launched the Social Responsibility Empowerment Forum under the theme "Your Responsibility Is a Commitment." The forum, organized by the Institute for Studies and Consultative Services in cooperation with the House of Expertise for Empowering Volunteer Work for Consulting and Training, and supported by the Sheikh Saad bin Zoumah Humanitarian Foundation, runs for three days at the university campus.

A Distinguished Opening

On its first day, the forum featured an opening address in which Dr. Al-Hussein stressed the university's commitment to strengthening cooperation with entities concerned with social responsibility and spreading its culture from a scientific and practical perspective, contributing to unified plans for achieving shared goals.

Panel Discussions and Specialized Papers

The forum's work began with a panel discussion covering key themes in social responsibility, including:

  1. "Social Responsibility: Concepts and Applications"
    • Reviewed the basic concepts, objectives and pillars of social responsibility.
  2. "Skills of the Social Responsibility Specialist"
    • Focused on the life, social and mental skills needed by social-responsibility professionals.
  3. "Social Responsibility Strategy in the Kingdom"
    • Presented by Dr. Faiq Al-Ghamdi, discussing challenges such as low awareness, lack of funding, and measuring community impact.

Achievements and Aspirations in Social Responsibility

  • Working papers noted that corporate social-responsibility contributions rose to 4.15% in 2023, up from 1.19% in 2019, reflecting significant progress in major companies adopting advanced social-responsibility programs.
  • Thanks to these efforts, the Kingdom ranked 16th globally on the Social Responsibility Index.

Notable Initiatives and Recognition

The forum proposed launching new initiatives such as:

  • "Social Responsibility Award" for the best initiative by university students.
  • "Diploma in Social Responsibility" to strengthen professional specialization in the field.

The forum also featured a showcase of inspiring success stories from various organizations and the launch of the "Sahm" competition for outstanding social-responsibility initiatives.

Boosting Volunteer Work and Community Empowerment

The forum is part of Al-Baha University's efforts to promote a culture of social responsibility in the Kingdom, in line with Vision 2030's goal of empowering communities and developing initiatives with a lasting positive impact.