Sharjah 24: Today, Wednesday, the activities of the fifth edition of the Sharjah Volunteer Forum, organized by the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work (SAVW), were launched under the theme “Appreciating Volunteer Efforts” at the Sharjah Education Academy.

The forum included three scientific sessions, where the first session discussed “The Importance of Voluntary Awards” through 3 scientific papers, while the second session included a discussion of “Voluntary Awards in the Arabian Gulf” through two scientific papers, and the last session highlighted the “Volunteering Award in the United Arab Emirates.” United Nations”, by discussing three scientific papers, with 8 topics addressed.

The forum seeks to achieve a number of goals, the most prominent of which is highlighting the importance of motivating and appreciating volunteers, developing mechanisms for appreciating volunteers’ efforts, in addition to introducing volunteer awards in the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf and their best practices. The forum also aims to identify the challenges facing awards and participants in the application, evaluation, and honouring processes, as well as developing mechanisms for evaluating and judging entries in voluntary awards.

The forum's activities included honouring the parties participating in the forum, namely: “Khalid Al-Issa Al-Saleh Award for Excellence in Charitable Work”  from Kuwait; “Sheikh Isa bin Ali Award for Voluntary Work” from Bahrain; Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Programme for Excellence and Societal Intelligence, and Aoun Award for Community Service.

Dr. Sheikha Nasser Al Karbi, Dr. Mona Jawad, an expert in excellence and institutional development, and Dr. Fatima Issa, a member of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Volunteering Association, were also honoured.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr. Jassim Al Hammadi began his speech by welcoming the attendees and appreciating their continued support for the event’s activities, expressing his gratitude for their participation, which reflects their commitment to volunteer work and their effective contribution to promoting a culture of giving and responsibility.

Dr. Jassim praised the Sharjah Volunteering Forum as an important station in the journey of promoting the culture and policy of volunteer work and encouraging humanitarian initiatives, stressing the importance of directing the spotlight in the current edition of the forum towards the appreciation awards and their vital role in promoting volunteer work and encouraging participation.

He explained that the Sharjah Forum contributes to enhancing common understanding of the importance of volunteer work and encourages more community members and institutions to participate in community service and improving the lives of others.
He praised the efforts of the Emirate of Sharjah in promoting volunteer and humanitarian work under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the establishment of the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work, which contributed to enhancing the culture of volunteering among various segments of society.

He also welcomed the participating guests from Bahrain and Kuwait, and called for enhancing cooperation and exchanging experiences among countries in the region to serve the issues of volunteer and humanitarian work, while wishing everyone success.

Fatima Musa Al Balushi, Executive Director of the Award and Chairman of the Organising Committee, stated that the forum included the presentation of eight scientific papers, presented by three academic experts specialised in the community field, in addition to five contributions from leading societal bodies in the field of volunteer work, from Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE.

Al Balushi appreciated the participation of a number of distinguished entities in this forum, in addition to the number of participating attendees. She stressed that this forum is not just a passing event, but rather a platform for exchanging experiences and promoting joint volunteer work, praising the papers presented during the event.

The ceremony was attended by Dr. Jassim Al Hammadi, Secretary General of the Award; Dr. Musabah Al Ketbi, Deputy Secretary General of the Award; Aisha Al Suwaidi, Project Director of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Programme for Excellence and Societal Intelligence, and a number of personalities and volunteer leaders.