We believe that far and away the most effective way to establish and sustain a successful business in the Middle East is to genuinely become a good corporate citizen and make lasting contributions to the communities each company trades in. Apart from the fact that the private sector has an ethical responsibility to give back to the community, corporate social responsibility programs can become a genuine hedge against crises. We believe that companies are missing a fantastic opportunity to become a genuine part of local communities by setting up and sponsoring programs that have a long-term positive impact on the society. Training and hiring the handicapped, providing scholarships, recognizing achievements, supporting remedial programs for the dyslexic, helping poor people set up businesses and contributing to local charities in a meaningful and lasting way are all activities that will earn the gratitude of both the public and of governments and fortify companies against negative publicity. The implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Middle East is different than in many other parts of the world. Social activism, which was the prime motivator for the development of CSR in the West, is not a major force for change within Arab societies.

As a practice, and notwithstanding a recent series of conferences and events surrounding corporate social responsibility, CSR is still widely unknown or misunderstood. On the other hand, the underlying concept of social responsibility is ingrained in traditional Arab and Islamic culture and many regional business entities practice a form of CSR that is an extension of traditional charitable activities. TRACCS has been at the forefront of developing and promoting CSR in the Middle East. We organized the first conferences on Corporate Social Responsibility in Kuwait in 2004, in Saudi Arabia in 2006 and in Jordan in 2007. However, we strongly believe that conferences on CSR are only a first step in establishing the practice and that CSR must leave the conference hall and move effectively into the society. To this end TRACCS has campaigned for companies to implement long-term and sustained CSR programs and has been instrumental in several key developments in the practice of CSR in the region. We have developed and implemented a range of CSR initiatives for regional and global enterprises that have established social responsibility as an important emerging business priority in the Middle East today.