Shell shells out $273m for 'community spirit'

In 2006 Shell invested $273 million in community programmes around the globe.

But this year, a growing portion of this investment could be deployed in the Gulf, through the oil major's 'corporate social responsibility' (CSR) programme.

"As a company, Shell was the first company to bring CSR to Dubai," said Omar Al Qurashi, communications manager, Shell Markets Middle East. "We then introduced it to Qatar and Syria."

The company considers a wide range of programmes as falling under the 'CSR' umbrella. Al Qurashi explained that Shell's main motivation for being involved in CSR activity was a desire to build and maintain a good reputation.

"Our reputation is very important to us," he said. "We do not want to lead CSR, but take it to the next level and share the idea with the community. We brought the programme to the country [the UAE], sharing it with government and the national oil companies. The idea is very new for us, but it is growing very fast and people are now treating it as a serious issue.

"Because one of our themes is respect for people and the environment, we need to show people we are doing exactly what we say. Our CSR work reflects our participation in the community. We benefit by building a good relationship with government, customers and contractors."

The company is also using its CSR experience to cultivate a good relationship with the UAE government. It is currently in discussions about taking a role in the work of the GCC Standardisation Organisation.

"In the short term our aim is to have a CSR programme in co-operation with government," said Al Qurashi.

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