The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, UPC, made a formal agreement with the UAE’s leading property companies on Wednesday, committing them to a major community initiative for Year of Giving 2017.

President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared 2017 as the Year of Giving to inspire people and organisations to make a positive difference to individual lives, society, and the nation.

A ceremony, held on the second day of Cityscape Abu Dhabi, saw the UPC sign a Service Level Agreement, SLA, which officially launched its "CSR Year of Giving Initiative."

Under the agreement, the UPC will work with private sector companies to establish new community amenities, such as mosques, public parks, walkways, playgrounds and sports facilities throughout Abu Dhabi, as well as honour UAE’s martyrs.

In the presence of Maryam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Director-General of the Family Development Foundation and Abu Dhabi Representative in the central co-ordination of the Year of Giving Committee, the agreement was signed by Falah Al Ahbabi, Director-General of the UPC, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO of Aldar Properties, Sufian Al Marzooqi, CEO of Tourism Development and Investment Company, Mohamed Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral Asset Management, Abdullah Ali Al Saadi, Member of the Board of Directors and Managing Director, of National Investment Corporation, Khalifa Yousif Khouri, Vice Chairman of Al Qudra Holding, Sameh Muhtadi, CEO of Bloom Holding, Nadir A. Al Hammadi, Chairman of Tamouh, Mohamed Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Manazel Real Estate, and Mounir Haidar, CEO of Lead Development and Project Management Consultants.

Under the agreement, the companies will target areas of Abu Dhabi that currently lack community facilities, as well as launch fundraising events to support them.

Falah Al Ahbabi said, "We are really proud to see the private sector actively involved in this initiative, and supporting us to work together towards building new sustainable communities that meet the expectations of our society and raise their living standards.

''Nine real estate developers will contribute a collective total of AED 320 million in building amenities to benefit Abu Dhabi communities, as part of UPC’s ‘CSR Year of Giving Initiative’, he said.

"Their generosity is following in the footsteps of our Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. His legacy led by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan lives on through the kind-hearted donations from private sector businesses," he added.

Maryam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Director-General of the Family Development Foundation and Abu Dhabi Representative in the central co-ordination of the Year of Giving Committee, said, "I am pleased to extend my gratitude to the UPC for its efforts in bringing this initiative to fruition through different projects and impressive contributions."

"The active involvement of the Abu Dhabi private sector for this initiative confirms its strong belief in the importance of social responsibility - one of the major cornerstones of this initiative announced earlier this year. The initiative aims to instil the value of serving our nation and encourage people to do more in helping the community," she added.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO of Aldar Properties, said, "When launching the Year of Giving, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed declared the importance of strengthening social responsibility in the private sector, aimed at encouraging our role in serving the country and contributing to its development. As the leading real estate developer in Abu Dhabi, Aldar is proud to contribute to His Highness’ vision in partnership with the Urban Planning Council, and we thank the UPC for their leadership in this initiative.'' Wednesday’s ceremony follows a brainstorming workshop held on 10th April, in which the UPC discussed how the private sector could contribute to Abu Dhabi’s urban development and support the objectives of the "CSR Year of Giving Initiative."

The campaign is the UPC’s principal CSR initiative this year and fulfils one of the key objectives of Year of Giving 2017, namely to offer private sector businesses the chance to help residents through sponsorship programmes and constructing community facilities across Abu Dhabi.