emirates7 - Majra - National CSR Fund, the UAE’s national umbrella for Corporate Social Responsibility, highlighted its vision for strengthening cross-border partnerships, emphasising the importance of moving beyond market access towards long-term strategic collaboration that aligns with national priorities and delivers credible and measurable economic, social and environmental impact.
The remarks came during the participation of Sarah Shaw, CEO of Majra - National CSR Fund, in the session “Partnering with the UAE: Pathways for Cross-Border Impact”, organised by the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) in India.
The session brought together UAE leaders and representatives of organisations from across Asia to explore pathways for building meaningful and sustainable partnerships with the UAE.
The discussion addressed how UAE institutions assess and international partners, practical pathways for organisations seeking to build partnerships in the UAE, and opportunities to connect international expertise, resources and innovation with national priorities to sustainable and scalable impact.
Shaw emphasised that successful cross-border partnerships require a shift from asking “What can we bring to the UAE?” to “What can we build with the UAE?”, reflecting a move from transactional engagement towards partnerships built on shared purpose, complementary capabilities and tangible outcomes.
She said, “The strongest partnerships are not built around market access alone. They are built around shared purpose, national alignment and measurable outcomes. For organisations seeking to partner with the UAE, the opportunity lies in understanding where their capabilities and expertise can contribute to national priorities, and working with the right partners to translate those capabilities into credible and measurable impact.”
She added, “At Majra, we work to strengthen a Sustainable Impact Ecosystem that brings together government entities, the private sector, academic institutions, the third sector and communities around shared objectives and outcomes. Connecting this ecosystem with the expertise, innovation, knowledge and capabilities across Asia can unlock new opportunities for Co-creating National Impact and generating long-term National Value.”
During the session, Majra highlighted the evolving approach to CSR, ESG and Sustainability, noting that initiatives and partnerships should increasingly be assessed not only by the scale of activities or resources committed, but by their ability to generate tangible outcomes and demonstrate credible and measurable impact.
Majra emphasised the importance of defining intended impact from the outset of a partnership, identifying beneficiaries and the economic, social and environmental value expected to be created, while establishing clear mechanisms for measuring outcomes and identifying opportunities to scale successful projects and initiatives.
This reflects Majra’s approach to strengthening the shift from commitments to outcomes, and from fragmented activities towards Credible Impact and Measurable Impact, reinforcing accountability and the National Value generated through private-sector contributions and partnerships.
The session also highlighted the importance of Cross-sector Partnerships in achieving Sustainable Impact at scale by bringing together the complementary roles and capabilities of different sectors. Government entities provide national direction and an enabling environment, while the private sector contributes investment, expertise, innovation and implementation capabilities. Academic institutions contribute research, knowledge and talent, while the third sector and community sector bring specialised expertise and a deeper understanding of societal needs.
Shaw emphasised that connecting these capabilities can help move from individual projects towards models that are more sustainable and scalable, while strengthening the Sustainable Impact Ecosystem and connecting resources, expertise and innovation with National Priorities.
She also highlighted the importance of moving beyond individual projects and success stories towards an ecosystem capable of identifying, strengthening and scaling successful models, contributing to the development of the Impact Economy.
Shaw noted that economic value and Sustainable Impact are complementary. By aligning corporate strategies and contributions with National Priorities, businesses can economic value while strengthening communities, advancing Sustainability and delivering tangible and measurable outcomes.
In this context, cross-border partnerships provide an opportunity to connect international expertise, innovation and capabilities with national needs and opportunities, strengthening National Value and supporting long-term Sustainable Impact.
Majra highlighted four key foundations for organisations seeking to build effective partnerships in the UAE: understanding National Priorities, achieving National Alignment, designing partnerships from the outset to deliver Credible and Measurable Impact, and adopting an ecosystem approach built on Cross-sector Partnerships rather than short-term transactional engagement.
The session highlighted the potential created by connecting the UAE’s enabling environment, institutional capabilities and development ambitions with Asia’s expertise in innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, investment and knowledge, creating opportunities for collaborative models that deliver tangible outcomes and can scale their impact.
The remarks came during the participation of Sarah Shaw, CEO of Majra - National CSR Fund, in the session “Partnering with the UAE: Pathways for Cross-Border Impact”, organised by the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) in India.
The session brought together UAE leaders and representatives of organisations from across Asia to explore pathways for building meaningful and sustainable partnerships with the UAE.
The discussion addressed how UAE institutions assess and international partners, practical pathways for organisations seeking to build partnerships in the UAE, and opportunities to connect international expertise, resources and innovation with national priorities to sustainable and scalable impact.
Shaw emphasised that successful cross-border partnerships require a shift from asking “What can we bring to the UAE?” to “What can we build with the UAE?”, reflecting a move from transactional engagement towards partnerships built on shared purpose, complementary capabilities and tangible outcomes.
She said, “The strongest partnerships are not built around market access alone. They are built around shared purpose, national alignment and measurable outcomes. For organisations seeking to partner with the UAE, the opportunity lies in understanding where their capabilities and expertise can contribute to national priorities, and working with the right partners to translate those capabilities into credible and measurable impact.”
She added, “At Majra, we work to strengthen a Sustainable Impact Ecosystem that brings together government entities, the private sector, academic institutions, the third sector and communities around shared objectives and outcomes. Connecting this ecosystem with the expertise, innovation, knowledge and capabilities across Asia can unlock new opportunities for Co-creating National Impact and generating long-term National Value.”
During the session, Majra highlighted the evolving approach to CSR, ESG and Sustainability, noting that initiatives and partnerships should increasingly be assessed not only by the scale of activities or resources committed, but by their ability to generate tangible outcomes and demonstrate credible and measurable impact.
Majra emphasised the importance of defining intended impact from the outset of a partnership, identifying beneficiaries and the economic, social and environmental value expected to be created, while establishing clear mechanisms for measuring outcomes and identifying opportunities to scale successful projects and initiatives.
This reflects Majra’s approach to strengthening the shift from commitments to outcomes, and from fragmented activities towards Credible Impact and Measurable Impact, reinforcing accountability and the National Value generated through private-sector contributions and partnerships.
The session also highlighted the importance of Cross-sector Partnerships in achieving Sustainable Impact at scale by bringing together the complementary roles and capabilities of different sectors. Government entities provide national direction and an enabling environment, while the private sector contributes investment, expertise, innovation and implementation capabilities. Academic institutions contribute research, knowledge and talent, while the third sector and community sector bring specialised expertise and a deeper understanding of societal needs.
Shaw emphasised that connecting these capabilities can help move from individual projects towards models that are more sustainable and scalable, while strengthening the Sustainable Impact Ecosystem and connecting resources, expertise and innovation with National Priorities.
She also highlighted the importance of moving beyond individual projects and success stories towards an ecosystem capable of identifying, strengthening and scaling successful models, contributing to the development of the Impact Economy.
Shaw noted that economic value and Sustainable Impact are complementary. By aligning corporate strategies and contributions with National Priorities, businesses can economic value while strengthening communities, advancing Sustainability and delivering tangible and measurable outcomes.
In this context, cross-border partnerships provide an opportunity to connect international expertise, innovation and capabilities with national needs and opportunities, strengthening National Value and supporting long-term Sustainable Impact.
Majra highlighted four key foundations for organisations seeking to build effective partnerships in the UAE: understanding National Priorities, achieving National Alignment, designing partnerships from the outset to deliver Credible and Measurable Impact, and adopting an ecosystem approach built on Cross-sector Partnerships rather than short-term transactional engagement.
The session highlighted the potential created by connecting the UAE’s enabling environment, institutional capabilities and development ambitions with Asia’s expertise in innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, investment and knowledge, creating opportunities for collaborative models that deliver tangible outcomes and can scale their impact.
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