The third phase of the ‘Ethraa’ Awards, which honors non-profit organizations in Dubai, has begun
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Dubai: The Dubai Community Development Authority (CDA) has launched the third phase of the ‘Ethraa/Ithraa’ Awards, with the aim of further strengthening the institutional excellence and social engagement of voluntary organizations. The initiative is being implemented as a key project to strengthen the Third Sector in line with the objectives of Dubai Social Agenda 33.
CDA Director-General Hessa bint Isa Buhumaid made the announcement of the third phase. She said that the project aims to help voluntary organizations become more sustainable and effective partners in the development of Dubai’s society. She also clarified that the ‘Ethraa’ project is a reflection of the vision of the Dubai leadership, which emphasizes human empowerment and social cohesion.
Non-profit organizations registered with the Community Development Authority of the Government of Dubai are evaluated and honored as part of the ‘ITRA’ project. 146 organizations under the supervision of the CDA have also participated in this institutional development project.
The governance, financial efficiency and technical capacity of the organizations will be evaluated based on strict governance criteria. The evaluation will be done through three main criteria: institutional empowerment and good governance, sustainability of human and social capital, and performance excellence.
After the evaluation, the best performing organizations will be presented with the ‘ITRA Excellence Award’ in three categories: gold, silver and bronze.
The authorities said that the number of successful organizations has increased from 25 to 30 in previous editions, which is also a testament to the impact of the project.
As part of the project, a special introductory workshop was organized at Al Khawanij Majlis with the participation of representatives of various voluntary organizations in Dubai. More than 200 representatives from various movements, including various Malayali organizations licensed by CDA Dubai, participated in the workshop. Guidelines and best practices for enhancing institutional excellence in the third sector were explained at the event.
“The third phase of ‘ITRA’ represents a qualitative leap forward in the administrative, financial and technical support provided to NGOs,” said Dr. Ahmed Al Hashimi, CEO of the Social Regulation and Services Sector at the CDA. “This phase aims to transform institutional excellence into a permanent culture of operation, rather than an optional feature. This will further strengthen the operational efficiency of NGOs and the sustainability of their social impact,” he said.
