The Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work has honoured the winners in the voluntary teams category during its 23rd edition celebrations, recognising their contribution to embedding a culture of volunteering, strengthening community participation, and highlighting institutional models that have launched impactful initiatives in support of society and sustainable development.
The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Sharjah won the Best Voluntary Team Award for its initiative “UAE Innovates 2025 Events”, in recognition of its role in promoting a culture of innovation and encouraging voluntary participation in service development. The initiative reflected the integration of institutional work with social responsibility, and helped motivate employees and volunteers to adopt creative ideas and contribute to improving the work environment and the services provided to customers.
The introduction of a dedicated voluntary teams category stems from the award’s keenness to highlight the efforts of organised volunteer teams and enable them to present their distinctive experiences and initiatives, which serve society and respond to humanitarian and developmental needs across various fields. This, in turn, reinforces a culture of institutional volunteering and consolidates the values of giving and social responsibility.
The award said that voluntary teams are eligible to compete for a number of prizes that reflect their excellence and impact in the volunteering field, including the Best Volunteering Opportunity Provider Award, the Best Voluntary Initiative Award, the Record Hours of Volunteering Award, the Best Voluntary Team Award, and the Excellence in Specialised Volunteering Award. These are assessed according to precise criteria that take into account the quality and sustainability of initiatives, as well as their level of impact in society.
Through this category, the award aims to encourage voluntary teams to develop innovative and sustainable initiatives and to foster healthy competition between them, helping to advance institutional and specialised volunteering and underline its role as an active partner in achieving sustainable development and serving the community.
A key pillar in the award’s framework
Saud Al Shamsi, Executive Director of the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work, said the voluntary teams category represents one of the main pillars in the award’s framework, given the active role it plays in strengthening institutional volunteering and entrenching a culture of giving and social responsibility. He said the honouring of the winning teams reflects appreciation for their efforts in implementing distinctive initiatives that have made a tangible impact on society, and have offered inspiring models of organised and sustainable volunteering.
He added that the award is keen to encourage voluntary teams to exchange expertise and develop innovative initiatives that respond to community needs, in line with Sharjah’s vision of supporting sustainable community development.
A system of human values
For his part, Major General Arif Mohammed Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Sharjah at the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security, said the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work embodies the system of human and civilisational values on which the UAE was founded. He said it reflects the values of giving and belonging, in addition to the authentic Emirati cultural heritage rooted in volunteering and dedication to serving people and the الوطن, values established by the Founding Fathers since the creation of the Union and which continue to represent a strategic direction for the UAE.
Major General Al Shamsi expressed his happiness at the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Sharjah winning the Best Voluntary Initiative Award in the voluntary teams category for its “UAE Innovates 2025 Events” initiative, as part of the 23rd edition of the award. He said this win confirms the authority’s commitment to embedding the values and culture of volunteering in the workplace and among employees and customers, through incentive-based policies and frameworks that enable staff to fulfil their national role in serving society and improving people’s quality of life.
He noted that the authority is proud of its role in serving society and carrying out its social responsibilities, as well as enabling employees to take part in different volunteering activities, based on its firm belief that voluntary work is a way of life and a key pillar in improving wellbeing and strengthening social cohesion.
The award’s commitment
The creation of the voluntary teams category reflects the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work’s commitment to highlighting the efforts of organised volunteer teams and enabling them to showcase their distinctive experiences and initiatives, which contribute to serving society and responding to humanitarian and developmental needs in various fields. This supports institutional volunteering and reinforces the values of giving and social responsibility.
The award requires participating teams to submit a set of approved documents and records, including the team logo, a list of members’ names, and the team formation decision issued by the licensed entity specifying duties and responsibilities. It also requires the nomination of the award coordinator, together with a copy of the team leader’s personal ID and passport, ensuring proper procedures and transparency in the evaluation process.