Social Sustainability in Action: DEI, Localization & ESG Accountability in the GCC

📅 Date: Thursday, 31st July 2025 | 5.30 pm (UAE time, GMT +4)
💻 Mode: Live Online Training
💰 Fee: USD 150
⏱ 3-Hour Live Session

🔍 Overview

While environmental and governance aspects of ESG receive much of the attention, the “Social” dimension is increasingly under regulatory and investor scrutiny, especially in the Gulf region. From national workforce inclusion policies like Emiratisation, Saudization, Qatarization, and Omanization, to board diversity mandates, equitable hiring, and pay transparency frameworks, the GCC is rapidly shifting from soft CSR talk to hard expectations.

This GCC focused ESG masterclass on social sustainability is tailored for executives, HR leaders, and sustainability professionals who need to align internal people strategies with emerging regional ESG reporting demands. It’s also ideal for companies that want to demonstrate genuine impact on inclusion, diversity, and national development—not just box-ticking or greenwashing.

This session provides frameworks, real examples, data structures, and implementation tools to help companies integrate social performance into their ESG programs, and disclose them credibly across global frameworks like GRI, ISSB, and local regulatory guidance (e.g., SCA, Tadawul, QFMA).

🧭 What You’ll Learn

1. GCC Workforce Policies and Their ESG Relevance

We begin with a regional overview of the evolving national talent mandates:

• UAE’s Emiratisation rules: 2% annual quota for skilled private sector jobs; tiered penalties and incentives

• KSA’s Saudization/Nitaqat program: sector-specific hiring ratios, color-coded employer categories, and enforcement updates under Vision 2030

• Qatarization and Omanization programs: compliance expectations for large employers in oil & gas, banking, logistics, education, and construction

• 2024–2025 updates: new job category quotas, Emirati and Saudi talent development funds, and workforce localization audits

We’ll explore how these government-led initiatives are increasingly being linked to ESG disclosures, stakeholder ratings, and board-level KPIs. You’ll learn how to map these obligations into the “S” of ESG.

2. Gender Diversity & Inclusive Governance in the GCC

Next, we cover mandatory and market driven expectations around gender diversity:

• UAE’s board quota: all listed companies must appoint at least one woman board director

• Bahrain and Qatar corporate governance codes now recommending diversity disclosures

• Oman encouraging female participation through leadership development quotas

You’ll learn:

• How to build and disclose a gender diversity pipeline

• How DEI expectations are evolving beyond gender-into age, ability, and cultural inclusion

• What global investors and ESG rating agencies expect to see vs. what’s performative

3. Embedding DEI & Workforce Metrics into ESG Strategy

Now we move into implementation:

• Defining “material” social topics based on workforce structure, operations, and industry (e.g., health & safety for construction; retention for finance; equal opportunity for tech)

• Establishing internal ownership: ESG & HR co-governance models

• Creating inclusive policies, training pathways, and equity audit frameworks

• How to collect meaningful data on:

  • National vs. expat employment ratios

  • Gender pay gaps

  • Turnover rates by role, gender, or nationality

  • Training hours and welfare metrics

We’ll show how to align these metrics to GRI 401, 403, and 405 indicators, and how to embed them into CorpStage ESG 360’s tracking and reporting interface.

4. From Policy to Proof: Reporting & External Communication

• How to translate your workforce and DEI efforts into ESG disclosures

• What social metrics can (and should) be assured

• How to avoid “social washing” and tokenism in your reporting narrative

• Case examples: regional companies successfully using DEI performance to win contracts, secure financing, or improve employer brand rankings

Live examples from CorpStage ESG 360 will demonstrate:

• Social impact dashboards

• Data traceability models for workforce metrics

• Integrated disclosures across ESG themes

🎯 Who Should Attend

This masterclass is essential for:

• ESG and Sustainability Managers

• Human Resource & People Leaders

• CHROs, DEI Officers, and Compliance Managers

• Board Secretaries and Governance Professionals

• Sector leads in oil & gas, manufacturing, banking, education, logistics, and tech

• Companies operating across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait

✅ Key Takeaways

• Localization & DEI Compliance Checklist (GCC-wide)

• Boardroom DEI Reporting Template (GRI/ISSB aligned)

• Sample ESG 360 Dashboard for social metrics

• Framework for Social Materiality Assessment

• Certificate of Participation + post-class implementation toolkit