The Social Enterprise Mark is the only internationally available accreditation specifically designed to support social enterprises to prove their credentials as businesses that put the interests of people and planet ahead of private gain
Dubai, UAE; After being awarded the Social Enterprise Mark for the 6th year in a row by Social Enterprise Mark CIC (SEMCIC), the award-winning international social enterprise accreditation authority, Companies Creating Change (C3) has been named as the SEMCIC official and exclusive partner to expand social enterprise accreditation in the MENAT region.
The Social Enterprise Mark is the only internationally available accreditation specifically designed to support social enterprises to prove their credentials as businesses that put the interests of people and planet ahead of private gain. It provides clear standards for the social enterprise sector, defining what it means to be a genuine social enterprise. The essence of the Mark criteria is now adopted internationally by the Social Enterprise World Forum in their international definition of what social enterprise is.
With a ten-year track record in providing social enterprise accreditation, accreditation authority Social Enterprise Mark CIC has developed an international assessment process that can be applied anywhere in the world. In 2014, C3 was the pilot international applicant and became the first organisation outside the UK to be awarded the Social Enterprise Mark in April 2015. The Social Enterprise Mark now has a presence in 10 different countries, and selected C3 to support its expansion within the MENAT region, where there is an interest from both governments and investors in implementing a robust system for recognising genuine social enterprises.
Medea Nocentini, Co-Founder of C3 ‘Since it’s creation in 2012, C3 has supported more than 500 social entrepreneurs in MENAT, while engaging a community of more than 2,000 experts and investors. C3 runs programs that accelerate social innovation and social impact: the ‘Change Journey’ start from identifying a pressing global challenge and finding a disruptive solution, to achieving business growth and measuring social and environmental impact. This mirrors the accreditation pathway that has been developed by SEMCIC, which supports social enterprises of all sizes and at all stages to achieve recognised standards of good practice and excellence.’
As the SEMCIC representative for the MENAT region, C3 will use their local knowledge to conduct outreach programmes for potential applicants and provide support to organisations that wish to meet the requirements of the Social Enterprise Mark accreditation. From their own experience of applying for the Social Enterprise Mark, C3 will provide legal advice on how to navigate the regulatory environment of countries in the MENAT region as well as technical support with the application process to the Social Enterprise Mark.
Lucy Findlay, Managing Director at Social Enterprise Mark CIC said: “We are delighted to be developing this partnership with C3, our longest standing international Social Enterprise Mark holder. A female-led social enterprise, C3 has a great track record of working in UAE and the MENAT region and is familiar with the challenges and opportunities of working in this environment. They also have a clear understanding of social enterprises and the journey from pre-startup stage to financial sustainability and proven social impact, and so are well placed to support others on that journey.”
This article originally appeared on zawya.com