Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Bahraini social entrepreneur and co-founder of 3BL ‘Triple Bottom Line’ Associates—asocial impact and sustainabilityconsultancy and think-do-tank—Leena Al Olaimy, was among three panelists at the DUBAI+acumen event which was recently held at the Capital Club, DIFC, Dubai.

The keynote speaker of the event, entitled "Social Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy: Synergies for Change", was Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen Fund. With US$81million of approved investments in 72 breakthrough enterprises that serve the poor, Acumen Fund has touched the lives of tens of millions of people using an entrepreneurial approach to solvingglobal poverty.

A debate-style panel discussion took place, which aimed at clarifying the distinction between philanthropy and social entrepreneurship, and identifying opportunities for mutual growth and partnership in the Middle East. In addition to Novogratz and Al Olaimy, the panel featured Clare Woodcraft, CEO of Emirates Foundation, MasoodRazaq, Founder of GoodGate; and was moderated by Danish Farhan, Chairman of Xische Holdings.

The event was sponsored by The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, the UAE's largest SME-related fund;and leading logistics company Aramex and Cummins Inc., a Fortune 500 corporation specialising in engines and related technologies.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Manama, Bahrain: 3BL ‘Triple Bottom Line’ Associates (3BL)— a Bahrain-basedsocial impact consultancy and think-do-tank, has announced a media partnership with Arabic Knowledge@Wharton, the online journal of the Ivy League Wharton School of Business, for the first annual Bahrain Responsible Business Survey.

Commenting on the partnership, Pankaj Paul, Managing Editor of Arabic Knowledge@Wharton and General Manager of Wharton Center Abu Dhabi, said,”This partnership furthers Arabic Knowledge@Wharton’s commitment to the Middle East, and our goal of providing an understanding of the region’s growing importance in the global economy.”

Leena Al Olaimy, Co-Founder and Managing Director of 3BL added, “Arabic Knowledge@Wharton provides very rich region-specific intellectual content. Naturally, we are thrilled to have their support of our research on responsible business practices—a topic which is now more important and timely than ever.

“We hope this partnership is the first of many collaborations between our organizations, and we look forward to a long-term relationship,” she concluded.

Anyone working in Bahrain can participate in the Bahrain Responsible Business Survey by visiting: http://responsiblebusinessbh.questionpro.com

The survey results and analysis will be made freely available to the public, and the Bahrain Responsible Business Survey will also feature a selection of case studies profiling the most cutting-edge local, regional and international companies operating in Bahrain, and that have adopted CSR in innovative ways.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Amman, Jordan: Ms. Leena Al Olaimy, Co-Founder and Managing Director of 3BL ‘Triple Bottom Line’ Associates—a Bahraini-owned social impact consulting firm and think-tank—was recently invited tospeak atthe West Asia - North Africa (WANA) Forum, which took place in Amman, Jordan.

Founded and chaired by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal in 2009, the WANA Forum is a non-governmental, non-partisan civil society initiative which brings together regional stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to address the pressing social, environmental and economic challenges in the WANA region, and to further regional cooperation around supranational initiatives.

The WANA Forum’s central themes and initiatives reflect the vital need to address issues of unemployment, inequitable distribution of resources, conflict vulnerability and transformation, social cohesion, and the distribution of natural resource revenues.

Ms. Al Olaimy was invited to speak on the ‘Economy Panel’, which was chaired by WANA Executive Director, Mr. Omar Rifai, and discussed how nations across the region can build on the recent period of transition byexploring new economic models,which ensure stable and sustainable socio-economic development. Ms. Al Olaimy’s presentation emphasized the importance of what HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal calls the ‘Third Domain’ of partnership which represents all sectors of society – civil, public and private; and she also discussed how the private sector can drive socio-economic development through social business models and the triple bottom line paradigm of aligning and integrating social, environmental, and economic initiatives.

“I am delighted to have been invited to participate in the WANA Forum and I applaud the organizers for including, not one, but two social entrepreneurs in an economic development panel. I am even more proud that this conversation is taking place here in our region, which represents the paradigm shift in economic development models and sustainable capitalism for the 21st century.I wholeheartedly thank His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talalfor giving me the privilege to be part of this annual event, and for his genuine efforts towards achieving social cohesion, protecting the environment, and promoting overall regional well-being,” commented Ms. Al Olaimy.

In addition to Ms. Al Olaimy, the panel was composed of NadimShehadi, Associate Fellow, Middle East & North Africa Program at Chatham House, UK; Simona Marinescu, Senior Economist at the UNDP-Iraq; Sana Bardawil, Head of Communications MENA, Shell; and Dr. Alexander Schieffer, Founder of TRANS4M, UK.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

3BL ‘Triple Bottom Line’ Associates—a Bahraini-owned social impact consulting firm and think-tank, specializing in value creation through aligning social and environmental initiatives with corporate strategy—has been invited to attendthe Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, which is taking place at Oxford University, United Kingdom, March 30-April 1, 2011.

The Forum—a program of the Skoll Foundation, co-produced with the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the Saïd Business School, Oxford University—is the premier, international platform for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social issues.Each year, 800 hand-picked leaders from the social, finance, privateand public sectors, and academia, convene for three days and nights of critical debates and discussions.

Among this year’s attendees are theArchbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Chair of Global Elders, and Nobel Peace Prize winner,Desmond M. Tutu; Ashoka Founder and CEO, and McKinsey alumnus, Bill Drayton; Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; John Elkington, Founding Partner and Executive Chairman, Volans, and Founder of SustainAbility; Mark Kramer, Managing Director of FSG Social Impact Advisors; Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, CEO, The 99; and FadiGhandour, CEO of Aramex.

“We are thrilled to have received an invitation to be among the handpicked participants of this prestigious event—which is quite aptly dubbed the ‘Davos of social entrepreneurship’. Social entrepreneurs are pioneers and game changers makers, using innovative and financially sustainable modelsto create social change,” saidLeena Al Olaimy, Co-Founder and Managing Director of 3BL Associates.

“The Forum will provide valuable networking and partnership opportunities for 3BL, and an inspirational platformtolearnhow private, public and social sector organizations worldwide have addressed a multitude of social challenges,” Al Olaimy continued.

“Given Bahrain’s current social climate, 3BL will use the Forum as an opportunity to discuss one of our think-tank initiatives: a football sports development model, which we had designed some time ago, to address sectarianism across a wide demographic, and to strengthen national unity. We also have a number of other ideation phase initiatives in mind, aimed at restoring our beloved Kingdom’s social fabric, so we are looking forward to learning about other social cohesion tools and models to build upon our ideas,” she added.

3BL Associates co-founders Leena Al Olaimy and Tariq Al Olaimy will be the only Bahrainis attending the Skoll World Forum 2011. Now in its eighth year, the Forum has become the premier global event for social entrepreneurship. The Forum has increasingly become a showcase for the large scale impact that social entrepreneurs are having on the biggest challenges facing the planet, including climate change, water scarcity, public health, social justice, poverty and more.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Leena Al Olaimy, Co-Founder and Managing Director of 3BL ‘Triple Bottom Line’ Associates—a Bahraini-owned social impact consulting firm and think-tank, specializing in value creation through aligning social and environmental initiatives with corporate strategy—was invited to speak at Accenture’s International Women’s Day event, which took place yesterday (9 March 2011) at the Hotel Intercontinental in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Held under the theme ‘Reinventing Opportunity: Looking Through a New Lens’, Accenture’s annual celebration, now in its seventh year, marked International Women’s Day, which was established in 1909 and observed annually by the United Nations on March 8, to celebrate global advances in equality, justice, and human development.

The event has become widely recognized as part of Accenture’s ongoing commitment to an inclusive and diverse culture, and Accenture employees and clients at more than 119 locations in 34 countries—from Manila to Milan and from Minneapolis to Mumbai—were challenged to “reinvent opportunity”: to rethink how to use tools and opportunities that will help them grow both personally and professionally.

“I am honoured to have been invited to participate in Accenture’s International Women’s Day, along with a group of remarkable and accomplished women from the region and beyond. As a global well-reputed management consultancy, I applaud Accenture for this important initiative, which underscores the integral role women play in driving global economic growth; and I wholeheartedly thank them for giving me the privilege to be part of this annual event,” commented Ms. Al Olaimy.

Leena Al Olaimy has around 10 years professional experience spanning Communications, Social Responsibility, Government Relations, Event Management and Consulting. She is an Ivy-League educated Fulbright scholar with a MA in Globalization Studies from Dartmouth College, and a B.Sc. in Culture and Communications from New York University; both in the USA. She has also studied women’s leadership and entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School.

Other Roundtable speakers at the Abu Dhabi event included, Abeer Al Fouti, Director, Education and Staff Development of Sultan bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City, Saudi Arabia; Monah Al Junaibi, Senior Strategy Administrator & Knowledge Management (KM) Project Lead, Abu Dhabi Retirement Pensions & Benefits Fund, United Arab Emirates; Karen Crennan, Managing Director of Accenture’s Growth & Strategy for Geographic Strategy and Operations group; and Nabilah Tunisi, Manager, Materials Planning & Systems Dept., Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Manama, Bahrain: 3BL Associates, a Bahraini-owned strategy consulting firm and think-tank, specializing in value creation through aligning social and environmental initiatives with corporate strategy, has been established to advise organizations pursuing an outstanding ‘Triple Bottom Line’ performance of financial profitability, social equity, and environmental sustainability—also known as the three P’s: ‘People, Planet, Profit’. 3BL Associates Consultancy also aims to contribute to socio-economic development through public and social sector partnerships.

The term ‘Triple Bottom Line’ or ‘3BL’ was first coined by academic John Elkington, who proposed that business goals are inextricably linked to the societies and environment in which they operate, and that business practices utilized to achieve short-term economic gain but fail to consider social and environmental impacts are ultimately unsustainable.

“If the financial crisis has taught us nothing else, it has underscored the importance of sustainable business practices to ensure long-term prosperity. We have also recently witnessed the downfall of several global brands—the reputations of which are sometimes irreparably tarnished due to irresponsible and unsustainable practices,” said 3BL Co-Founder and Managing Director, Ms. Leena Al Olaimy.

“Rather than considering just one bottom line—typically profit—3BL advises organizations on how to operate within a meaningful triple bottom line framework by strategically aligning social and environmental initiatives with corporate strategy for competitive advantage. Essentially, we help organizations ‘do well and do good’ by becoming drivers of economic growth and social change,” Ms. Al Olaimy explained.

“This goes beyond minimizing social and environmental risks, or viewing sustainability and social responsibility as an additional expense. On the contrary, many cross-sector multinationals have started to identify innovative ways to use sustainability initiatives as a platform to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency; or to create value through their corporate citizenship programs, which go beyond the more traditional philanthropic CSR models,” Ms. Al Olaimy added.

Mr. Khamis Al Muqla, Honorary Chairman of 3BL Associates further noted, “The intersection of social and environmental issues in business has become an international topic of concern for corporations and countries alike. Moreover, the emphasis on sustainable development and long-term growth is strongly reflected in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. I am confident in the value creation 3BL Associates will provide to Bahrain and the region, and we look forward to creating long-term prosperous relationships with all stakeholders, including the private, public, and social sectors.”

3BL Associates’s services include Corporate Citizenship, Stakeholder Engagement, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

3BL also collaborates with a number of regional and international partner institutions to promote the development of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Leadership in the MENA region.

3BL Associates was co-founded by Leena Al Olaimy and Tariq Al Olaimy, and established in joint partnership with Al Muqla Investments and the Gulf Marcom Group (GMG). As Bahrain’s first Communications Agency in 1974, GMG has continued its strong tradition of business ‘firsts’ by including the progressive consultancy (3BL Associates) in the Group’s service offerings. GMG’s current business solutions span a wide range of disciplines, including Business Consultancy, Advertising, Public Relations, Event Management, Media, and Online services.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Tariq Al Olaimy, Co-Founder of 3BL Associates (3BL), a Bahrain-based strategy consulting firm and think tank that specializes in generating ways to simultaneously create business, social, and environmental value, was one of 12 young global leaders selected to participate in ‘Generation Europe: Co-Creation Workshop on Green Entrepreneurship’, which took place 8-10 December 2010, in Brussels, Belgium.

The Workshop was organized by the Generation Europe Foundation Forum on GreEn with the support of the Belgian Presidency of the EU, and the European Commission’s DG Enterprise and Industry. The young global leaders joined 20 passionate key players from the private, public and social sectors at the action-oriented event, which focused on green entrepreneurship and the broader economic and social global challenges that need to be addressed.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Tariq Al Olaimy, Co-Founder of 3BL Associates (3BL), a Bahrain-based strategy consultancy and think tank, was invited to participate in the 1^st Arab European Young Leaders Forum (AEYLF), which took place November 23-27, 2010, in Vienna, Austria.

The Forum, which convened under the theme ‘Promoting Responsible Leadership - Innovative Forms of Cross-Cultural Cooperation’, is an annual gathering of young professionals, politicians, academicians, civil society, and media, engaging in dialogue on responsible leadership, and knowledge-sharing to address global issues.

The 1st Arab-European Young Leaders Forum is a joint initiative between the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and the BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt in cooperation with the League of Arab States, The OPEC fund for International Development, and other partners.

The AEYLF was established to develop a framework for addressing political, social, economic and environmental challenges facing Europe and the Middle East, through knowledge-sharing and enhanced cooperation.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Manama, Bahrain: Leena Al Olaimy, Co-Founder and Managing Director of 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates: a strategy consultancy and think-tank, that offers a boutique suite of services, including Sustainability, Innovation, and Leadership, was invited to speak at the second TEDxBahrainona event, which took place on 10 November 2010, at the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre Auditorium in Muharraq.

At the event—which marked the 10 year anniversary of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—Ms. Al Olaimy spoke about her experiences in the private, public, and social sectors, and her resulting conviction in private-sector-led development.

“If you had asked me five years ago, what I thought was the best way to make a difference, I probably would have said, by working for an NGO, or maybe the government. I never would have said by working for the private sector,” she remarked.

“However, through my experiences, I realized that when it comes to operational efficiency, effective implementation, and financial sustainability, the private sector usually comes out on top—which is not to discount the important role that NGOs play, but NGO’s tend to be under resourced in terms of staff and finances,” she continued.

To those working in the corporate sector, Al Olaimy said “You don’t have to quit your job to make a difference. You can contribute to achieving the MDGs by becoming corporate social intrapreneurs: innovators who find creative ways to make change from within corporations, by simultaneously creating business and social or environmental value.”

To inspire attendees and illustrate how a ‘do well and do good’ model can be effective, Ms. Al Olaimy used case studies of organizations that have applied this paradigm, such as M-Pesa mobile banking, which has enabled millions in Africa to send remittances, and make payments across the continent; and Puma’s reinvented eco-friendly shoe box: the ‘clever little bag’. The latter has saved Puma—and the environment—8500 tons of paper, 20 mega joules of electricity, 1 million litres of water, and has reduced carbon emissions by 10,000 tons—resulting in tremendous reductions in production and transportation costs for Puma, as well as drastically reducing the shoe manufacturer’s environmental ‘paw print’.

TED is an annual event that takes place in California, bringing together the world's leading thinkers and doers to share ideas that matter in a number of disciplines, including:  Technology, Entertainment, Design, Business, Science, Culture, Arts, and Global Development. The TED events have become a global phenomenon for the brightest minds spreading the most cutting-edge ideas which impact humanity. Past presenters have included Bill Clinton, Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Bill Gates, and many Nobel Prize winners.

TedxBahrainona was held as a part of a global series of local independently-hosted TED events (known as TEDx) organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to explore what the future holds for global development, in parallel with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit, which took place in New York to mark the 10th anniversary of the MDGs.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Manama, Bahrain: 3BL Associates, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Leena Al Olaimy was one of seven Arab American Business Fellows chosen from 22 Arab countries for the highly competitive Zamala business and cultural exchange, organized through Young Arab Leaders (YAL) and the New York-based non-profit organization, Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA).

Organizers of the program said that Ms. Al Olaimy was selected for her commitment to raising awareness of the triple bottom line ‘3BL’ paradigm of social, environmental, and economic sustainability in the Middle East.

During the three-week fellowship which took place in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C., Al Olaimy met with senior executives at leading US corporations including Bloomberg, Time Warner, and Google; in addition to public figures such as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Dr. James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute, and US State Department officials. 

The fellowship culminated with the YAL Regional Entrepreneurship Summit in Dubai, which was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum -Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; Chief Patron of the Young Arab Leaders Board of Trustees, UAE.

During the Summit, Al Olaimy and her peers—which also included two other Bahraini female leaders, Rasha Yousif and Manal Matrook—led a panel on their experiences of interacting with American business and political leaders. Other notable speakers at the Entrepreneurship Summit included Aramex CEO- Fadi Ghandour, Mr. Mustafa Abdelwadood - Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Abraaj Investment Management, and Dr. Naif Al Mutawaa - CEO of Teshkeel Media Group and Creator of the ‘99’.

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Tariq Al Olaimy, Co-Founder of 3BL Associates (3BL), a Bahrain-based strategy consulting firm and think tank that specializes in generating ways to simultaneously create business, social and environmental value, was invited to be a facilitator at the World Youth Congress (WYC), which was attended by more than 1000 participants in Istanbul, Turkey August 23-30, 2010.

During the Congress—which takes place every 2 years to focus on Youth led development towards achieving the Millennium development Goals—Mr. Al Olaimy was appointed by the organizers to lead the MENA regional meetings, and led a number of workshops on social entrepreneurship and joint action, due to his expertise and background in social entrepreneurship and youth leadership.

Mr. Al Olaimy, who was recognized for his efforts in promoting social entrepreneurship by the World Economic Forum Davos, earlier this year, was also a panelist on “Youth-Led Job Creation” alongside the Directors of the United Nation’s Youth Employment Network, and the Prince of Wales’s organization ‘Youth Business International’.

The World Youth Congress series was founded in 1997 following the frustrations of the Rio +5 meeting where Governments and organizations met to discuss progress since the original Rio Earth Summit, and how to keep the concept of sustainable development in the public eye.

Conceived as a kind of Young People’s Earth Summit, it became, instead, a process of identifying priorities for the new Millennium. The 1st Congress, held in Hawaii in October 1999, was entitled: the Millennium Young People’s Congress (MYPC). It identified ten key priorities for the new millennium – 8 of which closely mirrored the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, agreed a year later at the UN Millennium Summit.  The key message of that first congress was: “Young people want to be active in development, not just beneficiaries of development aid delivered by others…” 

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Manama, Bahrain: 3BL Associates, a Bahrain-based consultancy and think-tank that specializes in the simultaneous creation of business, social and environmental value, hosted four interns working on a sustainability project over the summer.

The interns were Crown Prince International Scholarship alumna and University College London graduate, Fatima Al Rayes; in addition to three interns through AIESEC’s internship program between Bahrain and the US: Elizabeth Zerr, a graduate of the University of Missouri; Michael Korn, a student at Arizona State University; and Nathan Anderson, a student at Northwestern University in Chicago.

The interns learned about Sustainability and the meaning of operating according to a Triple Bottom Line (3BL) framework, and how to create competitive advantage through sustainability.3BL's Sustainability service offerings include Sustainability Reporting according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework; Stakeholder Engagement; Corporate Social Innovation and Sustainability strategy development; and Strategic Communications.

The Consultancy’s other services include Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Ideation, Innovation Audits and Strategy Development, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Programs); and Organization and Leadership (Organizational Development, Transformational Leadership, and Teambuilding).

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.

Leena Al Olaimy, Managing Director and co-founder of the recently established strategy consultancy and think tank, 3BL Associates (3BL), was invited to attend the Ashoka Arab World Social Innovation Forum (AWSIF) May 14 – 15, 2010, in Cairo, Egypt; an event which is setting a new paradigm for social innovation and change in the Arab world.

The Bahrain-based consultancy that specializes in the simultaneous creation of business, social and environmental value, represented the Kingdom, among a group of around 250 business, academic, and social leaders, to debate the fields of market-based solutions, youth innovation and entrepreneurship, and social investment; and to develop action plans, and partnerships for impact.

The first night of AWSIF featured a VIP reception and gala dinner, honouring H.E. Amr Moussa, Dalia Mogahed, Naguib Sawiris, Hani Masri, Cherie Blair, Peder Wallenberg, and the Hilti Family for their dedication to the betterment of Arab society, and to celebrate the field of social innovation in the Arab region. The dinner also included the induction of 10 new Ashoka Arab World Fellows, the launch of several innovative projects in the Arab World, including the 1000 Petals Initiative of globally acclaimed Iraqi oud player Naseer Shamma.

Other distinguished guests included Ahmed Younis (Silatech and Gallup), Wael Farakhany(Google), Samer Salty (Zouk Ventures), Samantha Constant (Brookings Institution), Egbert Appel (Hilti Foundation), Richard Street (Former Executive Director and Founder of Youth Business International), Deema Bibi (Injaz), Dr. Stephen Everhart (American University in Cairo), Tarek Mansour (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), Adam Said (Ace and Company and Act on 8 Foundation) Nell Derick Debevoise (Tomorrow's Youth Organization), George Khalaf (Synergos), Hans Lindroth (Lingfield AB), Henriette Kolb (Cherie Blair Foundation), and Hilda Arellano (USAID).

3BL Associates was established in a joint partnership with Al Muqla Investments and the Gulf Marcom Group (GMG). As Bahrain’s first Communications Agency in 1974, GMG has continued its strong tradition of business ‘firsts’ by including the progressive consultancy (3BL Associates) in the Group’s service offerings. GMG’s current business solutions span a wide range of disciplines, including Business Consultancy, Advertising, Public Relations, Event Management, Media, and Online services.

Ashoka Arab World is the Middle East and North African branch of AshokaCitizen Sector leaders create and guide cutting-edge social initiatives that tackle the Arab World's most pressing social and economic challenges. Ashoka serves as the enablers for its Fellows, helping them to create vibrant and productive individuals and communities., a global organization that provides financial, legal, and technical support to the world's leading social entrepreneurs - Ashoka Fellows. These innovative 

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About 3BL Associates Consultancy: 3BL 'Triple Bottom Line' Associates is a Bahrain-based social enterprise, which was established to further the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region's sustainable development. The consultancy’s services include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement, Biomimicry Thinking, and Sustainability Reporting according to the most widely used Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Since its establishment, the consultancy has worked with a number of industry sectors including Real Estate, Professional Services, IT, Energy, Media and Financial Services.