Dubai honours Expo 2020 contractors with Taqdeer award
Staff Report,
27 Feb 2022
Construction, services, facilities management and other companies associated with event recognised for commitment to worker welfare, health, safety and environmental standards

A special edition of Dubai’s Taqdeer Award, which recognises companies in the emirate leading the way in labour relations, has noted excellence amongst Expo 2020 Dubai’s contractors and service providers for their ongoing commitment to ensuring worker welfare and implementing the highest health, safety, quality and environment (HSQE) standards.
The awards took place at Dubai Exhibition Centre – Expo 2020 and saw trophies and certificates being awarded to the winners across nine categories. The awards are held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai. Present on the occasion were Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai; Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) and Chairman of the Taqdeer Award; and Lieutenant Colonel Khaled Ismail, Secretary General of Taqdeer Award.
The extraordinary edition of the annual Taqdeer Award recognised both companies and individuals based on their ongoing dedication to upholding the spirit and letter of the Expo’s Assurance Standards, which are bound into contracts with all suppliers and regularly and rigorously assessed by the Expo 2020 Dubai Worker Welfare team and independent third parties.
“We are delighted to join with the Taqdeer Award today to celebrate what can be done when we make sure to recognise one another as fellow human beings, co-contributors to the journey of humanity and the pursuit of a collective, greater goal. The qualities of empathy, solidarity, determination and personal and professional excellence and care, can enable us to build fairer, better and more sustainable,” Al Hashimy said.
“Our legacy will therefore live on not just in the structures we create, but through the spirit in which we act and the constructive contribution we have made to global industry standards, expectations, and outcomes.
The winners included Abu Dhabi National Hotels Compass Middle East; Al Naboodah Construction Group; Emrill Services; Farnek Services; Laing O’Rourke Middle East Holding; Jacobs/Mace; Proscape; EFS Facilities Management; ISG Middle East; Alec Engineering & Construction; and Prolab Digital.
Winning companies were also awarded with Taqdeer Golden Excellence Cards, while their workforces received Taqdeer Blue Excellence Cards in appreciation of their dedication to HSQE standards.
According to the organisers of Expo 2020, reward and recognition is one of six pillars of the event’s Better Together strategy – a “positive, values driven approach to worker welfare and health and safety that is already encouraging a shift in behaviour and setting new benchmarks”.
The Expo’s efforts have also included the launch of Worker Connect, a multilingual app which enables workers to discover the latest information on their employment rights; extensive health and safety training offered to Expo consultants, contractors and subcontractors at all levels of seniority in a variety of languages and formats; and a commitment to working with third party auditors and regulatory bodies such as the British Safety Council, ensuring that efforts are guided by international best practice.
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