ASIA RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

Eco Friendly Hotel in Kabul

Corporate Social Responsibility

The Serena CSR Programme is inspired by and derived from His Highness, The Aga Khan's, vision of a holistic corporate and social development structure wherein all organizations appreciate the need to play an essential role in the provision of social services for the community as a whole.

A distillation of this vision, the Serena CSR Programme, which goes under the acronym SEED, (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme), provides the structure for Serena's response to all aspects of cultural preservation, environmental protection, promotion of good governance, and the well-being of society as a whole.

The programme takes as its premise the concept that any business must synergize its corporate and commercial needs with those of the social community that surrounds and supports it. Practically translated, the programme ensures that the group encourages open and transparent business practices based on ethical values, that it demonstrates respect and care for its employees, and that it ensures the well-being and sustainability of the communities and environment that surround its various properties.

The hotel is a member of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which is the largest not-for-profit organization in Afghanistan. AKDN has also been responsible for the restoration of the Bagh-e-Babar gardens and launched the award winning Roshan, Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider. Of note is the fact that over 93% of Roshan staff is Afghan nationals with an average age of 23; 20% of whom are women.

Corporate Social Responsibility

The Corporate Social Responsibility Programme at Serena is inspired and derived from His Highness, The Aga Khan’s vision of “Holistic development where organizations play an essential role in the provision of social services”. The CSR Programme at Serena is known as SEED (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme). This Programme underpins a broad CSR response in the areas of Culture, Environment, Governance and Society.

This programme follows the concept of an organization being a social enterprise where the business needs are synergized with social outcomes. Serena encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for its employees, communities, and the environment. The social, developmental, and operational activities of Serena are designed in such a manner that they deliver sustainable value to the society at large, as well as to shareholders.

At Serena, corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old concepts of philanthropy of the past, which was restricted to simply donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year - and is instead an all year round responsibility that Serena accepts for the environment around it, for the best working practices, for the engagement in the local communities and for the recognition that brand names depend not only on quality, price and uniqueness but on how, cumulatively, Serena interacts with companies’ workforce, community, and environment. Now we are moving towards a challenging feature of our corporate responsibility, where, at Serena, the results are judged not just by the input, but by outcomes; the change we bring along in this world in which we live through our foot prints, and the contribution we make to reduce the sufferings around us.

Corporate Social Responsibility at Gilgit Serena Hotel

The CSR Programme at Serena is inspired and derived from His Highness, The Aga Khan’s vision of “Holistic development where organizations play an essential role in the provision of social services”. The CSR Programme at Serena is known as SEED (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme). This Programme underpins a broad CSR response in the areas of Culture, Environment, Governance and Society.

This programme follows the concept of an organization being a social enterprise where the business needs are synergized with social outcomes. Serena encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for its employees, communities, and the environment. The social, developmental, and operational activities of Serena are designed in such a manner that they deliver sustainable value to the society at large, as well as to shareholders.

At Serena, corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old concepts of philanthropy of the past, which was restricted to simply donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year - and is instead an all year round responsibility that Serena accepts for the environment around it, for the best working practices, for the engagement in the local communities and for the recognition that brand names depend not only on quality, price and uniqueness but on how, cumulatively, Serena interacts with companies’ workforce, community, and environment. Now we are moving towards a challenging feature of our corporate responsibility, where, at Serena, the results are judged not just by the input, but by outcomes; the change we bring along in this world in which we live through our foot prints, and the contribution we make to reduce the sufferings around us.

Corporate Social Responsibility

The CSR Programme at Serena is inspired and derived from His Highness, The Aga Khan’s vision of “Holistic development where organizations play an essential role in the provision of social services”. The CSR Programme at Serena is known as SEED (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme). This Programme underpins a broad CSR response in the areas of Culture, Environment, Governance and Society.

This programme follows the concept of an organization being a social enterprise where the business needs are synergized with social outcomes. Serena encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for its employees, communities, and the environment. The social, developmental, and operational activities of Serena are designed in such a manner that they deliver sustainable value to the society at large, as well as to shareholders.

At Serena, corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old concepts of philanthropy of the past, which was restricted to simply donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year - and is instead an all year round responsibility that Serena accepts for the environment around it, for the best working practices, for the engagement in the local communities and for the recognition that brand names depend not only on quality, price and uniqueness but on how, cumulatively, Serena interacts with companies’ workforce, community, and environment. Now we are moving towards a challenging feature of our corporate responsibility, where, at Serena, the results are judged not just by the input, but by outcomes; the change we bring along in this world in which we live through our foot prints, and the contribution we make to reduce the sufferings around us.

Environmental and Educational Development

The CSR Programme at Serena is inspired and derived from His Highness, The Aga Khan’s vision of “Holistic development where organizations play an essential role in the provision of social services”. The CSR Programme at Serena is known as SEED (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme). This Programme underpins a broad CSR response in the areas of Culture, Environment, Governance and Society.

This programme follows the concept of an organization being a social enterprise where the business needs are synergized with social outcomes. Serena encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for its employees, communities, and the environment. The social, developmental, and operational activities of Serena are designed in such a manner that they deliver sustainable value to the society at large, as well as to shareholders.

At Serena, corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old concepts of philanthropy of the past, which was restricted to simply donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year - and is instead an all year round responsibility that Serena accepts for the environment around it, for the best working practices, for the engagement in the local communities and for the recognition that brand names depend not only on quality, price and uniqueness but on how, cumulatively, Serena interacts with companies’ workforce, community, and environment. Now we are moving towards a challenging feature of our corporate responsibility, where, at Serena, the results are judged not just by the input, but by outcomes; the change we bring along in this world in which we live through our foot prints, and the contribution we make to reduce the sufferings around us.

Corporate Social Responsibility

The CSR Programme at Serena is inspired and derived from His Highness The Aga Khan’s vision of “Holistic development where organizations play an essential role in the provision of social services”. The CSR Programme at Serena is known as SEED (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme). This Programme underpins a broad CSR response in the areas of Culture, Environment, Governance and Society.

This programme follows the concept of an organization being a social enterprise where the business needs are synergized with the social outcomes. Serena encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for its employees, communities and the environment. The social, developmental and operational activities of Serena are designed in such a manner that these activities deliver sustainable value to the society at large, as well as to shareholders.

At Serena corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old concepts of philanthropy of the past which was just donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year - and is instead an all year round responsibility that Serena accepts for the environment around it, for the best working practices, for the engagement in the local communities and for the recognition that brand names depend not only on quality, price and uniqueness but on how, cumulatively, Serena interacts with companies’ workforce, community and environment. Now we are moving towards a challenging feature of our corporate responsibility, where at Serena the results are judged not just by the input but by the outcomes: the change we bring along in this world in which we live through our foot prints, and the contribution we make to reduce the sufferings around us.

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Respecting and Protecting The Local Community and Environment

The CSR Programme at Serena is inspired and derived from His Highness The Aga Khan’s vision of “Holistic development where organizations play an essential role in the provision of social services”. The CSR Programme at Serena is known as SEED (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme).

This Programme underpins a broad CSR response in the areas of Culture, Environment, Governance and Society. This programme follows the concept of an organization being a social enterprise where the business needs are synergized with the social outcomes. Serena encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for its employees, communities and the environment.

The social, developmental and operational activities of Serena are designed in such a manner that these activities deliver sustainable value to the society at large, as well as to shareholders. At Serena corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old concepts of philanthropy of the past which was just donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year - and is instead an all year round responsibility that Serena accepts for the environment around it, for the best working practices, for the engagement in the local communities and for the recognition that brand names depend not only on quality, price and uniqueness but on how, cumulatively, Serena interacts with companies’ workforce, community and environment. Now we are moving towards a challenging feature of our corporate responsibility, where at Serena the results are judged not just by the input but by the outcomes: the change we bring along in this world in which we live through our foot prints, and the contribution we make to reduce the sufferings around us.

Respecting and Protecting The Environment

The CSR Programme at Serena is inspired and derived from His Highness The Aga Khan’s vision of “Holistic development where organizations play an essential role in the provision of social services”. The CSR Programme at Serena is known as SEED (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme). This Programme underpins a broad CSR response in the areas of Culture, Environment, Governance and Society.

This programme follows the concept of an organization being a social enterprise where the business needs are synergized with the social outcomes. Serena encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for its employees, communities and the environment. The social, developmental and operational activities of Serena are designed in such a manner that these activities deliver sustainable value to the society at large, as well as to shareholders.

At Serena corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old concepts of philanthropy of the past which was just donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year - and is instead an all year round responsibility that Serena accepts for the environment around it, for the best working practices, for the engagement in the local communities and for the recognition that brand names depend not only on quality, price and uniqueness but on how, cumulatively, Serena interacts with companies’ workforce, community and environment. Now we are moving towards a challenging feature of our corporate responsibility, where at Serena the results are judged not just by the input but by the outcomes: the change we bring along in this world in which we live through our foot prints, and the contribution we make to reduce the sufferings around us.

Serena Khaplu Palace Corporate Social Responsibility

The CSR Programme at Serena is inspired and derived from His Highness The Aga Khan’s vision of “Holistic development where organizations play an essential role in the provision of social services”. The CSR Programme at Serena is known as SEED (Serena Environmental and Educational Development Programme). This Programme underpins a broad CSR response in the areas of Culture, Environment, Governance and Society.

This programme follows the concept of an organization being a social enterprise where the business needs are synergized with the social outcomes. Serena encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for its employees, communities and the environment. The social, developmental and operational activities of Serena are designed in such a manner that these activities deliver sustainable value to the society at large, as well as to shareholders.

At Serena corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old concepts of philanthropy of the past which was just donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year - and is instead an all year round responsibility that Serena accepts for the environment around it, for the best working practices, for the engagement in the local communities and for the recognition that brand names depend not only on quality, price and uniqueness but on how, cumulatively, Serena interacts with companies’ workforce, community and environment.

Now we are moving towards a challenging feature of our corporate responsibility, where at Serena the results are judged not just by the input but by the outcomes: the change we bring along in this world in which we live through our foot prints, and the contribution we make to reduce the sufferings around us.

Protecting The Local Environment and Communities

All our hotels have been constructed according to the tenets of eco-sensitive architecture, using local materials, skills and labour wherever possible. The Khorog Serena Inn in Tajikistan also serves as a showcase both for local art, sculpture, textiles and handicrafts and a wide range of artifacts.

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development

The Serena Group is a part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), which is committed to the development of tourism potential in selected areas of the developing world. As part of an extensive programme, which holds to the highest standards of environmental and cultural sensitivity, the fund’s tourism promotion agency, TPS Tourism Promotion Services, rehabilitates and manages a broad range of hotels and lodges, all of which make significant contributions to the economic growth, national heritage, and overall investment climate of the countries in which they are located.

Our environmental policy
We make optimum use of the latest technology in relation to: waste recycling; pollution-reduction and non-CFC use; low energy-use devices and heat recovery systems.

We also have our own plant and tree nursery using only indigenous plants to re-stock our grounds. Since it is our belief that environmental protection must extend into all levels of the community, the Group also offers community training on environmental responsibility. Wherever possible, we purchase all our foodstuffs from the local community, we also employ local musicians and dancers. In addition to this:

We also work with local schools to train children in dance, music and theatre.

Community support

We operate an out-reach programme to the orphanages and hospitals of the area which allows for visits from our staff, the provision of funds, the hosting of seasonal events and the provision of clothing and foodstuffs.

We promote local handicrafts, glassware, pottery, beadwork and clothing in our gift shop.

We create both temporary and permanent jobs for the local community. We also offer training and work-exposure programmes for school leavers.

We showcase cultural dance, costume, singing and cultural craft as part of our corporate undertaking to support and sustain the cultural heritage of our nation.

We work with a number of local schools, both by providing educational materials and by hosting environmental training sessions for the pupils.

Employee Wellness Programme

In order to promote the overall health of their workforce, Serena has also established the Employee Wellness Programme, which aims to address the holistic health needs of not only Serena’s staff, but also of the communities that surround their camps and lodges. In essence, the programme is devoted to reducing the incidence of accident and illness in the workplace, promoting healthy lifestyles, maximizing potential and promoting optimum quality of life.

Special projects

In 2009, in collaboration if two other local NGOs the Khorog Serena organized the Roof of the World Musical Festival, which was the first of its kind and featured music, dance, theatre, handicraft exhibitions and a wide range of cultural classes.

Eco-Tourism