SAMAA TV CSR Initiatives
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its importance for the country's growth and long-term development was the focus of attention for the 3rd International Summit on Corporate Social Responsibility 2009, held at a local hotel in Karachi.
The event which was staged under the patronage of Naib City Nazima Ms.Nasreen Jalil, , served as a forum for the region's key industry leaders, government officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations to discuss the necessity and benefits of implementing CSR as part of their business model.
Speaking on the occasion Ms. Nasreen Jalil said "Business leaders are becoming increasingly aware that CSR is not just a passing trend, but is vital to the continued viability and success of enterprises in the region."
The main topics at this year's event included the obligations and opportunities that corporate social responsibility presents and measuring its cost and benefits, business regulations and the mounting pressure on corporations to account for their environmental and social performance.
Addressing the submit Mr. M. Naeem Qureshi, President, National Forum of Environment and Health said, "A number of organizations in Pakistan take the concept of CSR very seriously and are making valuable and lasting contributions to society. However, we want organizations to regard corporate social responsibility as a business principle. “
The summit had a diversified participation from organizations such as P&G, PIA, Pakistan Petroleum Ltd, OGDCL, WWF, and the SAMAA TV who were also the event partner.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer, SAMAA TV said "Business in this region need to realize that their responsibilities towards the communities in which they work should be at the top of their agenda.”
He also added “Business community needs to realize that by implementing socially responsible and sustainable programs that bring long term benefits to society and raise the standard of living, they are also helping to make their businesses sustainable in the long term. SAMAA TV has taken its role as responsible media and is carrying various initiatives for supporting social causes nationwide. Our partnership of this event once again endorses the importance of SAMAA TV integrating CSR/Social Performance as a key element of good corporate governance.”
The 3rd International CSR Summit, which targeted senior company executives, legal experts, senior managers and department heads, presented delegates with the opportunity to talk about successful CSR strategies of their companies, and briefing about practical CSR solutions that can be applied to various organizations. Altogether 20 prominent speakers talked the podium. The summit also provided networking opportunities with key decision makers from across all industries.
The Summit included two focused sessions, “Best CSR Practices in Pakistan and Future Trends” and “The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Trust.” The summit is an annual event that provides a platform to the leading organizations to share their role as a responsible corporate.
During the panel discussion, the corporate representative shared that CSR goes beyond just building a corporate identity; it is a commitment one makes as a responsible corporate citizen. They all reinforced that building the future, it is the responsibility of all, corporate and citizens to contribute best for the country.
Ms. Najia Amin, External Relations & CSR Manager, P&G shared that “Being a corporate entity, it gives us collective platform to make a big difference. Many organizations have social activities but once an organization integrate a social development business strategy; the real CSR begins from that point onwards. The strategy is workable only if it becomes part of the corporate culture.”
Concluding the summit Ms. Sherry Rehman Former Minister of Information said, “Organizations should realize that charity and social philanthropy is separate from CSR activity. CSR is about social investment as part of business strategy and not charity. National development doesn’t emerge overnight nor is it achieved on ad-hoc basis. To establish a process of sustainable development, one needs to engage stakeholders, develop institutional partnerships. The social initiative carried out to address the national socio-economic issues should start from grass root level up to policy makers."
SAMAA received high recognition for being the only media entity in the country for having an integrated CSR program as part of its core objective and for highlighting the importance of a responsible media in Pakistan.
SAMAA TV’s CSR program focuses on various initiatives and highlight the issues through television or through public outreach programs. All of the content focus on the inclusive development process which include the engagement of all stakeholders, so that productive action plans are made at the policy level and results in the quality of life for all citizens. The outreach programs give SAMAA the opportunity to interact with the communities directly and get their voice on what is required. This creates a dialogue which becomes the laying stone for sustainable development of Pakistan.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
