WWF awards SAMAA TV for supporting research in the field of conservation and environment.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer, SAMAA TV said, “Environmental conservation is an issue that directly affects our generation and the next. It is therefore important that we do everything possible to not only create awareness about what we can do but also contribute with what needs to be done now. We are all responsible for what we will be handing over to our next generation; they should not say that we did not care about them.”

(live-PR.com) – Lahore, 29 March 2010— WWF – Pakistan today held its annual Syed Asad Ali Conservation Award (SAAC) and the Living Planet Award ceremony to honor and recognize organizations and individuals, who have carried out notable contributions to conserve wildlife and the natural resources of the country. SAMAA TV, one of Pakistan’s leading news channels was awarded the Conservation recognition

award in appreciation of being the only media channel in the region to show leadership in advancing environmental and conservation program through communication and public outreach.

The award distribution ceremony was held at the Ali Institute under the presence of leading representatives from the Government, civic society, environmental agencies, academia and the media.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer, SAMAA TV said, “Environmental conservation is an issue that directly affects our generation and the next. It is therefore important that we do everything possible to not only create awareness about what we can do but also contribute with what needs to be done now. We are all responsible for what we will be handing over to our next generation; they should not say that we did not care about them.”

Mr. Jahangir appreciated WWF Pakistan’s initiatives to recognize the contributions within conservation of environment stating that environmental awards were an important mechanism to encourage business and society to meet the Pakistan’s sustainable development and environmental programs. “Award schemes can provide a very useful way of stimulating improved environmental performance by organizations and showcasing good examples of innovation and best practice – the media industry has to play a significant role to ensure Pakistan reaches the desired targets”, said Jahangir.

The special recognition award acknowledges SAMAA TV’s contribution to student’s research in field of conservation and environment and its role in engaging and shaping public response to environmental conversation program.

SAMAA TV is the first media channel in the Asian region to be offering scholarships for public university students pursuing master level degrees in environmental sciences. SAMAA is also launching structured thematic green media campaigns every month for people to participate in various initiatives such as ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’, ‘Earth Hour’, ‘Beach Cleaning’, ‘Plantation,’ and ‘Make Your Carbon and Water Foot Prints Small and Green’, all of which are designed to be visually appealing and environmentally informative.

While addressing the participants and audience of the ceremony, Mr. Ali Hassan Habib, Director General, WWF – Pakistan and Dr. Kauser Abdulla Malik, Chairman Scientific Committee expressed their compliments to the award recipients.

“This special environment recognition award has been awarded to SAMAA for its innovate initiatives on the subject of environment and more importantly for its commitment which is transparent when we look at the positive results, which have emerged from these initiatives – This has made SAMAA a deserving “Environment Champion” said Mr. Ali Hassan Habib,

The Syed Asad Ali Conservation (SAAC) Award is a tribute to Syed Asad Ali for his inspiring role in bringing forth the importance of conserving the environment for a better tomorrow.

In his concluding remarks, Amir Jahangir encouraged more organizations to seek recognition for their environmental performance. Mr. Jahangir said that media need to go beyond simple reporting and take up issues towards educating communities and create awareness for the well being of the society. He said that it was important to take a lead and get involved in this process.

This year, the SAAC Award was presented to Mr. Ayub Dablo, Asgher Ali Detho and Ashfaq Ahmed Ashufta for their efforts as conservationists in their respective areas. Ayub Dablo received this award for his contributions towards the plantation and conservation of mangroves over an area of more than 495 hectares in Keti bunder. Mr. Ashafaq Ahmad Ashufta was selected for SAAC Award for the continued efforts that he made to conserve the Kalij Pheasant with the involvement of local community in Jafferabad village of Abbottabad.

Society for Social Development and Conservation of Nature, Lasbella received the Living Planet Award for a Project to ensure the sustainable utilisation of fisheries resources with the involvement of local communities in Lasbella.

Certificate of appreciation were also presented to Mr. Samad Dawood, CEO of Dawood Corporation for donating an amount of Rupees 2.5 million to WWF – Pakistan and to Ms. Raina Saeed Khan upon receiving an Award at UN Summit on the article that she has written on Keti Bunder.

SAMAA TV’s commitment to being a socially responsible broadcaster has been widely appreciated on both national and international forums. It has been recognized as an innovator and leader for many initiatives and is the first media channel in Pakistan to have been honored with the Asian Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Award 2009 for the Polio Control Cell stewardship. It is also the first media channel in Pakistan to have received the National CSR Excellence Award and also Pakistan’s first Innovation Journalism Health award from UNICEF and Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities. SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

SAMAA TV holds event to create consensus on creating public driven content to motivate and educate the nation.

Karachi, 25 March 2010: SAMAA TV, one of Pakistan’s leading news channels hosted Pakistan’s first media bowling tournament, which was held to promote the important role of media in addressing the socio-economic issues of Pakistan. The tournament titled “The SAMAA Bowling Challenge” was held at the Arena Family Entertainment Center, where Pakistan’s leading Brands, Advertising & Media buying agencies took part in the event and competed for trophies and team events.

The first of its kind-bowling tournament brought more than 100 bowlers to the area. The eight-hour long event proved to be a huge success as 100 participants from 20 different teams took great interest in the matches and each match provided extreme excitement and kept the crowd involved.

Speaking on the occasion, Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV said, ” We see that the common Pakistani is deprived of access to quality education, healthcare facilities, economic opportunities and gender equality. These challenges have been further burdened with the on-going war on terror in Pakistan. In search for answers and solutions to their uprooted lives, the public is turning to the Government as well as the media. This brings on a huge responsibility for our industry, as the previous communication environment in Pakistan has strongly ignored the emotions and well being of the public. We are here today to gather the leading communication houses and create consensus on integrating social justice into our organizational operations.”

Mr. Jahangir further added that the communication industry needs to position itself as the enabler and the catalyst for change. “We can only achieve corporate excellence by creating social dividend for the people of Pakistan, who are the most important stakeholders of our nation”, he said.

Mr. Fahd Haroon, Director Communications SAMAA TV shared that the event was a social gathering carrying a strong message for the industry – to create social value in content and educate the public for a better tomorrow. “This is a good way to bring all the industry under one roof and involve them in a healthy exercise, while sharing ideas and latest developments within the industry. We look forward to hosting more events like these to encourage unity and competition”, he concluded.

A series of strong performances were seen in the tournament. The final was played between Synergy Advertising and United Mobile. Synergy Advertising took the first prize and United Mobile ended as runners up. Aamir Ali, General Manager Sales and Danish Shervani, Senior Manager Product Manager of SAMAA TV distributed plaques and prizes amongst the winners. Prizes worth 100,000/- were distributed amongst the winner and runner up

Participants and guests from the media industry were entertained by exclusive hi-tea and various games like Ice skating, Bowling, Pool, Rock Climbing and Mini Golf etc.

After the great success of SAMAA BOWLING Challenge 2010, SAMAA plans to hold more events to bring together the leading marketers in the communication industry to discuss and carry out joint efforts to build the capacity of the industry market and bring value to society.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel in Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities. SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Media for a Living Planet: Media reinforces national accountability for environmental conservation through partnership with WWF Pakistan

SAMAA TV and the World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan (WWF Pakistan) have embarked on an innovative nation-wide partnership at WWF Pakistan’s Wetlands Centre located in Kakapir Village near Sandspit. The partnership intends to enhance public awareness on critical environment challenges, bringing forth the collective and individual responsibility for nurturing the natural resources and associated biodiversity in the country.

WWF Pakistan being one of country’s leading field based scientific organisation working in Pakistan for past almost 40 years joined hands with SAMAA TV, one of the national leader in the dissemination of news and public service messages to the nation. It has already displayed a solid commitment to illuminating and enlightening the public on environmental issues.

SAMAA TV through their corporate social responsibility programme will work with WWF Pakistan to heighten awareness among their viewers about the significance of Pakistan’s natural resources and the need to preserve them along with information about sustainable development and best management practices in nature conservation in Pakistan.

Dr. Ghulam Akbar, Regional Director, WWF and Mr. Amir Jahangir, CEO, SAMAA TV signed the partnership agreement. Also present at the ceremony were Dr. Ejaz Ahmad, Deputy Director General, WWF Pakistan, Mr. Anwar Naseem, Director Finance and Administration, WWF Pakistan, Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb, Head-Corporate Relation WWF, Mr. Jonathan Mark Director SAMAA TV and Ms. Hina Akhtar, Senior Manager Strategic Communications, SAMAA TV and other senior officials of both the organisations.

At the auspicious occasion of the signing of the MoU between WWF P and SAMAA TV, Dr. Ghulam Akbar highlighted the importance of the partnership and encouraged others in the journalism community to follow suet. Dr. Akbar also congratulated SAMAA TV for being a pioneer and leading the efforts to create an eco sensitive and aware community by using the influential electronic medium.
Mr Amir Jahangir expressed his admiration for WWF Pakistan’s commendable conservation efforts for past three decades across the country. He also conveyed his enthusiasm and zeal by articulating SAMAA TV’s commitment and Support to the partnership.

Key elements of the partnership include five scholarships of public university students for masters in environmental sciences in consultation with scientific research department of WWF Pakistan, launching of structured thematic green media campaigns every month for people to participate in various initiatives such as ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’, ‘Earth Hour’, ‘Beach Cleaning’, ‘Plantation,’ and ‘Make Your Carbon and Water Foot Prints Small and Green’, all of which are designed to be visually appealing and environmentally informative.

The principle platform for this will be an innovative and information-rich spot called the “Conservation Minute,” which will be a one-minute environment-related message every day to be jointly developed by SAMAA TV and the WWF P. Another means of heightening people’s environmental awareness via SAMAA TV will be through the airing of documentaries, along with related talk shows and panel discussions both during regularly scheduled air-time and on significant International Environmental Days.

And in a bilateral information collecting, news sharing and capacity building component of this partnership the WWF Pakistan will involve SAMAA TV reporters and producers in exposure visits, help them with aspects of environmental reporting and nature photography while SAMAA TV will involve WWF P staffers in their environmental reporting activities and keep them immediately informed and involved in fast-breaking environmental news events.

We at WWF Pakistan, hope that this partnership sets a strong precedent and paves the way for other media channels to follow in SAMAA TV’s unique steps.

“Innovation,” a television program featured on SAMAA TV, one of Pakistan’s leading Urdu news channels has been named “Brand of the Year 2009” in a category recognizing products and services that sharpen public focus on processes of innovation and competitiveness in Pakistan.

The program, a joint collaboration between the Vinnova-Stanford Research Center of Innovation Journalism (INJO) at Stanford University and SAMAA TV beat out more than 500 other competitors from various industries in a nationwide consumer survey and an expert panel analysis. SAMAA will be receiving the award by Prime Minister Mr. Yousaf Raza Gilani in an event scheduled in February.

The award is being given to SAMAA for launching Pakistan’s first dedicated program on innovation and for establishing the genre as an important journalistic beat in Pakistan. The Program has been recognized as the key source through which the journalistic coverage of innovation processes and ecosystems in Pakistan has been integrated into the national socio-economic development plan. The program has also been applauded for playing a leading role in bringing local issues of innovative development to the forefront of public awareness in Pakistan.

Speaking to Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV, he said “The program success is based on hard work and a great network of INJO fellows across the world, who through their expertise has been advising on the program content, sharing research, commenting on innovation topics and providing solutions through their input and views. Due to this collaboration, the content of our program has been acknowledged as being credible, containing relevant issues and making efforts in bringing together the relevant stakeholders of each industry to find innovative measures to cater the society needs”.

Mr. Jahangir further said that “The global development has made our world smaller and our communication more effective. We want to bring innovation to the homes of every Pakistani citizen, so that their awareness and ability to be innovative is nurtured. Our future lies in the hands of innovation and for that we need to prepare a workforce which not only knows how to be innovative but also how to link it to the economic development”.

Amir Jahangir also shared that SAMAA is the only media channel in Pakistan, which has been recognized both national as well as internationally for being a responsible business operator using innovation journalism techniques as part of business strategy. This acknowledgement was given to SAMAA by the Asian Forum for Corporate Social Responsibility, who awarded SAMAA the Asian CSR Excellence Award 2009 as the only channel in Asia, for being a responsible business operator creating value for its viewers and empowering marginalized communities for a better tomorrow. SAMAA has also recently won the National CSR Excellence Award 2009, which no channel has received so far.

Dr. David Nordfors, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the VINNOVA-Stanford Research Center of Innovation Journalism coined the term “Innovation Journalism” in 2003. Dr. Nordfors said that “SAMAA has proven the viability for the Innovation Journalism as a genre in Pakistan, and emerging economies. This award is not alone a milestone for SAMAA TV but also for the Innovation Journalism Initiative at Stanford ”. He said that by being the first, SAMAA TV is leading the way for other media channels both in Pakistan as well as across the world.

Dr. David Nordfors specially acknowledged Amir Jahangir, CEO SAMAA TV for the strong leadership and commitment in bringing innovation to the Pakistani media. Mr. Nordfors said that Mr. Jahangir’s strong belief in linking innovation to economic development would play a crucial role in creating a new ecosystem in the Pakistan economy.

The program series is dedicated to identifying innovation in all aspects of Pakistani life, and has covered issues ranging from alternative energy to mobile banking.

Mr. Arif Allauddin, CEO Alternative Energy Development Board also appreciated SAMAA TVs program stating that “ it was the first of its kind show which showcased how different countries are addressing their energy needs using alternative energy -Thus, giving the Government of Pakistan the opportunity to learn and benefit from their experiences and serve as guidelines for us”. He said that the program has been engaging InJo fellows across the world and coming up with global solutions to local issues, which are required more now than ever, as Pakistan continues to face immense challenges in providing quality education, primary healthcare, energy supply and employment opportunities for youth.

The INJO program at Stanford University focus on building the capacity of media professionals to report on innovation, develop interaction between journalism and innovation, including how innovation is changing the profession and business of journalism, how to cover innovation in the news, and how journalism links innovation with society. Four Pakistani journalists come to Stanford each year as InJo fellows. The objective of the fellowship is to train international journalists to cover the innovation economy and network with US media outlets. Fellows participate in workshops and conferences at Stanford and work with newsrooms across the nation covering issues relating to innovation.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

SAMAA TV WONS NATIONAL CSR EXCELLENCE AWARD 2009

The CSR Association of Pakistan awarded SAMAA TV with the National CSR Excellence Award 2009 for being the only media channel in Pakistan with responsible business operations aimed at empowering marginalized communities and achieving socio-economic development.

The award was given to SAMAA at the 4th National CSR Award ceremony held at a private hotel in Karachi. The event was attended by Mr. Pir Mazhar Ul-Haq, Provincial Minister for Education, Mr. Sheikh Muhammad Afzal, Minister for Environment & Alternative Energy, Sindh and other leading representatives from the corporate, development and public sector.

Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV said upon the announcement that “we feel very honored to be the winners of this prestigious award, especially since this is the first time in the history of these awards that a media channel has been acknowledged for its CSR contributions. We hope that through our initiatives, we can inspire the industry to change the track and move towards the new media age, which will move away from the yellow journalism and avoid sensationalizing news for higher viewership to a more factual based content focusing on solutions”.

Mr. Jahangir further added that SAMAA works on the grounds of Innovation Journalism, a concept initiated by the Vinnova-Stanford Research Center at Stanford University. Mr. Jahangir stated that “in Innovation Journalism the process of innovation itself is the central concept, treating business, technology and politics etc. as nested components of a news story. In terms of traditional newsbeats, Innovation Journalism is multidisciplinary”. Mr. Jahangir shared that innovation journalism is a ‘horizontal’ beat, spanning across the old beats, reporting on innovation processes and innovation ecosystems.
This concept of journalism identifies and reports on key issues in the innovation ecosystems, such as the most important emerging concepts, the interaction between the main players, or what is happening in the innovation value chains. He concluded by stating that it was important to take a lead and get involved in this process by becoming a partner and reinforcing transparency and accountability of the key players of society by highlighting socio-economic issues and sustain a prosperous and secure Pakistan.

Mr. Pir Mazhar Ul-Haq, Provincial Minister for Education congratulated and awarded the winning companies by stating that these awards were tiny milestones towards a longer journey. He said that it was important to recognize the companies which had joined this journey and encouraged them to continue contributing to the well being of Pakistan and its people.

The CSR Excellence Award was received by Hina Akhtar, Sr. Manager Public Relations of SAMAA TV. Speaking at the award ceremony, Ms. Akhtar said that “the media plays a pivotal role in setting the national mindset – in particular in these challenging times. Therefore it is important for us to create content and work which is significant to our viewer communities and other stakeholders by creating value in their social interactions, empowering them for their economic decision and helping them in their political selections.” She concluded her speech by encouraging the audience to partner with the media and jointly educate and sensitize the communities for a better tomorrow.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities.

SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan. The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports.

SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

“Pakistan is facing its greatest challenge because today’s enemy lies within the distorted hearts and minds of people – we need to treat the heart and minds of these people who have been misguided and are brain washed; only then can we fight this war with full force”, said Syed Kamal Shah.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and SAMAA TV held the first of a series of seminars on the project titled “Cultivating Hope” at the National University for Science and Technology (NUST) Islamabad, the seminars are part of the launch of Pakistan’s first national inter-university documentary competition on extremism, which is a joint initiative of HEC and SAMAA TV.

The seminar included the participation of prominent representatives from the Public Sector, ISPR, Academia and development organizations. More than 250 participants including students were part of the interactive Q&A session, which allowed the youth to ask questions, debate and analyze the current socio-political situation of Pakistan and conveyed the leaders on how the youth envisions its role and future.

Keynote speaker Syed Kamal Shah, Former Federal Secretary Interior, who was also the chief guest noted that “the actual challenge for us as a nation is how to treat the hearts and minds of these people who have been misguided and brainwashed into seeing the people of Pakistan as their enemy. We therefore need to focus on the real education of our people and provide them with the basic amenities so that they are not lured into these devious acts due to poverty, society pressures or lack of guidance”.

Mr. Shah strongly focused on the support for educational development in the region, and the importance of security in pursuing economic opportunities for individual citizens and the region.

The leading panel of guest speakers also included Brigadier Professor Mowadat Rana, Director, Centre for Trauma Research and Psychosocial Interventions, Armed Forces Institute of Mental Health, who on a daily basis deals with extreme behavior personalities and addressed the issue from a professional and human perspective. Brigadier Rana spoke on how the human mind is easily affected through visuals and constant brain storming on a selected topic, which enables the mind to think in only one perspective without realizing the negative aspects.

The project “Cultivating Hope” focus on empowering the youth to look into the measures, impact and results of extremism, which will not only strengthen their minds to take distance to such thinking and behavior but to also play a role in educating their peers and surroundings on the horror of terrorism. The Cultivating Hope initiative will also promote the visual and liberal arts in the country’s education sphere as a form of creative expression and ideas.

The seminar brought together various universities in the Capital City and Rawalpindi through the facility of video conferencing. All students eagerly participated in the Q&A Session and were very open in their thoughts about Pakistan’s alarming situation and the urgent need to encourage the public to keep their spirits high and carry out counter initiatives against extremism.

Speaking on the occasion Amir Jahangir, CEO of SAMAA TV said “the media’s role is to cultivate hope and the media, must play its part as the catalyst for change and address the menace of extremism and terrorism in our great country.

He further added, “All stakeholders need to come forward and help in creating employment opportunities to our youth to safeguard the future of the nation. By providing a healthy and competitive environment to our youth, we can help eliminate the increasing frustration among them and empower them to make a better and prosperous future for themselves and prevent them from becoming victims of a disillusioned religion and political game,”

Son of Late (Shaheed) Major General Bilal Omer, Arsalan Omer Khan also spoke on the brave acts of his father, who became one of the victims in the recent incident in a mosque in Rawalpindi on Friday 04 December 2009, where terrorists killed more than 40 people and injured 83. The victims included leading army officers and their children who were in the mosque for the Friday prayers. Arsalan encouraged all not to call these people terrorists but cowards and stay united and break down the environment in which these people breed.

In his concluding remarks the Engr Muhammad Asghar, Rector NUST said, “the youth has to play a pivotal role and bring the positive change, as all the religions promote education and innovation, and NUST ensures both. He acknowledged the efforts of HEC and SAMAA TV for Cultivating Hope.”

HEC and SAMAA TV have called out for documentaries on various themes of extremism through all HEC affiliated universities across Pakistan. According to the partnership, the top three winners of the documentary competition will be awarded prizes amounting to Rs. 1,000,000, Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 300,000. They will also be offered a one-year job contract with SAMAA TV after completing their academic degrees.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities. SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

The Pakistan Polio Control Cell wins Asia CSR Excellence Award 2009

In the photograph: L-R- Jonathan Mark, Director Sales, Hina Akhtar, Sr Manager PR, Amir Jahangir, CEO SAMAA

Pakistani media makes history by becoming the first broadcaster in
Asia to win the Excellence Award at the 7th annual Asian Forum on CSR
2009.

Manila, Philippines 20 November – The Asian Forum on Corporate Social
Responsibility (AFCSR) announced the winners of the AFCSR Award 2009
at a grand gala award ceremony held in Manila, Philippines. Pakistan
marked a new page in the history of Corporate Social Responsibility by
receiving the excellence award in CSR. The award was received by SAMAA
TV for its Concern for Health initiatives.

Among SAMAA TV’s various CSR initiatives, the Polio Control Cell was
considered by the judges as the most innovative health communication
CSR model for 2009. The Polio Control Cell was established in joint
partnership with UNICEF Pakistan and Ministry of Health, Government of
Pakistan. The initiative was launched with the aim of creating
awareness on the polio virus among communities as well as drastically
improve the outreach and access of the polio field teams during the
national polio campaigns in Pakistan.

Each year, more than 250.000 children were missed being vaccinated due
to lack of awareness and accessibility. The Polio Control initiative
vaccinates more than 35 million children under the age of five in
every campaign. The Polio Control Cell has since its inception in
October 2008 received more than 24,000 calls nationwide from parents
whose children were not being vaccinated. Through coordinated efforts
between the SAMAA national Polio Control Cell, the health EDOs and the
75.000 field team members across Pakistan, the complaints were
addressed and the children who otherwise would have not been
vaccinated were successfully immunized and protected against the polio
virus.

The SAMAA delegation attending the forum included Amir Jahangir, Chief
Executive Officer, Jonathan Mark, Director Sales and Hina Akhtar, Sr.
Manager Public Relations. The SAMAA delegation was also nominated as
moderators for some of the leading sessions of the event.

Amir Jahangir while moderating the session on innovations in CSR in
developed and developing countries shared the dire need to review the
CSR strategy of companies in light of innovation and communication. He
said that “We all want to make a difference in this world and that is
why we are here today to find the right solution. If we want to meet
the current economic and social challenges, we need to innovative and
recreate. We need to bring in initiatives which will help solve the
matters in a diverse way than before – only then can we see a
difference.”

While concluding his session, Jahangir said that “In today’s world
where both globalization and financial crisis is making competition
tough, we should focus on creating business viability as well as
creating values of responsibility. Being a business organization that
works for profit, we know that doing good business is important for
the survival of the organization. However, today every good business
also evaluates its profit in terms of the added values invested into
social development. Our business strategy should also include our
implicit social contract with society, and if each player would live
up to this agreement of values, we are sure we can see improvement in
business profits and especially a prosperous future ahead for the next
generation.”

This year the Forum charged ahead with an ambitious platform, carrying
out intense sessions focusing on the need of empowering businesses to
implement CSR concepts and integrate them into the ways of doing
business. This year the theme of the event was on sustaining CSR in
difficult times, how business can benefit and why it still makes
business sense.

One of the most interactive sessions at the event was the AFCSR
“Meeting of Minds” where the participants had the opportunity to meet
people working on similar projects and discuss new ways of designing
programs aimed at increasing objectives and impact. The most popular
session was on “how to develop innovative programs to maximize
outreach and impact”. The special session was facilitated by Hina
Akhtar, Sr. Manager Public Relations of SAMAA TV, who emphasized on
the need to do things differently now. “We all believe in the core
values of responsible business, as it is the passion which lies behind
our motivation to do better in every new program that we develop.
Although times are changing, the needs of the vulnerable communities
remain the same – if not more diverse. It is time that we deliver
innovative solutions as innovation is the catalyst for change.”

The SAMAA team expressed great pride in receiving the award.
“Receiving this award at such an eminent platform would make any
organization proud, but knowing that we are the first media channel in
Asia to be recognized for its social contribution makes me and my team
more determined to keep being innovative and committed in this cause.
We want the world to mark and remember Pakistan for its constructive
and responsible role in global development” said Amir Jahangir.

Asian CSR Awards is recognized as the leading awards program on
Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia and is an inherent component
of the annual, regional Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility
(AFCSR) conference and Expo.

This year, the Asian CSR award celebrated its seventh year with over
400 delegates from 20 countries who attended.

This award program attracted 211 entries representing 132 companies
from 14 countries. The Asian CSR Awards recognizes and honors Asian
companies for outstanding, innovative and world-class products,
services, projects and programs in five categories – Best Workplace
Practices; Concern for Health; Environmental Excellence; Poverty
Alleviation; and Support and Improvement of Education. The selection
of the projects are based on its demonstration of the company’s
leadership, sincerity and on-going commitment in incorporating ethical
values, compliance with legal requirements, respect for individuals,
involvement in communities and protection of the environment into the
way they do business.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television
channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news
coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive
political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the
first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business
activities. SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within
health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on
improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on
women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV,
launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and
five (5) bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in
the Middle East, Europe and North America.

HEC, SAMAA ‘Cultivating Hope’ against terrorism

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and SAMAA Television signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wednesday for launching an educational program entitled “Cultivating Hope”, which aims to empower youth in creating, debating and finding solutions to the increasing extremism in Pakistan. One of the key activities of the program is an Inter-University Documentary Competition across Pakistan.

Prof. Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director, HEC and Mr. Amir Jahangir, CEO, SAMAA TV signed the MoU. Dr. Javaid R. Laghari, Chairman HEC, Syed Kamal Shah, Former Federal Secretary Interior, executive members of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and other senior officials of both the organizations were also present at the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Javaid R. Laghari, the Chairman HEC congratulated SAMAA TV for launching a much-needed initiative for the youth of Pakistan. “This program will help eradicate the menace of extremism from society and hopefully other media organizations will follow suit.”

Dr. Sohail Naqvi said, “The entire nation, especially educated people, must join hands to take our country out of this worst crisis. It is high time to think about the factors that have led to extreme behavior. An educated youth will help address this crucial element which has become a serious challenge for the nation. This program will provide a platform to the university students to research the causes of extremism and put forward suggestions for solving the problem.”

Mr. Amir Jahangir said, “This partnership with HEC aims at engaging the Pakistani youth at a national level on a vital subject of “extremism in Pakistan”, which is now of crucial national importance. The current socio-political situation of Pakistan immediately calls for innovative measures to not only control the increasing extremism but to build an environment, where the awareness of such extreme acts, its impact on the life of the public and the development of the nation will play an eminent role in changing the mindsets of those who are unfortunate to be involved in such evil acts.”

“This program focus on empowering the youth to look into the measures, impact and results of extremism, which will only strengthen their minds to not only take distance to such thinking and behavior but to also play a role in educating their peers and surroundings on the horror of terrorism. The Cultivating Hope initiative will also promote the visual and liberal arts in the country’s education sphere as a form of creative expression and ideas”, said CEO, SAMAA TV.

Mr. Jahangir said that the program also includes outreach activities with the universities across Pakistan, where SAMAA TV will arrange lecturers on extremism by prominent scholars and youth role models. He specially acknowledged Mr. Syed Kamal Shah, Former Federal Secretary Interior for encouraging SAMAA TV to develop this concept and empower the youth.

The event was witnessed by universities across Pakistan through the facility of video conferencing. This initiative will provide over 600,000 students from 128 universities from all over Pakistan the opportunity to participate in the competition.

According to the partnership, the top three winners of the documentary competition will be awarded prizes amounting to Rs. 1,000,000, Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 300,000. They will also be offered a one-year job contract with SAMAA TV after completing their academic degrees.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities. SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America. SAMAA

SOS Representative receiving a plaque from AmirJahangir CEO, SAMAA TV and Ali Qadir Gilani, EVP Marketing Communications, PTCL

ISLAMABAD, September 13 – The Families and children of SOS Village in Rawalpindi spent an evening with SAMAA TV. More than 250 children had iftar with the distinguished guests present at the occasion.

Leading representatives of the business community, government and media were present at the event, celebrating the true spirit of the Holy month with the children of SOS Village.

In his message for the occasion, President, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) Walid Irshaid said, “It is a very good feeling to be amongst these beautiful children,” he also added “SOS is doing a remarkable job by providing these children with shelter and all necessities of life.” He further added “PTCL works very strongly for community development. As leaders in the communication industry, it is our responsibility to understand the needs of the people our country especially the children of Pakistan. He appreciated SAMAA’s efforts for initiating responsible media activities and realizing the importance of sharing this Holy month with the most deserving.”

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) distributed gifts and sweets amongst the children at SOS village.

Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAMAA also shared his thoughts and commented that, “media has an important role to play in creating value for the community and the audience it caters to.”

He also said, “The family-like structure promoted by the SOS Children’s Village is exemplary and innovative.” He further added, “We need to bridge the gaps between the social development sector groups, the business sector, and focus on establishing quality partnerships to address the social needs and issues of our beloved country.”

“In Pakistan, there are many children, who have no parents or a shelter, to provide them with even the basic necessities of life. The SOS Village Program is nurturing more than 2000 children across Pakistan,” said Jahangir. He assured that “SAMAA would continue to play an active role in bringing a positive change in the social, political and economic scenario in Pakistan.”

While talking at the occasion to the audience, Anwar Ullah Sheikh, representative, SOS Village Rawalpindi, stated, “SOS Children’s Village of Pakistan is a social welfare organization dedicated to caring for orphaned and abandoned children already operating in ten cities of the country. Our core activity is the rehabilitation of deprived children, providing them with a family environment, good nurturing and the very best education.” He acknowledged SAMAA’s initiative in sharing its business success and network to promote the cause of SOS Village and support the quality of life for underprivileged children in Pakistan and thanked PTCL for being part of the event.

Amir Jahangir also appreciated PTCL’s and other stakeholder’s presence at the event. He added that the entire team of SAMAA is committed to develop quality and diversified content for its viewers; provide maximum value for its stakeholders and share its business success with the communities it works with.

SOS Children’s Villages is active in 132 countries and territories worldwide. The variety of its international work is brought together by the umbrella organization SOS-Kinderdorf International, which unites all of the autonomous national associations. Its head office is in Innsbruck, Austria. SOS Kinderdorf is the largest child welfare organization in the world and has so far established over 1800 projects, with the number steadily increasing. Many of the facilities are community projects such as schools, medical centers, agricultural projects, vocational training and production centers. SOS Children’s Villages are assisting more than 80,000 children and families through its family strengthening programs.

This special visit will be broadcasted on SAMAA TV in its special Iftar Program, “Iftar Ka Samaa.” Iftar Ka Samaa is produced specially in the Holy month of Ramadan and aims at sharing its spirit with the various communities across Pakistan, who through their hard work and dedication have made great contribution to the socio-economic development of the nation. The program also aims at working as the catalyst for voicing their concerns and issues and to promote the values of Unity and Humanity.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities. SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

SAMAA TV has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five (5) bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Pakistan resumes Swat polio shots:

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s Swat Valley have resumed vaccinating children for polio, a practice the Taliban had banned as un-Islamic before they were beaten back by an army offensive, an official said Tuesday.

The Islamist militants, who began taking over the valley in 2007, had declared a campaign to inoculate against the potentially crippling disease was un-Islamic because it was foreign-funded. Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazullah said the vaccinations were a Western conspiracy to make Muslim children infertile.

The army says it has killed more than 1,800 suspected militants in Swat since launching its latest offensive there four months ago. The government is now trying to bring the valley back to normal. Most of the 2 million people displaced in the offensive have returned home.

Violence, however, continues to assail the northwest.

A suspected U.S. missile strike Tuesday killed eight people near the Afghan border, and the Pakistani military said it had killed 24 militants in an ongoing offensive in the Khyber region. Trucks carrying supplies to NATO and U.S. troops were attacked in two parts of the country.

In Swat, government official Khurshid Khan, a doctor, said the last inoculations against polio were administered nearly a year ago.

Six cases of polio have been discovered since vaccinations resumed Monday. Some 215,000 children are a target of the three-day campaign, he said.

He said Pakistani health officials had to quit their campaign last September after several attacks by the militants. The department made another attempt to restart in January, but that was quickly abandoned after another attack.

“Our staff was beaten, and our equipment was snatched,” Khan told The Associated Press.

Swat resident Yar Mohammad said the people of the valley welcomed the resumption of the campaign.

“The militants have been depriving our children of our basic right. It is our national responsibility to secure our kids against all diseases,” said Mohammad, who lives in the valley’s main city, Mingora.

Polio has been eradicated in most countries. But in Pakistan, Nigeria, Afghanistan and India it remains endemic, according to the World Health Organization.

The disease mostly strikes children under age 5 and is spread when people come into contact with the feces of those with the virus. It usually attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis, muscular atrophy, deformation and sometimes death.

Pakistan is still battling Taliban fighters and other militant groups across its rugged northwest bordering Afghanistan.

Late Tuesday, a suspected U.S. missile struck a house in a village in the North Waziristan tribal region, killing eight people, residents and Pakistani intelligence officials. It was the second such attack in the region in the last 24 hours.

The officials said five more people were wounded, adding that all the casualties were militants linked to Pakistani Taliban. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to media.

“We heard the blast,” said Mumtaz Khan, a resident in the village of Darga Mandi. “We saw spy planes flying overhead for the last several hours.”

The United States has fired scores of missiles from unmanned drones into the tribal regions since last year in a campaign targeting al-Qaida and Taliban commanders.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military said it had killed 24 more insurgents in the Khyber region a toll that could not be independently verified. The military has reported killing more than 100 militants in the region in the past week.

In the Orakzai tribal region, suspected militants killed four high school students, officials and a resident said.

Government official Mohammad Yasin could only confirm that gunmen fired on students in the Kalaya village area. However, the resident, Yousuf Mohammad, said he saw masked gunmen kill four boys. Others were wounded.

The children were Shiite Muslims, an intelligence official said. He said their tribe was fighting a gunbattle with the militants. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information to media.

Also Tuesday, trucks carrying supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan were attacked in two areas of Pakistan.

Three people were wounded by gunmen during an assault on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar, police official Ali Waqar said.

In the southwest city of Quetta, two NATO oil tankers caught fire and were completely gutted. Three more were partially damaged, police official Khalil Bugti said. He said someone fired shots at one of the tankers, sparking the blaze.

He said he would not speculate whether it was the work of militants. AGENCIES