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.