By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi on Wednesday called for promoting business practices based on transparency and ethics at the organizational and corporate level to contribute towards the development of the country.
The president also emphasized creating an inclusive culture at the workplace by accommodating disabled persons who fulfilled the required skillset for the job.
Speaking at a discussion themed ‘Ethics and business’, the president said establishing an accountable workplace culture by maintaining the highest standards of morality could lead to good corporate governance.
The event organized by Telenor Pakistan at its Campus 345 focused on the importance of transparent and anti-corruption corporate policies aimed at building a prosperous Pakistan.
President Alvi said morality-based order, may it be at the level of countries or an organization, needed to be guided by the principles of compassion and ethics.
“We want Pakistan to become a strong nation with a society that promotes the culture of transparency and morality,” he said.
He emphasized consistent self-judgment of all shareholders in an organization and the formulation of policies by the corporate leaders that upheld the values of integrity.
He mentioned the challenges in a corporate sector including workplace competition for power, money, and status, adding that adhering to a robust ethical code of conduct could strengthen the core of any organization.
In this regard, President Alvi termed maintaining discipline, safety procedures, environment consciousness, the interest of employees, and balancing with the market as the important factors.
CEO Telenor Pakistan Irfan Wahab Khan said with 17 years of its presence in Pakistan, the Norway-based Telenor was committed to serving the country by proactively implementing the transparent and corruption-free business culture. He said the public and private sector in Pakistan needed to explore the concept of ESG – environment, social, and governance in order to create a welcoming environment for investment.
Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday urged media and Ulema to guide the masses on family planning as a comprehensive and continuous awareness was inevitable not only for mother and child’s health but also the national development.
The president, addressing the launching ceremony of The Challenge Initiative Pakistan, said the media should ensure frequent messaging on family in their dramas, morning shows to educate the people on the subject which also needed to be destigmatized. Similarly, the Ulema should use the pulpit for health messaging as they had done during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Challenge Initiative is a “business unusual” platform that empowers local governments to rapidly and sustainably scale best-practice health interventions to benefit urban poor communities.
TCI Pakistan will be the sixth hub working through Greenstar, after five other hubs in East Africa, Francophone West Africa, India, Nigeria and the Philippines.
The president said in a conservative society like Pakistan, it was also the government’s responsibility to ensure easy access to contraceptives through available tools of lady health workers and Ehsaas Program.
He said through Ehsaas program, the government was in contact with around 170 million families which could also be used for messaging on multiple subjects.
He said the government was taking both tangible and intangible measures to address the issue of haphazard population growth.
President Alvi said consequent to the government’s ongoing measures like Ehsaas cash assistance and business loans, the women would be empowered who later would be able to extend their supportive voice on family planning.
He said malnutrition, neonatal deaths, maternal mortality and stunting had negative impacts on society which was also being addressed by the government by providing incentives to the women.
The president told the gathering that the statistics of nine million unwanted pregnancies a year in Pakistan could be halved within a year if the government ensures access to modern contraceptives.
The president also rubbished the notion of Ulema opposing the family planning and said the issue had successfully been addressd in other Muslim countries including Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Iran.
He said the local packaging of intra-uterine devices is expected to start soon which would make a difference and added that the country could also move towards introducing injectable hormones.
President Alvi also thanked Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for supporting the country in its fight against polio as well as extending assistance on the subject of family planning.
