ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s two financial institutions, the Bank of Punjab (BoP) and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), have won Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for women development awards.

The NBP won two awards for its large CSR portfolio of women’s education and health and hygiene while the BoP was conferred upon the award for the comprehensive and inclusive women development, empowerment and engagement strategies and products.

The ‘CSR for Women Development Awards’ ceremony was a part of the 10th edition of the three-day long ‘Aurat Hunar Mela’ (national women-at-work festival) that started on March 8 by showcasing women’s work, products and services, including an art exhibition ‘Herself’ at Lok Virsa, Shakarparian, Islamabad.

The ‘Aurat Hunar Mela’ is an annual flagship event of Devcom-Pakistan to mark the UN’s International Women’s Day that falls on March 8. This year the event was organised in collaboration with the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa), Ministry of National Heritage and Culture.

Earlier, a conference on the ‘CSR for women development’ was also organised. The panelists included the Bank of Punjab head of customer services Rai Usman Mujahid, entrepreneur and Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Sadaf Asim Abbasi, entrepreneur and human resource management expert Tahira Haider, Lok Virsa Director Research and Publications Dr Zobia Sultana and art and design mentor and Devcom-Pakistan creative director Riffat Ara Baig.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed conducted the panel discussion.

Rai Usman Mujahid said: “The BoP is a leading financial institution with 900 branches nationwide and is committed to creating a workplace that champions women empowerment and inclusivity. Our comprehensive initiative includes the implementation of women-friendly policies such as flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance. Mentorship programmes have been introduced to provide guidance and facilitate career advancement for female employees. Tailored leadership development opportunities aim to enhance the professional growth of women within the organisation”.

He said there were numerous CSR initiatives, including the Citizen Foundation’s girls’ education and the Indus Hospital and financial inclusion of marginalised community women through interest-free loans. The bank, he said, was open to engage with different development and women organisations to create women-friendly workplaces and financially empowered women.

Sadaf Asim Abbasi said: “CSR plays a crucial role in the development and empowerment of women by promoting initiatives that address gender equality, access to education, economic opportunities, healthcare, and leadership development. The women’s chambers of commerce are struggling to create economic and financial opportunism for the women especially for the middle-class individuals”.

Tahira Haider said education and skill development was very crucial for the community women where the CSR programmes may be aimed at increasing access to education and skill development opportunities for women and girls.

Riffat Ara Baig said: “The CSR shall also be focused on empowering the community women with the skills to redesign their products to meet the market needs. It will increase their share in the market. The product design and development matter a lot in the competitive market. They shall also be given exposure to the new markets”.

Munir Ahmed urged the corporate sector to include women’s leadership and decision-making roles within organisations and communities.

In a separate ceremony on Sunday, management volunteers from Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (ITHM) were also awarded certificates. The women artists who put their artworks on display were awarded with the festival mementos and certificates.

They included Nigar Nazar, New York-based Nayyer Iqbal, Shahnaz Akram, Riffat Ara Baig, Saima Tahir, Saima Amir, Hatice Omar, Ambreen Anjum, Salvat Hijazi, Sabahat Amir, Beenish Azam, Shehla Moazzam, and Ambreen Bilal.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2024