KARACHI, April 30: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has called upon the corporate and business leaders to come forward and supplement the government's efforts towards meeting the social development challenges as part of their corporate social responsibility.

He was speaking as chief guest at the launch of the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy’s study: Corporate Philanthropy in Pakistan: The Case of Public Listed Companies at the Governor’s House here on Saturday night.

Shaukat Aziz said Pakistan was undergoing a major transformation -- a quiet change in the outlook as well as thought process and a revolution of conscience – “where a rising generation is finding a life of fulfilment, a feeling of caring and sharing and working towards a better tomorrow.”

He said philanthropy and compassionate support for the needy was as old as the human history and that it had been the focus of virtually all religious traditions and in countries at all stages of development.

It holds a central place in the teachings of the Holy Quran, the writings of Islamic thinkers and the history of Muslims in all parts and cultures of the Islamic world.

Islam enjoins to share resources beyond reasonable commitments and to care for those in need. Islam also emphasises on a responsible stewardship of philanthropic institutions by those charged with their management.

The prime minister said that the obligations to maintain the highest level of integrity in the management of donated resources of the institutions benefiting from them was ingrained in our faith. It’s critical for credibility in the eyes of public and growth of philanthropic gesture.

Shaukat Aziz said “ours is a ‘giving’ nation as manifested during the catastrophic earthquake of October 8 last year which saw the spontaneous outpouring of compassion and generosity by the people of Pakistan both at home and abroad on a scale never witnessed before.

He was of the view that the United Nations should keep a fund of half a billion dollars so that it could move and act immediately in the event of a calamity.

The prime minister pointed out that Pakistan today was one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. “Our philosophy, based on deregulation, liberalisation and privatisation, consistency, continuity and transparency of policies, and the dynamism of the private sector have set Pakistan on a high growth trajectory.”

He said never before such a massive pace of development in the country was witnessed as it was under way now. “We now need to harness the benefits of this economic success for a meaningful gain for all segments of our society and massive social uplift.”

Although poverty has declined to 25.4 per cent, primary enrolment has increased to 86 per cent, immunisation of children has increased to 83 per cent, water supply coverage has risen to 39 per cent and per capita income is expected to move up to $800 this year, we still have challenges.

Our social challenges include raising the quality of life and alleviating poverty, having more schools, adequate food and clean drinking water, sanitation and basic health services, creating job opportunities, and also mainstreaming of gender as no nation can progress unless its womenfolk is an equal partner in development.

The government is making targeted interventions to address these concerns and generate income and employment through public works, Khushal Pakistan Programme, Khushal Pakistan Fund, safety nets and micro-credit to improve life in the rural areas and facilitating development of small and medium enterprises. The task is huge and we need to build partnerships to measure up these challenges.

Shaukat Aziz said we recognise that broad-based public and private partnerships are crucial for lasting social development particularly ones that involve ordinary citizens at all levels of society.

We also appreciate that the non-profit sector in Pakistan is emerging as a significant force and key partner in promoting social and human development.

We understand that the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) is a key player in promoting philanthropy for social investing and development. This is an important and distinct role and has enabled PCP to focus on a number of key areas such as enabling environment initiative, corporate philanthropy for education and certification for non-profit organisations (NPOs) as well as research studies and information dissemination along with general promotion in philanthropy. The centre can coordinate and channelise the philanthropic contribution to different sectors based on demand.

The prime minister believed that the NPOs which made a valuable contribution to social development in Pakistan in many areas should adopt the highest standards of good governance, transparency, disclosure, effectiveness and accountability.

The certification regime initiated through the PCP some years back has gone a long way in bridging the information and credibility gap that surrounds the civil sector, but still a lot more need to be done in this regard.

The prime minister held out the assurance that the government would continue to support the citizens-led growth and development efforts. He said the corporate philanthropists should see themselves as ‘social investors’ and put their resources to best use through credible social sector organisations and a new breed of professional social entrepreneurs.

He said the PCP's directory of certified NPOs ‘Gateway To Giving’ provides a list of credible social development partners. He also urged donor agencies and international organisations to seek partnerships with credible civil society organisations.

He welcomed the PCP's proposals about instituting a ‘corporate philanthropy award’ and further incentives for this vital sector through tax benefits and encouragement.

PCP Chairman Shams Kassim Lakha in his address hoped that the study would serve as a valuable addition to the body of knowledge about philanthropy and help tap the large potential of corporate philanthropic resources for Pakistan's development.—APP