Press Release: ACCA-WWF Business Earth Talk
ACCA in collaboration with WWF celebrated Earth Day by organising
"ACCA-WWF Business Earth Talk" at the Serena Hotel Islamabad. The
event encompassed discussion forums 'Water: The Next Carbon' and
'Disclosing Transparency: The Changing Landscape', followed by the 8th
Annual ACCA-WWF Pakistan Environmental Reporting Awards (PERA) 2009.
Bringing together stakeholders from different walks of life, the event
provided an excellent opportunity to discuss current trends in best
sustainable practices and the evolving nature of business reporting.
The discussion forum, "Water: The Next Carbon' focused on both the
question of whether there is a role for businesses in water management
and the challenges to businesses in a world where clean water is
increasingly becoming a rarity. The panelist for this discussion
included Mr Ali Hassan Habib, Director General, WWF Pakistan; Mr Arif
Masud Mirza, Head of ACCA Pakistan; Mr Muhammad Javed Malik, Federal
Secretary Environment, Ministry of Environment; Syed Ahsenuddin, Vice
President, Engro Polymer & Chemicals Ltd and Mr Farhan Sami, Country
Team Leader WSP-SA, World Bank.
The second discussion forum, "Disclosing Transparency: The Changing
Landscape' analysed the challenges and opportunities of the changing
landscape of business reporting and stakeholders' increasing
information expectations. The panelist for this session included Mr
Shafqat Kakahel, Former Pakistan Ambassador and, Ex -UN Asst.
Secretary General; Dr Afra Sajjad, Head of Education and Policy
Development of ACCA Pakistan; Mr M. Adil Khattak, CEO, Attock Refinery
Limited; Mr Ahmed D. Patel, Chairman-Executive Board, Ernst & Young
Ford Rhodes Sidat and Mr Markus Turczyn, Head of Finance, Procurement,
Administration & IT, OMV (Pakistan) Exploration GmbH.
Keeping the focus on environment alive, the 8th Annual ACCA-WWF
Pakistan Environmental Reporting Awards 2009 ceremony was also held to
recognise and reward companies that report on corporate environmental,
social and sustainability performance to a broad range of
stakeholders.
The winners for 2009 were Attock Refinery Ltd. and Engro Chemicals
Pakistan Ltd. for Best Sustainability Report 2009; AES Lal Pir Thermal
Power Station for Best Environmental Report 2009 in the Multinational
Category; National Refinery Ltd for Best Environmental Report 2008 in
the Local Listed Category. Qarshi Industries Pvt. Ltd. was awarded
commendation for showing their commitment and consistency to
transparency in reporting where as Engro Polymer and Chemicals Ltd was
awarded commendation for commitment to excellence in sustainability
reporting.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Guest, Mr Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi,
Minister for Environment, lauded the hard work of all the companies
who participated in the Awards Scheme. He acknowledged the awards
stating, "The government of Pakistan is very much supportive of
private sector initiatives like the ACCA-WWF Pakistan Environmental
Reporting Awards and is willing to work with ACCA and WWF to encourage
greater buy in of the business community".
The evening commenced with welcome remarks by Mr Arif Masud Mirza,
Head of ACCA Pakistan who emphasised on the importance of best
practices in environmental, social and sustainability reporting. He
said, "ACCA has set a benchmark for sustainability reporting and is
heartened by the achievement of our award winners. It is indeed
fantastic to see how many organisations, large and small, have
recognised the importance of sustainability and environmental
reporting and continue to grow on these standards."
Ms Aliya Mohydin, Manager Environment and Customer Services, Punjab
Industrial Estates gave an overview of the awards signifying the
growing awareness of Corporate Social Responsibility amongst
corporations. She said that the awards ensure that companies target
improvements in the quality of information disclosed during the
reporting process. Hence the awards help businesses streamline
sustainable practices and development.
Also present on the occasion was Mr Ali Hassan Habib, Director General
WWF Pakistan who in his closing remarks stated, "Events like ACCA-WWF
Business Earth Talk come a long way in increasing environmental
awareness in the corporate sector, enabling discussion on important
environmental issues as well as awarding deserving companies who are
working towards environmental sustainability. Even after 8 years of
presenting the PERA awards, promoting sustainability will continue to
be a key ACCA and WWF commitment".
