In the recently held Global Good Governance (3G) Awards in Istanbul, much to everyone’s surprise, many Pakistani organisations won international acclaim for their exemplary work.
Amongst the winners were the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Taaleem Foundation and Shahid Afridi Foundation.
The UK-based Cambridge IF Analytica held the inaugural 3G Awards to highlight examples of best practices in good governance in government and politics, corporate sector, and social sector and philanthropy.
While good governance is well-established in the more developed countries, it has yet to gain ground in most of the emerging economies and other less developed countries of the world.
In the 3G Awards, about 15 countries were represented. Among the representatives, the UK-based businesses run by Pakistani diaspora also made their presence felt.
London-based Addison and Khan Solicitors won the 3G Award for Excellence in Legal Practice. Another important winning organisation having links with Pakistan was the World Congress of Overseas Pakistan, which won the 3G Diversity Award in the Social Sector and Philanthropy.
“The success of Pakistani organisations from the social sector and Higher Education Commission in the 3G Awards stands in sharp contrast to the media hype over Panama leaks that implicate Pakistan’s politicians in corruption and other malpractices,” said World Congress of Overseas Pakistan Chairman Syed Qamar Raza.
“It is a message of hope and not-out,” added Shahid Afridi, Chairman of the Shahid Afridi Foundation.
“Recognition of Pakistani organisations at the 3G is testament to the fact that the country has a number of examples of good governance despite the general negative perception,” said Cambridge IF Analytica CEO Dr Sofiza Azmi. However, absence of Pakistan’s business sector was deeply felt at the 3G Awards.
A participant in the ceremony commented that Pakistan’s negative image is not due to social sector or philanthropy but because of malpractices in the government and corporate sectors.
The most significant success at the 3G, however, was achieved by Malaysia, which bagged five prestigious awards.
Rosmah Mansor, wife of the prime minister of Malaysia, received the 3G Children Welfare Award and was buoyant at the awards ceremony. “Winning the 3G Children Welfare Award has not only given Permata a boost at the international level, but also raised the spirit of agencies and individuals responsible for making the programme a success,” she said.
Other winners from Malaysia included Agrobank, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies at UiTM and National Transformation Programme of the government of Malaysia.
Other notable winners included Novo Nordisk from Denmark, Arlanda Express from Sweden and Islamic Relief Worldwide from the UK.
The writer is an economist with PhD from the University of Cambridge
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