The Pakistanis living abroad invested about Rs 12 billion in community support initiatives during the fiscal year 2021-2022, according to the annual "Corporate Social Responsibly (CSR) Report 2022" published by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI). The CSR report findings confirmed once more the dedication of OICCI members to the socio-economic advancement of the Pakistani communities where they conduct business. The OICCI represents the largest international investors in Pakistan.

The study summarises the main points of the CSR initiatives of OICCI members who, between 2021-22, spent more than Rs 12 billion, compared to Rs 11 billion in 2020-21, on CSR-related initiatives and reached out to nearly 46 million direct recipients across Pakistan. In order to complete their own CSR initiatives, OICCI members and their staff additionally provided 1.5 million man-hours and collaborated with over 280 organisations in the social and development sector.

In his remarks on the CSR efforts of OICCI members, OICCI President Ghias Khan said, "OICCI members, led by example during the COVID pandemic, and have also shown their commitments towards mitigating the suffering of the 2022 flood victims by actively participating in relief activities and announcing generous commitments of around Rs 9 billion, in addition to their CSR contributions of Rs 12 billion."

He said, OICCI is the first chamber in Pakistan to have arranged an international climate conference in March 2022, underlining the need to take proactive measures to preserve the people's life and livelihood from adverse effects of global warming.

The OICCI members engaged in a variety of charitable endeavours during the year 2022, departing beyond standard CSR activities, to demonstrate their dedication to giving back to society in cooperation with important social sector partners. The goal of these social initiatives was to enhance society, and they included a number of special programmes to advance the fields of livelihood, education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability.

An overwhelming 89% of OICCI participating members focused on health and well-being and actively supported health and nutrition-related initiatives through donations to reputable hospitals, medical care camps, and health awareness campaigns, according to OICCI Vice President Amir Paracha, who was speaking about the commitment of foreign investors towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Amir Paracha continued that over 75% of participating members donated towards excellent education via paying for upgraded elementary and secondary school infrastructure, scholarships, and other vocational training programmes for skill development. The OICCI Women Programme was vigorously pursued by nearly two-thirds of the participating members, who also concentrated on gender equality to support women's empowerment efforts.

The CSR initiatives were geographically dispersed over all four provinces of Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan,  Azad Kashmir and Tribal Areas. About one-third of CSR activities were concentrated in Sindh, while 28% were in Punjab. The OICCI represents the interests of the largest international investors in Pakistan. In addition to contributing around one-third of Pakistan's total tax income, the nearly 200 OICCI members, who come from 31 different countries, are active in 14 economic areas, facilitate the exchange of technology and skills, and employ a sizable number of people.

Some 40 members of OICCI are associates of Fortune Global 500 corporations, and about a third of member companies are listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. In addition to their commercial operations, OICCI members are conscious of their corporate social duties and make significant contributions to a number of CSR initiatives that help 46 million individuals in underserved areas.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk