UN Women Pakistan and foodpanda Pakistan collaborate for the promotion of workplace safety and gender equality for women

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) UN Women and foodpanda Pakistan have announced a partnership on promotion of gender equality in the workplace. Under the partnership various initiatives and training will be undertaken to address and implement strategies pertaining to gender-responsiveness and creating a healthy work environment.  

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was recently signed in foodpanda’s office where both organisations pledged to implement capacity-building initiatives to empower women at all positions, leveraging the UN Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs). foodpanda Pakistan being the signatory of these principles has policies in place regarding the promotion of women’s rights and well-being at the workplace which highlight it as an equal opportunity employer. 

“Given the fast-paced world that we are living in today, it is imperative that we assimilate in the organisation while acknowledging the rights and needs of our female counterparts and ensure an all-inclusive workplace,” said Muntaqa Peracha, Managing Director, foodpanda Pakistan. “No economy can thrive without the contribution of women and here at foodpanda Pakistan, we are committed to advancing the agenda of empowering our female stakeholders at all levels. This includes entrusting them with decision making powers, placing them in key leadership positions, and designing an environment conducive to their professional growth.”

“Women’s economic empowerment lies at the heart of this partnership” said Sharmeela Rassool, Country Representative, UN Women Pakistan. She added “foodpanda has caused a positive disruption in society through its dignified approach to the food delivery profession. By creating an enabling and inclusive environment at the workplace, as well as particularly driving women inclusion as home based vendors and fleet of riders is an exemplary effort to enable them to break stereotypes at one hand and earn a respectable living at the other hand.” 

The private sector has emerged as the promoter of sustainable social development while having a positive impact on communities and the society at large, thereby promoting their economic growth and prosperity. The Sustainable Development Goal 5 specific to gender equality addresses the need of ending all forms of discrimination against women and empowering them that would eventually have a multiplier effect for sustained development. The Global Goals and the WEPs aim at uniting the public and private sectors, and civil society to expedite gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.

 

 

 

 

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Gerry’s dnata, Pakistan’s leading ground services provider, continues to be recognised for achieving the highest safety standards. The company obtained IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) Station Accreditation at Islamabad International Airport (ISB), following the successful completion of a comprehensive audit of its ground handling operations at the airport.

Syed Haris Raza, Vice President of Gerry’s dnata, said: “Safety continues to be at the heart of everything we do. The achievement of the ISAGO accreditation demonstrates our team’s commitment and ability to consistently deliver excellence in safety. I thank my colleagues for their hard work and dedication.”

Gerry’s dnata has also successfully renewed its ISAGO Registration in Karachi (KHI). In 2019, Gerry’s dnata became the first ground services provider to be awarded the prestigious ISAGO Registration in Pakistan.

ISAGO is an audit program for ground-handling companies serving airlines at airports covering the areas of organization and management, load control, passenger and baggage handling, aircraft handling and loading and aircraft ground movement. It offers benefits to airlines, ground handlers, regulatory as well as airport authorities. These include safer ground operations, fewer accidents and injuries, elimination of redundant audits, reduced costs, less damage and fewer audits, a uniform audit process and harmonized standards, improved safety oversight, harmonized auditor training and qualifications, improved quality standards, and enhanced understanding of high-risk areas within ground operations.

In recent years, Gerry’s dnata has significantly enhanced its operations and services to deliver the highest level of quality and safety and help airline customers safely transport passengers and precious cargo to and from Pakistan. It made significant investments in infrastructure, technology and equipment, including the opening of a new, state-of-the-art cargo facility in Lahore which doubled the company’s cargo handling capacity at the airport.

In addition, Gerry’s dnata obtained Maintenance Organization Approval from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to provide aircraft line maintenance services to airline customers, and now offers a one-stop-shop of ground handling, cargo and technical services at the airports of Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

Gerry’s dnata serves more than 20 airline customers at seven Pakistani airports. The company’s team consists of over 2,500 dedicated aviation professionals who assist more than seven million passengers and handle 150,000 tons of cargo annually.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) K-Electric requested the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to increase the power tariff by Rs 11.33 per unit on account of fuel charges adjustment (FCA) for the month of May. Per applicable tariff across the country, fuel adjustment is reviewed every month and is applicable on consumer bills for only one particular month.

The major impact on the monthly Fuel cost adjustment of May 2022 is due to an increase in the fuel price increase of Furnace Oil and power purchased from CPPA-G. The price of Furnace Oil in May 2022 has increased by 38% from March 2022 while the price of RLNG between March to May 2022 has increased by 50%.

The price of electricity from CPPA-G in May 2022 has increased by 53%. The price of CPPA-G as of May 2022 is Rs 13.897/KWh as compared to the price of Rs 9.387/ KWh in March 2022.

Fuel Charge Adjustment (FCA) is incurred by utilities due to global variation in fuel prices used to generate electricity and change in the generation mix. These costs are passed through to the consumers following NEPRA’s scrutiny and approval and are one-time charges. Consumers also receive a benefit when the cost of fuel decreases.

As per NEPRA guidelines, the submissions will be discussed in the public hearing on the 4^th July. The regulator will approve the request, after scrutiny, and issue instructions on the period during which these costs can be applied to consumer bills.

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Fly Jinnah – another low-cost carrier joins Pakistan’s aviation industry. The airline is a joint venture between Air Arabia and Lakson Group. Fly Jinnah got the license from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority last year and will now soon start their operations in June 2022. Sastaticket.pk welcomes Fly Jinnah and look forward to great times ahead.

Fly Jinnah is the fourth airline in Pakistan’s aviation sector and will be operating with three leased A320s aircraft. With time, it has plans to expand its wings in the industry and touch new heights in the international market. Currently, AirSial, Airblue, and PIA are successfully operating in the market. With the launch of another domestic carrier, we expect competitive airfares where customers will enjoy low prices and best services.

The airline has worked intensively on its cabin crew training and is focusing on customer service as their prime objective.This is the perfect time to make its mark in the industry as travel restrictions have now been lifted and people have started to travel more.In addition, it will be a sigh of relief for the customers as a new entrant will provide more options and convenience in terms of time and monetary resources when it comes to domestic travel.

Sastaticket.pk  welcomes the arrival of Fly Jinnah and expects that the airline will perform well in the near future and mark its name in the industry.

 

Meezan Bank acquires latest PCI DSS Certification through Risk Associates, meeting stringent security standards

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)  Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s leading Islamic bank, attained Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard certification (PCI DSS v3.2.1) by Payment Card Industry Security Council (PCI SSC) through PCI QSA Firm – Risk Associates, a premier global information technology company.

This certification, which is a leading payment card data security standard, is another milestone in Meezan Bank’s journey towards implementation of data security and control systems that ensure customer security, sensitive card data protection and fraud risk prevention.

The certification was formally presented by Kashif Hassan – Managing Director of Risk Associates to Faiz Ur Rehman – Group Head, Information Technology and Syed Fahd Azam – Head Information Security from Meezan Bank at a ceremony held at Meezan Bank’s head office.

Speaking at the occasion, Kashif Hassan said: “It has been a pleasure working with Meezan Bank throughout the certification process and witnessing Meezan Bank’s commitment to data security and the security infrastructure that Meezan Bank has in place.”

Faiz Ur Rehman thanked all the teams involved in the certification process. He stressed on the importance of controls and adherence to best information security practices in today’s continuously evolving digital landscape. “As a Bank offering one of the largest debit card product suites in the country, Meezan Bank is well aware of the criticality of card data security. The PCI DSS Certification safeguards our data and reputation, consequently strengthening our threat response capability,” he said.

Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) In line with its vision to empower Pakistanis, Telenor Pakistan has partnered with Circle Women to train women in accessing the internet and other essential digital tools. The initiative will equip home-based and young females with disadvantaged backgrounds with digital literacy, entrepreneurship skills, and financial inclusion.

Despite women constituting almost half of the population of the country, their participation in labour force stands relatively low, resting at 25%, according to Asian Development Bank. Under this partnership, Telenor Pakistan will provide connectivity, aiming at reduction in gender digital divide to home-based workers and young women in Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, Multan, Sargodha, Mianwali, Layyah, Narowal, and Pakpattan. Sims with 15 GB data will be provided free of cost to 3,000 micro-entrepreneurs to assist them towards practicing their digital skills.

Present on the occasion, Chief Operating Officer, Telenor Pakistan, Khurrum Ashfaque commented, ““Telenor has always looked at access to internet as an empowering tool. Our participation with the Circle Women initiative will ensure that we bring the full power of 4G connectivity to women in these areas and support their access to transformational digital platforms.”

Chief Executive Officer, Circle Women, Sadaffe Abid added, “Increasing female participation in the formal economy is key for the country’s socio-economic progress. The digital literacy program is designed to train women to leverage digital platforms and mobile wallets for business, and information exchange, to enable their economic empowerment and social wellbeing.”

Telenor Pakistan has a rich history of women’s empowerment initiatives, such as its participation in the World Bank’s Girls Learn, Women Earn initiative that became the means for 1,100 women from around the country to be trained in digital literacy. Telenor Pakistan’s ‘Naya Aghaaz’ initiative is a unique platform designed for women on a break from their careers to get back on the professional track. Telenor Pakistan remains committed to leveraging technology and its digital expertise to promote diversity and inclusion around the country.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Centre of Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration will be hosting a two-day conference on ‘Extreme Reporting: Conflict and Peace in the Digital Age’ on June 25^th and 26^th.  There will be seven panels spread over two days where industry experts will talk about media laws and regulations, reporting from conflict zones and the need for journalism among other topics.

This conference is a part of the Peace Journalism program, held by the CEJ in collaboration with US Consulate Karachi, that began in May 2021 and will conclude this month. The program included online workshops on peace and conflict reporting, mobile journalism, data journalism, social media & photojournalism. The program also offered a mentorship with senior journalists.

Talking about the program, CEJ-IBA Director Amber Rahim Shamsi said: “Conflict has traditionally fueled journalism, but social media has turbo-charged political polarization, and disinformation and misinformation. The CEJ-IBA is honored to host leading journalists, political figures, creators from film and music, budding satirists and commentators on the pressing issues plaguing the media industry in the digital age, and to celebrate the young journalists from across Pakistan who participated in the CEJ-IBA’s peace journalism workshops.”

IBA’s Executive Director, Professor Dr. S. Akbar Zaidi said that he was delighted to be part of this conference which brings together Pakistan’s best and bravest journalists talking peace and about the challenges they face in an age of growing conflict, from those related to control and regulations, to outright intimidation and threats.

For the last eight years CEJ-IBA has been training and facilitating journalists’ networks to improve the quality of conflict and peace reporting. Over 2,000 journalists across Pakistan have published articles and stories with the combination of knowledge and skills imparted through these workshops.

The CEJ-IBA is celebrating the work of the journalists who participated in these trainings through a conference acknowledging the progress these individuals made, as well as collectively as an industry reflecting on the threats to responsible journalism in the digital age.