Journeys to democracy

Global recognition for Aman ki Asha: Times of India CEO Ravi Dhariwal (right) and Shahrukh Hasan, Group Managing Director Jang Group, with outgoing INMA President Michael Phelps, CEO of the Washington Examiner

Posted to my yahoogroup earlier today:

My NY trip was very brief and hectic, but rewarding. Great to catch up with some friends and apologies to those I couldn’t contact or meet. I attended two very interesting events: the launch of Hassan Abbas‘ report ‘A Vision for Building a Better Future‘, and the INMA awards ceremony where Aman ki Asha won two awards, including the top award of the evening. My report in The News.

DOROTHY PARVAZ: It was great to hear that Iran has released Dorothy Parvaz and she is safe, and free – but rightly concerned about the people she was held in detention with, many of whom were badly beaten, as she told Al Jazeera in Doha.

PAKISTAN 2020 report – a much needed ‘broader’ look at Pakistan beyond the security prism,

Asia Society panel with (from right) Hassan Abbas, Frank Wisner, Shirin Tahir-Kheli andNajam Sethi: "For the first time Pakistanis are demanding accountability from the army"

and from a long term rather than a reactive perspective.  Speakers at the Asia Society launch on Wednesday morning included Najam Sethi, Hassan Abbas, Shireen Tahir-Kheli and Frank Wisner. A video of the entire seminar is online at the Asia Society website. I really appreciated Hassan dedicating the event to the late Shahbaz Bhatti, Salmaan Taseer  and Benazir Bhutto ‘who knew she was going into a situation where militants might kill her’.

Here’s the link to his’ op-ed ‘Don’t Give up on Pakistan‘ at cnn.org outlining the salient points of the report. A downloadable PDF of the report is also available online at the Asia Society website. It draws on insights from top US and Pakistani thinkers and experts – the first time such an exercise has been done, commented Wahid Hamid, who introduced the event. It will be launched at the United States Institute of Peace on Friday.

AMAN KI ASHA BAGS TWO TOP GLOBAL AWARDS: My report – written hurriedly on the train, doesn’t convey the excitement and the prolonged standing ovation, and all the congratulations and expressions of support from the people there.

New York: Aman ki Asha, the joint peace initiative of the Jang Group and The Times of India received two top awards at the prestigious annual awards ceremony of the International Newsmedia Marketing Association, the world’s largest newsmedia organisation recognising global best practices, ideas and campaigns.

Aman ki Asha received the Best in `Brand Awareness Across Platforms’ award in the over 300,000 circulation category, and the coveted `Best of Show’ award for being the best campaign in all categories.

Judges hailed Aman ki Asha as a “game-changer” in India-Pakistan relations, as a corporate social responsibility campaign looking beyond the contentious 60-year-old political border between the two countries to find common ground via a cultural exchange, conflict resolution, and commerce opportunities.

Group Managing Director Jang Group Shahrukh Hasan and CEO Times of India Group Ravi Dhariwal accepted the awards on behalf of their companies.

The 76-year-old INMA Awards competition generated 550 entries from 143 market-leading newspapers in 30 countries, judged by an international panel of industry experts involved with media companies, advertising agencies, trade magazines, and more. Judges came from Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada, India, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Judging was based on concept, creativity, copy/graphic design, production, effectiveness, and results. Entries were judged in comparison to other entries.

“This is the greatest initiative and most powerful campaign I have ever seen in my years of being with INMA,” said former INMA president Eivind Thomsen, a Senior Vice President of Schibsted, Norway, which received the third place in `Best of Show’ awards. “I found it very moving, beyond politics,” he added.

Second place in `Best of Show’ went to The Gazette, Montreal for its “The” campaign — part of its long-term “Words Matter” campaign that shows its reverence for words.

The awards were presented at the conclusion of the 81st Annual INMA World Congress at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in New York at a dinner attended by more than 200 top media executives from around the world.

In total, INMA unveiled 91 first place, second place, and third place recipients of the prestigious INMA Awards across 10 categories and three circulation groups. Award recipients came from 72 newspapers in 21 countries. INMA President Michael Phelps, CEO of the Washington Examiner, presented the awards.

“Competition was particularly fierce for the Best of Show awards this year,” said Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “Yet these three top campaigns were really breakthrough in impact and creativity. What they all have in common is a determined focus on brand, often a key differentiator in today’s crowded marketplace.”

— beena sarwar

Filed under: Peace | Tagged: aman ki asha, awards, democracy, dorothy parvaz freed, Hassan Abbas, inma, najam sethi, Pakistan, pakistan 2020, us pakistan relations |