On behalf of ACCA, I am delighted to welcome you to this vitally important, high-profile event: ACCA-WWF Business Earth Talk 2011. This unique and exciting event is designed to facilitate discussion of the challenges being faced by business leaders in their pursuit of transparency in their business operations and to reward their efforts for transparency in reporting.
Bringing together stakeholders from different walks of life, this event on Earth Day provides an excellent opportunity to discuss current trends in sustainability best practices and the evolving nature of business reporting. The ACCA-WWF Pakistan Environmental Reporting Awards Ceremony is also a part of this year's ACCA-WWF Business Earth Talk.
The Awards, now in their ninty year, have received a record number of entries, 63 against 58 in 2009; the upward trend is a manifestation of the fact that organisation, large and small, recognise just how crucial is the issue of sustainable development - and with it, sustainability and environmental reporting - in business and society today. The discussion forums on 'Climate Change: A Business Challenge or Opportunity' and 'Predicting the Future: Annual Report 2030' seek to address the key issues faced by stakeholders and to find ways in which transparency and responsibility could lead to the sustainable development of Pakistan.
I would like to thank and acknowledge the contribution and support of the distinguished panel of judges, WWF Pakistan, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Ministry of Environment and participating companies in the Awards. I hope you have a good time at this thought-provoking event!