Procter & Gamble (P&G) recently won the best Corporate-NGO Collaboration award at the Arabia CSR Awards in Dubai.

P&G was recognised for its 1 Pampers Pack = 1 Life Saving Vaccine partnership with Unicef which aimed at eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) in developing countries. P&G worked with Unicef to both raise funds and awareness for a vaccination campaign in Yemen, where MNT is still prevalent.

In total over five million vaccines were donated by P&G to Unicef campaign for use in Yemen. These vaccines were distributed and used by Unicef and the Yemeni Government to vaccinate up to two million mothers of child-bearing age over a period of several weeks in 2011.

The fundraising and awareness campaign ran in stores, malls and other public locations across Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula under the slogan 1 Pampers Pack = 1 Life Saving Vaccine.

The ceremony was held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; chairman and CEO of Emirates Group; & chairman, Dubai Airports, and supported by the United National Global Compact.

“P&G’s commitment to social responsibility goes back to the founding of the company itself and over the past five years our brands and people have helped improve the lives of over 400 million children,” said Al Rajwani, VP and general manager for Procter & Gamble in the Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan.

“Yemen has one of the highest rates of under-five mortality in the world. We have a responsibility to invest in the region’s communities and we’re humbled by the dedication of all those involved in this remarkable initiative.

“We were able to reach up to two million mothers and their children in Yemen and help ensure that the country’s immunization coverage rate for tetanus reached 81 per cent. We’re delighted to receive this award and we’ll continue to supporting local communities in the Arabian Peninsula as part of our commitment to making every day better for millions of people in the region.”

The partnership between P&G/Pampers and Unicef is a global campaign which was initiated in 2007 and was based on the goal of eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) deaths to less than one in a thousand. The choice of MNT is due to the severity of the issue globally and also the lack of importance attached to the issue when compared to better known causes.

"We wish to congratulate P&G for this important achievement and for its leading role in the fight against this devastating disease," said Dr Ibrahim El-Ziq, Unicef Gulf area representative. "MNT has so far been eliminated from 31 countries in the developing world, but it continues to kill thousands of women and newborns every year. With your support, we can help protect them."

The Arabia CSR Awards aim to highlight CSR best practices and showcase the achievements of public and private companies in enhancing their sustainability performance to have a larger and more positive impact on society. – TradeArabia News Service