Delegation from Coca‑Cola Eurasia and Middle East Visits Pakistan to Strengthen Diplomatic, Government and NGO Sector Ties
[Islamabad, April 11th, 2023]: A senior international delegation of Coca‑Cola visited Islamabad on Monday to strengthen the relationship with its vast network of partners and government.
The Coca‑Cola leadership team met US Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E Donald Blome along with leaders from USAID and the US Trade department, to discuss ways to strengthen the Pakistan economy, especially considering the recent flood rehabilitation needs. This follows a recent MoU signed between Coca‑Cola and USAID to upscale the rehabilitation of flood-impacted provinces.
Sinan Cem Sahin, Vice President of Public Affairs, Communication, and Sustainability at The Coca‑Cola Company Eurasia Middle East, discussed the company's commitment to Pakistan. Sinan said, “We have been part of Pakistan's social fabric, its journey and its success story for several decades now. Our priority now is to collectively recover from the post-flood devastation through strong economic development. In line with our purpose we will continue to support communities through multiple areas.”
He said that Coca‑Cola supports this goal by improving access to clean drinking water, enhancing food programs, and rebuilding communities in a climate resistant way.
Government meetings were also held with Asad Rehman Gillani, Federal Secretary, Board of Investment, and other key decision-makers. They discussed the current macro-economic challenges, investment timelines and policies.
Coca‑Cola Pakistan and anchor bottler, Coca‑Cola İçecek contribute approximately 3 percent to the GDP of the country and employ about a million Pakistanis along the chain.
Servet Yıldırım, Coca‑Cola İçecek, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer also spoke at the event commemorating the giving month of Ramadan. He said, “as a Turkish entity we feel our business goals are built not just on mutual trust but also on deep-rooted cultural ties. As both nations struggle with natural disasters, the private sector has a great role to play in economic stabilization.”
At the event, Coca‑Cola also honored ten sustainability NGO partners for their contributions to women empowerment, flood relief, food security, water replenishment, and World Without Waste initiatives. The partners, including CARE International, Water Aid, Indus Earth Trust, Rizq Foundation, National Incubation Centre, ECO, Karachi Port Trust, Boond-e-Shams and WWF-Pakistan, were awarded certificates of appreciation by Coca‑Cola.
Together with partners, the company’s nation-wide community programs in Pakistan have served over 7 million in the last few years. The company's focus on women empowerment, flood relief, and water replenishment aims to provide sustainable solutions for the country's socio-economic challenges.