Global ‘Ethics in action’ exhibition comes to AKU

KARACHI: A global exhibition that showcases how leading with integrity can build a society based on inclusion and pluralism has been launched at a public event at Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi.

Ethics in Action: The Aga Khan Development Network demonstrates how a steadfast belief in our common humanity coupled with the resolve to serve the less fortunate has inspired AKDN and its agencies, including AKU, to find solutions to a range of development challenges in over 30 countries.

“We foster intellectual development, reasoning skills, respect for many points of view, the search for knowledge and evidence-based inquiry,” said Dr Carl Amrhein, AKU Provost and Vice President Academic, at the inaugural ceremony.

“In essence, this is the embodiment of the ethics presented on the various panels.” The exhibition highlights how AKDN’s ethical grounding in eight inter-related spheres – compassion, inclusiveness, self-reliance, education, governance, life and healthcare, sound mind and environment – are the basis for its efforts to empower communities and improve lives.

From schools, hospitals, newspapers and power plants, to savings groups, water associations and urban parks and gardens, these services have benefited hundreds of millions of people across Asia and Africa.

Sakina Bibi’s success exemplifies the ethic of inclusiveness in action. After her husband’s death, Sakina took up the responsibility of supporting her four children by attending a vocational training institute run by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.

The knowledge and skills she gained through the programme prompted her to seek a loan from AKDN’s First Microfinance Bank, which enabled her to establish a vocational training centre that has trained over 1,500 women.

The ethic of governance – trust, probity, equity and accountability – can be seen in the work of the AKU Examination Board. The first private national examination board in Pakistan, it introduced an innovative and transparent platform of assessment that guarantees student anonymity…