SPARC’s Board is legally called its Governing Council.
Its present members have been appointed effective January
2001 for a three-year term, except for two members elected
by the Board in its June 2003 meeting.
Mr. Qazi Azmat Isa is an economist currently working with the World Bank in Islamabad on poverty alleviation programs, and a former chief executive of the Balochistan Rural Support Program.
"Congratulations to SPARC on having completed ten remarkable years of unrelenting commitment in promoting and protecting the rights of children. SPARC has spearheaded changes in legislation and raised awareness to help create a better environment for the children of Pakistan. As SPARC looks to the future it must realize a huge task lies ahead, as gains can easily be eroded by the deepening poverty, growing economic inequalities, conflicts and increasing child abuse. It must also ensure that political commitment to the cause of the child never wavers, for it is our children that carry our hopes for a better world".
Mr. Anees Jillani is a prominent Supreme Court lawyer. He was previously
Executive Director and founder of SPARC. Mr. Jillani has
written several books, and numerous articles on politics
and human rights, published both locally and internationally.
Mr. Javed Jabbar is a prominent politician, former
Federal Minister for Information and the country’s
foremost media expert. He is the founding Chairman of
Baanhn Beli, a well-known NGO working in Sindh. He is
also a member of Strengthening Partnership Organization’s
Board of Directors and has served as its Chairman.
"As one who had
the privilege of being associated with the organization
of the World Summit for Children held in September 1990
at the United Nations, representing the first such gathering
in history that brought together over 70 Heads of State
and Government to focus exclusively on the needs and rights
of children, I record my deep appreciation for the initiative
taken by Anees Jillani in establishing SPARC about three
years after this historic Summit. His sustained contribution
to the work of SPARC is a fine example of how the World
Summit went beyond being a ceremonial meeting to become
a catalyst for practical action by individuals, organizations
and governments across the globe to improve conditions
for all young human beings.
Felicitations to Anees
and to all our colleagues in the SPARC team for their
hard work as we renew our resolve to meet the challenges
over the next ten years."
Dr. Attiya Inayatullah has been on SPARC’s
Board since June 2003. Apart from being a prominent politician,
a civil rights activist, a former Federal Minister, and
a member of UNESCO Board, she is currently a Member of
the National Assembly and an activist with the Family
Planning Association of Pakistan.
"As a first term
member of the Board, I deem it an honor to be part of
an advocacy group which has focused on the unspeakable
violence against segments of Pakistan’s children
and convincingly condemns the vulgar abuse of life of
far too many of our innocents.
SPARC, in the short
span of a decade, has been a breath of joy in the saddest
crevices of anguished souls. They have been able to do
this because they see beauty in every child and never
walk away from the suffering many.
SPARC’s holistic approach to addressing child
issues is well reflected in its report, The State of Pakistan’s
Children. A report which has become essential reading
for those living in comfort and for whom the future no
longer exists as a common reference, because indeed the
future is not ours – it belongs to our children."
Ms. Shaheen Atteequr Rehman is an educationist and the former Punjab Minister for Social Welfare and Women’s Development. She is presently a Senior Member of Bunyad Literacy Community Council, an NGO working actively to promote education in the country, particularly in the Punjab.
"Children are the future of any society. Happy ones are a strong potential force in a country’s development, while the unhappy become future terrorists, dacoits, and kidnappers, all that is evil and yet sad.
SPARC is one beacon of light for millions of our children and youth, who make up around 50% of the population of Pakistan, about 70 million strong. Anees Jillani and his dedicated team has sensitized both the policy makers and the practitioners regarding the need to focus on children, be it in legislation, in prisons, the street children or the illiterate. SPARC deserves our profound thanks for saving our future – the children." |
