The Pakistan Accord team recently organised a series of capacity building workshops for government officials in the Sindh and Punjab provinces.

The first workshop took place in Karachi from 3 to 7 February, 2025, and was attended by over 70 participants representing eight government departments. These included the Sindh Building Control Authority, Department of Labour and Human Resources, Sindh Emergency Service Department, Civil Defense, K Electric, Fire Brigade Department, and NED University of Engineering and Technology.

The second workshop, held in Lahore from 10 to 14 February, 2025, was also attended by an equal number of participants representing seven departments, including Lahore Development Authority, Faisalabad Development Authority, Department of Labour and Human Resources, Rescue 1122, Civil Defense, UET, NESPAK, and LESCO.

The workshop modules delivered by expert engineers from Arup, included technical and non-technical aspects of building safety, fire safety, and electrical safety, along with an overview of the approval process and regulatory mechanisms in existence in Pakistan. Participants were also exposed to international standards and requirements in the field.

The five-day workshops also provided an opportunity for participants from these departments to engage in mutual learning and sharing, in addition to networking and socialising. The factory visits arranged for a limited number of participants also generated great interest among attendees, along with on-site explanations of various aspects of building safety.

The workshop in Karachi was jointly inaugurated by Dr. Abid Shaikh, Director General of Sindh Emergency Services, and Mr. Athar Ali Shah, Joint Director of the Department of Labour and Human Resources.

In Lahore, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, DG of Rescue 1122, was the Chief Guest at the inaugural session, while Syeda Kulsoom Hayee, DG of Labour Welfare, was the Chief uest at the closing ceremony and distributed certificates among the participants.

In addition to key trainers Ms. Vita Sanderson, Kenneth Wynne, and Mr. Will from Arup, Mr. Joris Oldenziel, Executive Director of International Accord, Mr. Colm Quinn, Interim Chief Safety Officer, and Mr. Zulfiqar Shah, Country Director of Pakistan Accord, specially participated in the training program.

The Pakistan Accord hopes to contribute to enhancing the capacity of relevant government departments, fostering a stronger safety culture across all workplaces in Pakistan.

On 26 and 27 November 2024 the Pakistan Accord conducted its inaugural safety training meeting in Pakistan at Union Fabrics (Pvt.) Limited, a home textile manufacturing facility located in Karachi. The meeting was attended by all employees of the factory.

During the opening remarks of the kick-off training session, Kirstine Drew, Chief Complaints Officer at Accord Pakistan, first provided an overview of the Pakistan Accord program in Pakistan.

Zulfiqar Shah, Country Manager of Pakistan Accord, later addressed the attendees, underlining the importance of the Safety Training Program.

The topic of the training was ‘Rights and Responsibilities under the Pakistan Accord and Introduction to the Safety Committee’. During the training, Safety Committee members were introduced to the participants and given the opportunity to explain their roles and responsibilities for safety and health within the factory.

Six sessions were held over two days, with active participation from the workers. The sessions were led by three members of the Pakistan Accord Training team: Mr. Numair Aman, Mr. Abdul Qadir and Mr. Murtuza Ahmed.

All participants were provided with a booklet on the rights and responsibilities of workers under the Pakistan Accord. Posters and large Panaflex banners describing the role of the Safety Committee and providing contact information for the Pakistan Accord were posted in strategic locations throughout the facility, including the worker canteen, main gate, and assembly points.

The sessions were conducted in Urdu and all accompanying materials printed in Urdu.

The Pakistan Accord extends its gratitude to the management of Union Fabrics for its support in facilitating the first Pakistan Accord All Employee Meeting in Pakistan.

The Pakistan Accord Secretariat hosted a briefing on the rollout of Workplace Programs on August 19, 2024, in Karachi. Over 70 participants representing 30 covered factories attended the orientation session. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) also attended the session as special invitees.

The event featured a panel discussion and a detailed briefing, providing participants with an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

The Workplace Program, which includes Safety Training and a Complaints Mechanism at covered factories, is a key component of the Pakistan Accord. It aims to help build the capacity of joint labour management Safety Committees to maintain safe workplaces, raise workers’ awareness of safety and health, ensure compliance with OSH-related requirements, and provide workers with access to remedies.

Zulfiqar Shah, Country Manager of the Pakistan Accord, highlighted the importance of workplace safety in his opening remarks. He also expressed appreciation for the cooperation extended by key stakeholders, particularly the factories.

He provided an update to the participants, stating that the Pakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, a legally binding agreement between global brands and unions, took effect in January 2023. To date,128 brands that collectively source over $3 billion worth of goods from 500 factories in Pakistan’s Sindh and Punjab provinces have signed the agreement. The program aims to reach over 500,000 workers through its safety training program and has conducted safety inspections in over 80 factories.

Kirstine Drew, Chief Complaints Officer, Pakistan Accord explained in her presentation that the right to refuse unsafe work, provision of safety training programs, joint labour management Safety Committees, and the Complaints Mechanism are the cornerstones of worker participation in the Accord program.

The Pakistan Accord Safety Training program is made up of two parts: All Employee Meetings (AEMs), which are informational sessions attended by all workers of the factory, covering topics such as evacuation, health and safety risks, and workers’ rights and responsibilities regarding workplace safety. The second component is the Safety Committee Training Program, which includes both mandatory and optional modules. These modules cover various issues, including the role of Safety Committees in handling workers’ complaints and the organisation of factory walkthroughs.

The complaints mechanism is implemented on behalf of signatory brands and in accordance with UN effectiveness criteria – legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent, rights-compatible – as well as the requirements of due diligence legislation. The Accord team works with factory management and brands to address complaints and ensure the delivery of remedies.

In the panel discussion, Rehan Ahmedani, representing Synergies Sourcing, and Neelofar Saleem, representing Bestseller, emphasised that having an independent complaints mechanism in place is now a legal requirement for brands under various legislations in Europe, such as the German Supply Chain Act and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

Both speakers noted that receiving complaints is not necessarily ‘bad’, and they prefer to work with suppliers who have efficient and effective systems to address them.

They also encouraged supplier factories to embrace the Safety Training Program as an opportunity to strengthen workplace safety and health and contribute to learning.

During the Q&A session, participating factories highlighted the challenges they face due to the presence of multiple complaints mechanisms within their facilities, expressing concern that having various grievance mechanisms in the same location confuses workers.

The event concluded with a collective commitment to work together to make workplaces safer for factory workers. The Pakistan Accord Secretariat is planning to organise similar informational sessions with additional covered factories in Lahore and Karachi.

Marking a milestone in the rollout of the International Accord’s country program in Pakistan, newly hired engineers are undergoing training. The capacity-building program aims to equip engineers with the technical knowledge and practical skills necessary to effectively conduct factory inspections and produce reports that identify remediation required under the Pakistan Accord.

The program is currently underway in Karachi, Faisalabad and Lahore, Pakistan, and spans 9 weeks (with a two week break over Eid). In this inaugural batch, 14 engineers (including 5 fire engineers, 5 electrical engineers, 4 structural engineers) are undergoing training facilitated by engineering consultants, alongside George Faller (Chief Safety Officer, Pakistan Accord) and Colm Quinn (Head of Operations, International Accord).

The capacity building program comprises two phases focusing on classroom and on-the-job training. The initial three days emphasise introducing engineers to key Accord principles, the Pakistan Accord Building Standard, and essential key safety inspections features. Additionally, classroom sessions familiarise engineers with key safety hazards to look out for during factory assessments, and capturing this key information in reports used to develop factory Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).

Following classroom sessions, engineers are currently undergoing a nine-week on-site building inspection and reporting training.

As part of the on-site training, trainee engineers joined the fire, electrical, and structural safety inspections at least 10 factories covered under the Pakistan Accord. Based on the complexity of the factories, these visits typically lasted one day.

The inspection day started with an opening meeting with factory management, followed by a walk around the building exterior and through all interior rooms and spaces. The team also conducted non-destructive testing as required, for example, measuring concrete hardness and thermographic scanning to identify electrical hotspots.

These initial inspections are part of the Pakistan Accord’s inspections and remediation program that began in November 2023. This recent round of inspections brings the number of factories covered under the Pakistan Accord to receive initial inspections to over 25 factories.

The International Accord Secretariat alongside the Pakistan Accord team organised a series of five brand-supplier meetings in Lahore and Karachi between 5 – 7 March 2024.

The purpose of these meetings was to to provide information about the Accord and its key programs for suppliers, and enhance engagement between brands that have signed the Pakistan Accord and their Pakistani suppliers. A supplier/factory becomes part of the Accord program in Pakistan once a brand sourcing from them signs the Pakistan Accord and lists it as a supplier.

The Accord team comprising presentations by Clara Kamphorst (Stakeholder Engagement Manager), Koen Oosterom (Head of Signatory Engagement), Veronique Camerer (Deputy Director, International Accord), Kirstine Drew (Chief Complaints Officer, Pakistan Accord), and Zulfiqar Shah (Country Manager, Pakistan Accord) shared insights on:

• The health and safety topics covered under the Pakistan Accord.
• The impact of the program for suppliers and the support available for them.
• The features, programs, and reasons to participate in the Pakistan Accord.

The sessions were attended by over 100 Pakistani suppliers and Pakistan Accord signatory brands including Adidas, Primark, GAP Inc. and the Boohoo Group.

Speaking about their participation at the event, Sam Leach from the Boohoo Group said:

The Boohoo Group sees the Accord framework as a great opportunity for our factories, not only to improve their building, electrical, fire, and boiler safety standards but also to enhance worker safety standards as a whole. We have seen the great work done in Bangladesh over the last 10+ years and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with The Accord and other international retailers to improve factory standards. As a part of these collaborative efforts, the Boohoo Group and The International Accord organised two brand-supplier meetings in Pakistan for Boohoo Group suppliers and factories in Karachi and Lahore. These meetings were well received by the suppliers with follow-up expressions of gratitude. We are encouraged to see that all our suppliers recognise the importance of the Pakistan Accord and are fully on board with the program.

We thank all attendees for their participation in these meetings and look forward to our continued engagement.