Speaker's Democracy Award - inaugural winner announced
30 March 2017 (updated on 30 March 2017)
The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, has made a statement on the inaugural winner of The Speaker's Democracy Award.
Mr Speaker said:
On 8th September 2016, I announced to the House the launch of a new initiative, the Speaker’s Democracy Award. The intention of this award is to allow this House to recognise and celebrate individuals who have championed democracy, or brought about social change in an emerging democracy.
A number of excellent nominations were received from Honourable and Right Honourable Members and, following a meeting of the judging Committee, I am pleased to be able to tell the House that Marvi Memon MP is the winner in this, the inaugural year of the Award.
Ms Memon is a Pakistani politician who is the current chairperson of the Government of Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme - the BISP - and an elected member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. Ms Memon has fronted a substantial and impressive programme of empowerment through her BISP work, by giving over 5.3 million of the poorest women a modest stipend for essentials such as food, clothing, healthcare and education. This has this done a great deal in terms of combatting poverty and child malnutrition in rural areas. Not only this, the Programme also facilitates the participation of women in Pakistani electoral politics by encouraging them to obtain ID cards which allow them to vote.
I am sure the whole House will want to join with me in warmly congratulating Ms Memon, and I am hoping to be able to welcome her to this House to collect the award at a future date.
I am grateful to the Honourable Members for Congleton, and Ochil and South Perthshire and the Right Honourable Member for Camberwell and Peckham, for agreeing to serve on the judging panel. I am similarly grateful to the Right Honourable gentleman, the Member for Gordon, who nominated Ms Memon, as well as the Honourable Member for the Rhondda who initially suggested to me the idea for this Award.
Watch the full statement online:
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