Minister of State and BISP Chairperson MNA Marvi Memon has been awarded with the “Grade D’ Officer” in the National Order of Merit by President of France Emmanuel Macron.
The award was presented to Marvi Memon by French Ambassador Martine Dorance in a reception held at French Residence here on Friday, a press release said. This eminent distinction is one of the major honours of French Republic, created by General De Gaulle in 1962 as recognition for exceptional individual merits.
This distinction is granted not only to French personalities but also to foreigners whose talents, actions and generosity deserve a public recognition. The National Order of Merit has 187,000 members of which 50pc are women.
Speaking on the occasion, Memon said it was an honour for her to receive prestigious French National Order of Merit and humbled by the generosity of the French President, Monsieur Emmanuel Macron for recognizing and valuing her work.
Minister Marvi thanked the Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for entrusting her with opportunity to head BISP which has enabled her to contribute to the lives of the most discriminated and therefore to be in a position to receive such a prestigious international award.
She reiterated that prime minister’s confidence and support in the various achievements stands distinct. She said she feels proud to be spearheading Benazir Income Support Program (BISP)- the biggest social safety network of Pakistan and South Asia.
BISP is not just any social safety programme, it is a massive investment in Pakistan’s womenfolk. Since “women are the real architects of society,” investing in women’s economic empowerment through BISP is setting a direct path towards poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth for our country.
She said having spent part of her childhood in France where she received her early education, she found resonance between Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision for a society “Unity, Faith and Discipline” and French national motto “Libert’, ‘Galit’, ‘Fraternite” (liberty, equality, fraternity).
French Ambassador Martine Dorance congratulated Memon and conveyed unwavering support by the President of French Republic to the development of relations between France and Pakistan.
Memon has been awarded this award in recognition of her services for the people of Pakistan and her devotion to promote relations between France and Pakistan. Marvi Memon is the first Pakistani woman to be awarded the National Order of Merit with the rank of officer.
The ceremony was attended by Senator Nisar Memon, ministers Lt-Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch, Sartaj Aziz, Lt-Gen Nasir Janjua, Balighur Rehman, Saira Afzal Tarar, AJK President Masood Khan, Jean Francois Cautain EU Ambassador, Thomas Drew British High Commissioner, parliamentarians and members of diplomatic community.
