By Syafiah Sakirin
GOMBAK, 14 August 2022: Health Action International Asia-Pacific (HAIAP), a non-governmental organization, was conferred the Ibn Khaldun Merit Award for Global Social Transformation for its contributions to the community at the global level.
HAIAP is a global network of organizations and individuals all over the world who have over 40 years of fighting for better health services for all humanity by ensuring that medicines are accessible, affordable, safe, necessary, and with justice for all people in every place.
The award was presented yesterday (13 August) by Her Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda The Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah binti Almarhum Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj at 37th International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) convocation ceremony held at IIUM Cultural Centre (ICC).
Receiving the award from Raja Permaisuri Agong on behalf of the organization, the founder of HAIAP, Honourable Dato’ Seri Mohammed Anwar Fazal said, “We fought some largest corporations and corrupted governments whose single interest was money. We succeeded in getting special status for essential drugs that will be available at the lowest cost possible to the whole of humanity,”
“We work with World Health Organization (WHO) to develop further international guidelines in ensuring no double standards involved. We also set up consumer interpol to make sure that criminal products do not move from one country to another, ” he added.
“If you want to grow and learn, make the whole world your garden and university. Never forget that we all breathe from one air, rise from one ocean, live under one sky, and our heart beats the same song.” He concluded his speech by delivering the inspiring message to the graduates.***