The Fakir Governance Model draws wide appreciation at the UN Global Compact’s Asia-Pacific regional flagship event
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — 11 August 2026: Fakir Fashion Ltd. (FFL), one of Bangladesh’s leading export-oriented knit garment manufacturers, represented the country’s apparel sector at Forward Faster Now | APAC 2026 on 11 August 2026. Md. Atiqul Islam Apu, Head of Compliance and Sustainability of Fakir Fashion Ltd., joined the high-level panel discussion titled “Governance, Integrity & Accountability in a Changing World” as the voice of manufacturing and global supply chains.
Forward Faster Now | APAC 2026 — the UN Global Compact’s regional flagship event — brought the Asia-Pacific sustainability agenda to Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Colombo, convened by the United Nations Global Compact with its Country Networks across the region and hosted locally by the Global Compact Network Sri Lanka. The event convenes senior executives and decision-makers from the private sector and Government, together with corporate sustainability practitioners, experts, and Global Compact Country Networks from across the APAC region, to drive action in key sustainability areas. Blending high-level leadership dialogue with action-oriented sessions, practical learning, workshops, and networking, the event challenges businesses to move Forward Faster Now and set ambitious targets in key sustainability areas.
The programme was graced by Ms. Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, as the chief of the event. The session featured a keynote by Dr. Shinya Fujino, Associate Professor at Vietnam Japan University, and was moderated by Ms. Janani Wijetunge, Head of Programmes & Governance, Global Compact Network Sri Lanka, with Ms. Nicole Elias of Dialog Axiata PLC joining as co-panellist.
Addressing senior executives, policymakers, and sustainability leaders from across the region, Mr. Apu presented the Fakir Governance Model — an approach that treats governance as living infrastructure rather than policy on paper. He described how the company operates its entire manufacturing scale under one umbrella, aligning the full workforce to shared goals from boardroom to sewing line — a discipline proven by its ability to deliver short lead-time orders to global brands year after year. Every member of the 21,000-strong workforce owns a clear, measurable target on their line and can trace it directly to the customer’s delivery date — and it is through this alignment that accountability plays its living role at Fakir Fashion. He further highlighted how integrity is embedded through a 360-degree grievance ecosystem and a digitized Provident Fund covering every employee, while accountability is further anchored in Balanced Scorecard practice, live data dashboards, public sustainability reporting, and a 2030 decarbonization and water-stewardship roadmap. His remarks drew warm applause and appreciation from the audience.
“Governance is the architecture. Integrity is the discipline. Accountability is the proof. In this changing world, trust will belong to those who can prove it. Bangladesh’s apparel industry is ready to earn that trust through transparency, accountability, and action,” Mr. Apu told the forum.
