ZAIN 2022 All Rights Reserved
23
Looking Forward
As a digital services provider, Zain understands that its operating environment is undergoing dramatic shifts and transformations. Digitization, innovation, and having in place a sustainability agenda are essential factors for organizations to prepare for the future. Thus, to effectively manage the needs of both the community and the company, Zain continues to work cross-functionally in a collaborative manner to yield impactful results. Zain adheres to the triple bottom line approach in conducting its business activities with the highest standards of ethics and transparency applied in line with international best practices.
Zain is making a concerted effort in addressing the needs of its communities, including marginalized ones, emphasizing the importance of mental health and wellbeing in addition to bridging the gender gap, addressing online safety for children, and working towards narrowing the digital divide.
As climate change poses significant risks to our communities and to the business itself, Zain has taken determined steps to address various risks that might arise from the looming crisis. To address our environmental impact, in 2021 Zain launched the Climate Change Policy Statement and proceeded to integrate climate change considerations across its business practices. As the company operates in a water scarce region, and in order to reduce its environmental footprint, Zain began to measure water consumption and implement water reduction mechanisms across its markets. Tracking mechanisms related to waste management progressed across the Zain footprint.
Of significant importance to Zain is ensuring online safety for children. With one of the world’s largest youth bulges and as more children join the online community, it is important that the proper mechanisms are in place to safeguard them in this domain. Zain continues to focus on the implementation of blocking mechanisms of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across its markets. To adhere to best practices, the company utilized UNICEF’s Mobile Operator Child’s Rights Impact Assessment Tool (MO-CRIA) to assess the challenges, gaps, and opportunities in regards to children’s rights within its operating context.
As part of the WE ABLE strategy, and in order to ensure that Zain is aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where “no one is left behind”, company premises across its markets were evaluated and necessary upgrades were undertaken to ensure inclusion of people with disabilities.
The table below highlights Zain’s targets under its Corporate Sustainability strategy and related progression:
Corporate Sustainability Target
Set strategic targets to address climate change and reduce GHG emissions by addressing the risks, unlocking new market opportunities, and improving resource efficiency
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain continues to improve energy efficiency and operational effectiveness of its infrastructure with the aim to lower costs, reduce emissions, and set mitigation plans across multiple functions within the company. The company’s firm commitment to address climate change is evidenced through its membership of the Carbon Disclosure Project. Zain will revise its CO2 emissions reduction targets during 2022 to mitigate, offset and reduce its CO2 emissions consumption, minimizing its environmental footprint.
To address resource management, the company set risk scenarios and assessments for financial impact to align to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Zain has also recently adopted a water consumption tracking mechanism for its water usage and set targets to eliminate any excessive water consumption. To learn more about how Zain is addressing climate change, visit ‘Our Climate Action’.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Aiming to bridge the divides that exist in our operating markets, focusing on the inclusion of people with disabilities
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
The company has been working with governmental and private institutions to gather data and create a baseline to understand the number of people facing disabilities in Zain’s footprint. The company launched an ‘Assistive Technologies Working Group’ to ensure disability inclusion across touchpoints.
This year, Zain Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia provided sign language trainings for frontline customer service staff to ensure the service is inclusive of members of the deaf and mute communities. As part of Zain Bahrain’s strategy to address the disability gap, the company launched an enablement line for people with disabilities. Zain teams can now understand the needs of people with disabilities and the pain points they face while communicating or using Zain services. The line can also help Zain Bahrain find and explore commercial opportunities from the findings of this hotline.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Advocacy and mentoring of girls and young women in schools and universities to support them in entering STEM-related fields
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain’s ‘Women in Tech’ program aims to bridge the gender divide in STEM fields by mentoring young women studying STEM and pairing them with experienced Zain employees to help them in their future career paths. This year, 32 university students were mentored through the Women in Tech program, and the company aims to continue to expand its reach and increase the number of mentees by 50% next year. Through Women in Tech, Zain intends to establish a hub for women to grow and develop in the field of STEM.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Empower and upskill marginalized and disadvantaged communities
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
With the significant number of marginalized communities, such as internally displaced persons (IDP) and refugees across Zain’s footprint, it is essential that the company take steps to improve their livelihoods and provide access for their most basic needs. The company will continue to establish partnerships and develop products and services that address the challenges IDPs face on a daily basis, including access to connectivity, digital literacy, and financial inclusion.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Ensuring a responsible supply chain across Zain business practices
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain continues to conduct self-assessment processes for its most material suppliers. The company adds additional suppliers for self-assessment and increases the number of onsite physical inspections. The Supplier Code of Conduct and screening is revised on a regular basis. The company started tracking its suppliers’ commitment to the Human Rights Policy to ensure its suppliers adhere to best business practices. This year, 40 of Group suppliers completed the supplier self-assessment questionnaire.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Committing to empower 16 million youth across its footprint, enabling them to reach their full potential
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain continued to work on its three-year partnership with UNICEF to support the rights of children and youth in Zain markets. During 2021, the focus was on setting the foundations for the partnerships at the country level and to begin implementing agreed areas of focus. 2022 will see the implementation of initiatives that ensure the company achieves its targets. In collaboration with Zain Esports and UNICEF, the company launched an Online Safety Book to educate children on the risks they may face online. The booklet reached over 6,000 views on the website in addition to being handed out to all students and teachers at participating schools.
Zain recently undertook MO-CRIA to identify how the company impacts children across its operations (including in the supply chain). While completing the self-assessment, the company started addressing gaps within its business practices and highlighting priority actions that can be taken to improve the company’s impacts on children.
Zain assessed various blocking mechanisms for child sexual abuse content to be implemented Group-wide and is currently working with the Canadian Center for Children Protection to integrate Project Arachnid, software to reduce the availability of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) globally. Project Arachnid discovers CSAM by crawling URLs previously reported to Cybertip.ca, as well as URLs reported directly into the Arachnid API. The company successfully integrated Project Arachnid in Kuwait and is currently working on integrating it across the Group.
Zain launched its Group-wide social media campaign titled ‘Internet Monsters’ to further raise awareness of online safety for children and the risks children might face while browsing.
More about how Zain is empowering children across its footprint may be found by visiting ‘Our Sustainability Agenda’.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Building human capital within the organization
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain employees are our most important asset, and as such, the company continues to develop talent within the organization. This extends to the provision of training and developmental programs across the Group and its operating companies, in topics including leadership, critical writing, publicly speaking, mergers and acquisitions, financial training, and awareness on various mental health subjects such as stress and anxiety.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Expand and improve Zain’s stakeholder engagement strategy across all functions
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain successfully complies with CMA regulations in Kuwait related to transparency and governance and is taking steps to further refine its compliance in alignment with global best practice. Zain will continue to push the envelope in this area as it takes great pride in its leading market position.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Continue to improve governance policies and practices to maintain compliance with Kuwait’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) regulations
Achieved
Yes
Comments
Zain’s Risk Management and Internal Audit functions will continue to be coordinated in union with both the Board Risk, and Audit Committees to improve the organization’s effectiveness in identifying and mitigating organizational risks.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Expand collaborative activities with the GSMA
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
In 2015, Zain successfully collaborated with the GSMA and Child Helpline International to implement a comprehensive campaign to protect the rights of children in our operating markets.
In 2016, Zain signed the GSMA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter to strengthen partnerships between the mobile industry, government, and the humanitarian sector.
In 2017, Zain actively engaged with the GSMA and became a signatory of Mobile for Responsibility and Mobile 4 Social Good. The company continues to explore further areas for mutual collaboration with the aim of positively impacting its various communities.
In 2018, the company continued its engagement with the GSMA on a regulatory front, through the Humanitarian Connectivity Charter, and Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Program (M4H).
In 2019, Zain engaged with the GSMA on the Humanitarian Connectivity Charter. Zain also collaborated with the GSMA and UNICEF on the mPower Youth Initiative, focusing on initiatives that enhance children’s lives and protect their rights. In in 2019, Zain became a member of the GSMA’s Climate Task Force in order to address the industry’s environmental footprint.
In 2020, Zain became a signatory of the GSMA’s “Principles for Driving the Digital Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities” initiative. Zain held a two-day workshop, in collaboration with the GSMA’s Mobile for Development Assistive Technologies team, to better understand how to include products and services for persons with disabilities.
In 2021, Zain continued its engagement with the GSMA by ensuring its alignment to the ‘Principles for Driving the Digital Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities’ with the GSMA’s Assistive Technologies teams. In addition, the company has been working towards implementing disability inclusive technologies by creating a working group to ensure disability inclusion in its point-of-sales.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Continue to optimize the company’s risk management policies and practices
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain’s Risk Management and Internal Audit functions will continue to be coordinated in union with both the Board Risk, and Audit Committees to improve the organization’s effectiveness in identifying and mitigating organizational risks.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Expand and broaden the organization’s Innovation Agenda
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
The company continues to embark on the journey of transforming into a digital lifestyle service provider. In line with this goal, Zain will continue to develop its innovation agenda through strategic activities, developing its Artificial Programming Interface (API), and partnerships on multiple digital vertical streams.
Further, the company continues to contribute to the innovation space by establishing innovation centers in Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan.
Zain aims to further enhance the intrapreneurship ecosystem within the company through its Zainiac program.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Continue to take steps to address and improve gender and disability disparity and encourage greater inclusivity within the organization
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain maintains its policy of non-discrimination based on gender and continues to track progress in achieving parity in areas such as access to growth opportunities within the company. Zain will also place greater emphasis on matters related to bridging the gender gap across its footprint and achieve the specified targets.
In 2020, Zain announced its inclusion in The Valuable 500, an international initiative striving to put disability on the leadership agenda within corporates. By joining the Valuable 500, Zain launched ‘GROW’, a two-month development program facilitated by Zain employees, aimed to empower, train, and integrate freshly graduates with disabilities into Zain’s workforce.
To learn more about how the company continues to empower its employees, visit ‘Our People’.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Steadily improve customer experience across the organization
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain continues to place its customers at the heart of its strategy by providing them meaningful connectivity to help them lead better lives.
Corporate Sustainability Target
Supporting employees’ mental health and wellbeing at a time when COVID-19 has wrought havoc on working norms.
Achieved
Ongoing
Comments
Zain’s newly launched initiative titled, ‘BE WELL’, harbors on the importance of mental health and wellbeing. The groupwide collaboration with Headspace, a meditation and mindfulness application, ensures that employees will have the necessary tools and resources for mindfulness and mental wellbeing. In addition, Zain is providing all employees across its footprint confidential therapy sessions in collaboration with the Kuwait Counseling Center, one of the region’s leading psychological centers providing psycho-educational, comprehensive assessments, therapy, training services.
We look forward to receiving your thoughts and feedback on this report. Kindly send comments and/or questions to cs@zain.com.
