22

Looking Forward

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The 2022 Sustainability Report: An Inclusive Transition for Future Generations provides a comprehensive overview of Zain’s actions, challenges, and opportunities towards achieving sustainable development. In the past two years, the company has concentrated its efforts on safeguarding the business from the negative impacts of the pandemic. The need to pivot led to the acceleration of digital transformation ecosystems, where the company was able to achieve stability and steady growth.

Throughout the year, Zain took significant strides in achieving its strategic objectives, pushing the envelope on creating shared value in an inclusive, just, and equitable manner.

From a climate change perspective, the company officially submitted its commitment to SBTi and set mitigation and adaptation plans to become Net-Zero by 2050. Through this commitment, Zain set newly revised emission reduction targets starting from 2023 as its baseline year.

  • Zain’s pillar to operate responsibly continues to focus on embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) components throughout its value chain, including supply chain management. Zain continued to evolve and better engage with its suppliers as it better identifies risks and manages actual or potential disruptions.
  • Inclusion continues to be a crucial competent area for Zain, where bridging the digital divide facilitates the achievement of its strategic objectives. Addressing the needs of people with disabilities, conducting a Group-wide assessment on the elderly, and mentoring women in STEM fields provides Zain the opportunity to tap into new market opportunities.
  • Across the region, youth are the largest segment and experience challenges such as skills mismatch and unemployment. Zain continues to take concerted action to keep young people safe online while developing their digital literacy skills to increase opportunities for meaningful employment.

The table below highlights Zain’s plans for 2023, addressing the company’s Corporate Sustainability targets 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

  • Communicate and coordinate with across Group business units, operations, and subsidiaries to ensure full adoption of the newly revised CO2 emission targets based on the SBTi Framework
  • Implementation of the climate change compliance framework across the entire value chain
  • Further lobbying efforts with regulatory entities through the GCC Sustainability MoU towards Net-Zero transition

Corporate Sustainability Target

Aiming to bridge the divides that exist in our operating markets, focusing on marginalized segments

Achieved

Ongoing

Comments

  • Set quantitative accessibility targets for disadvantaged/rural communities
  • Continue to roll out data bundles and packages targeting people with disabilities
  • Extensive stakeholder engagement with the elderly community to explore their challenges and address them through core services and digital inclusion

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

  • Continue to scale Women in Tech program to reach targets set in the strategy
  • Reach targets set for the Girls for Tech program in Bahrain, addressing 750 students

Corporate Sustainability Target

Ensuring a responsible supply chain across Zain business practices

Achieved

Ongoing

Comments

  • Develop programs for suppliers to verify compliance on ESG-related indicators
  • Automate supplier self-assessment questionnaire and supplier training on ESG
  • Expand the number of suppliers for physical audits

Corporate Sustainability Target

Committing to empower 16 million youth across its footprint, enabling them to reach their full potential

Achieved

Ongoing

Comments

  • Continue to assess challenges, gaps and opportunities related to children’s rights across all business activities
  • Develop the implementation of the Child Helpline International MoU across all operating companies
  • Evolve the child online safety campaign to expand its reach
  • Further embed the online safety booklet with Zain Esports’ activities

Corporate Sustainability Target

Building human capital within the organization

Achieved

Ongoing

Comments

  • Continue to develop and progress the Workforce of the Future plan to address the skills mismatch risk
  • Develop employee training programs on ethical standards that cover all employees including part-timers and contractors
  • Implement the action plan derived from the Group-wide employee engagement survey ‘I am Zain’

Corporate Sustainability Target

Expand and improve Zain’s stakeholder engagement strategy across all functions

Achieved

Ongoing

Comments

  • The company continues to uphold its commitment to improving its stakeholder engagement processes by having open, effective and frequent communications with major stakeholders. For more details about Zain’s stakeholder engagement, visit ‘Stakeholder Engagement’.

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 successfully complies with CMA regulations in Kuwait, as related to transparency and governance, and is taking steps to further refine its compliance in alignment with global best practice

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 coordinate 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

  • Zain will continue to develop its innovation agenda through its strategic activities by further developing its Dizlee (API platform), ZainTech, Zain Esports, and Zain Fintech amongst others
  • The company continues to contribute to the innovation space by establishing innovation centers, ZINC 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

  • Development of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) competencies across the board to further the targets set in each of the D&I focus areas:
    • WE – tackling gender gaps within the company
    • WEABLE – addressing people with disabilities in the workplace
    • ZAINIAC – internal innovation
    • BEWELL – promoting mental health and well-being
    • ZY – empowering young Zain employees through skills development
      Reach – embed a mentoring culture within the organization