L O C A L

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27 2014
LOCAL
Zain Group releases 3rd sustainability report
Transparency: The Key to a Wonderful World
KUWAIT: Zain Group, a leading
mobile telecoms innovator across
eight markets in the Middle East
and Africa, announces the publication of its third annual sustainability report entitled ‘Transparency: The key to a Wonderful
World’. The 2013 sustainability
report, published in both Arabic
and English, continues to differentiate the company as being
one of the most transparent in
the world in its approach to
releasing information about its
activities and developments.
In keeping with the theme of
considering the impact of business operations on the environment, Zain Group made a conscious decision not to print hard
copies of the report, instead producing an interactive, user-friendly online variant that allows readers to access specific portions of
the report, or download it in its
entirety.
New in the latest report is the
use of the G4 Sustainability
Reporting Guidelines framework
that provides greater flexibility to
allow for the inclusion of content
in the report that is more relevant
to Zain and its core business of
telecommunications as well as
those of its stakeholders. Zain is
one of the first mobile operators
in the region to adopt the new
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
G4 Comprehensive guidelines,
which were launched in May
2013 in The Netherlands.
Also new in the Report is the
inclusion of a Materiality Assessment section for the first time,
which illustrates the process by
which Zain’s management prioritizes sustainability-related issues
and subsequently derives content based on such assessment.
The 2013 report which
received ‘limited assurance’ by
Deloitte’s Enterprises Risk Services arm confirming the accuracy
of the content provided, also
places special attention on the
following issues:
a) Stakeholder Engagement:
how the organization deals with
different stakeholders and how
this engagement impacts the
business. This was highlighted
through four unique case studies,
namely one on Zain’s Investor
Relations team’s strategy of
engaging with and having transparent interaction with investors
and the wider financial community; Another on highlighting the
benefits of Zain engaging with its
main technology industry partners and peers at the annual Zain
Technology Conference; The third
on Zain’s Employee Engagement
details the ways Zain is providing
financial inclusivity through its
development of Direct Operating
Billing service and for the company’s provision of an end-to-end
mobile money solution that will
be deployed across group operations.
Commenting on the sustainability report, Zain Group
Chairman, Asaad Al-Banwan said,
“Zain Group is a pioneering
organization at its core, and we
Zain Group Chairman
Asaad Al-Banwan
Zain Group CEO
Scott Gegenheimer
Survey conducted by the company across all operations to determine employee’s issues and priorities; and finally on how Zain’s
activities in South Sudan are stimulating economic growth and
prosperity.
b) Economic Impacts: The
report detailed amounts that
have been invested by several
Zain operations to develop the
socio-economic development of
each country. Also mentioned
were indirect impacts through
distribution outlets and franchise
stores.
c) Inclusivity and Connectivity:
The report highlights different
services offered and programs
undertaken to provide connectivity to marginalized and disenfranchised groups such as Syrian
refugees in Jordan through the
Syria-Sim service. The report also
hope that the transparent documenting and more importantly
our undertaking of sustainability
developments is something that
will be considered by other players in the region. There has been
tremendous progress achieved
by the organization with respect
to sustainability activities since
the publication of the inaugural
report in 2011, and this publication with its additional areas of
focus and comparison, underlines
our dedication to being transparent with respect to these issues,
and to holding ourselves
accountable for the manner in
which we conduct our business.”
On his part, Zain Group CEO,
Scott Gegenheimer said, “Sustainability is at the very core of our
business and is reflected in every
aspect of our day to day operational activities. We continue to
take our role in society very seriously and are willing to live up to
our responsibilities in the places
we do business.
This is what the annual publication of our Sustainability
Report represents to us.” He continued, “Our commitment to sustainability best practice and consciousness of the environment is
the reason the report was produced in line with the G4
Sustainability Reporting Guidelines framework and why we are
offering only an interactive online
report.”
Other highlights within the
report include:
• The expansion of battery and
hybrid solutions deployed by
Zain from 141 in 2012, to 212 in
2013, reducing the organization’s
environmental footprint
• The deployment of 795 rightsized generators and 457 outdoor
cabinets to improve Zain’s energy
efficiency
• The establishment of the Zain
Al Shabab program in Jordan, a
community empowerment initiative promoting innovation and
supporting youth that has
impacted 753 people in the country to date
• The continuation of the
Future University Network (FUN)
Program in Kuwait, through
which a total of 78 exceptional
young nationals improved their
job-readiness through direct
work experience and training in
Zain’s offices
• The construction of six
schools and partial renovation of
three in Sudan, through which an
estimated 14,000 students will
have improved access to education in order to empower their
future success
• The economic empowerment
of around 150 women in Saudi
Arabia through the Hadafi
Program, which provides a forum
for aspiring female Saudi entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to an expert panel of
judges, with the winner receiving
seed money to implement their
project.
Motorcyclists cross country
for traffic safety campaign
DOHA: Motorcyclists of Kuwait Scooter
Club crossed more than a 850-km route
from Kuwait to Qatar to participate in
an awareness and traffic safety campaign held at Qatar University in Doha.
Kuwait Scooter Club Captain Salman AlTimimi said yesterday that they were
welcomed at the borders by their fel-
low Qatari motorcyclists from the QU
Bikers Club. The event holds major significance in raising public awareness of
precautions and safety measures needed when riding motorcycles, Tamimi
pointed out. Motorcyclists from nearby
countries are also taking part in this
event. —KUNA