WE ABLE
WE ABLE to look forward - Disability Inclusive by 2022
At Zain, diversity and inclusion are a priority as we believe
that together we are stronger. WE ABLE, a disability
inclusion initiative, was launched in July 2019, with the aim
of making Zain disability inclusive by 2022 across all its
operations. The initiative has four main targets:
1. Increase employment of people with disabilities
2. Ensure all training programs are disability inclusive
3. Ensure all operating locations are accessible
4. Identify and implement assistive technologies that
will enable employees with disabilities to independently
complete their work
According to the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), the unemployment
rate in the MENA region for people with disabilities is
as high as 86% for females and 66% for males. This high
unemployment rate indicated to Zain’s management the
requirement to establish a clear framework to address the
situation, while also highlighting the massive opportunity
for the company to recruit people with disabilities to
become part of Zain’s 7,000 plus talented workforce.
Due to advancements in technology, the inclusion of
people with disabilities without reducing operational
performance has become achievable. The Global
Disability Summit held in London in 2018, for example,
formulated a charter for change for people with
disabilities. Zain immediately committed to four of
the ten principles in the charter, partnering with the
International Labor Organization Global Business and
Disability Network to guide the company’s strategy in
this regard.
Zain Group’s advances in the area of diversity and inclusion
echo the view of the Vice-Chairman and Group CEO,
Bader Al-Kharafi who said, “It is our duty to ensure we are
a diverse and inclusive workplace. Now is the time.”
Partnership with the International Labor Organization
Zain Group’s WE ABLE partnered with the International
Labor Organization (ILO) Global Business and Disability
Network to ensure the success of the WE ABLE initiative.
The ILO’s main focus is on human and labor rights, as well
as social justice. The ILO Global Business and Disability
Network’s goal is to ensure global inclusion and respectability
of people with disabilities in the workforce.
The organization also seeks to ensure that
companies practice inclusivity and that
their policies of employment are inclusive
to people with disabilities. The ILO also
raises awareness about the benefits of hiring
people with disabilities, and has four
main priorities, which are:
Across the globe, members of the Global Business and
Disability Network are supported in their efforts to become
inclusive, with membership extending to multinational
enterprises, international nonprofit entities, and
national business networks. The Network’s charter has 10
principles that companies can align to in order to achieve
inclusivity and equal opportunities for people with disabilities.
Zain has already adopted four of them.
1. Employment in the private sector in
developing countries
2. Digital accessibility
3. Diminishing stigmas and stereotypes
4. Promoting mental health at work
Zain has already signed up to four of the ILO’s 10 charter principles
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