2015 Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility Report: Society

Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility strategy prioritizes the issues that are most important to our business and to our stakeholders, identified through a formal CSR materiality assessment. We use the Cisco CSR Report to communicate our approach, objectives, progress, and challenges around five high-level priorities. This morning, we’ll focus on Society:

Cisco has been integral in the growth of the Internet, and we recognize that the growing number of connections can help solve some of the world’s most pressing social issues. Through our social investments, we empower global problem solvers to harness technology to address these challenges. In the video below, Cisco’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Tae Yoo, discusses Cisco’s efforts to speed the pace of social change around the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxoAi-brC74&feature=youtu.be

Kathy Mulvany, Vice President of Cisco Corporate Affairs, believes technology is a tool that can make the world a better place:

“Whether creating better access to education and healthcare, restoring communications after disaster strikes, or helping nonprofits better serve more people, information and communications technology (ICT) can strengthen communities and improve lives.”

In FY15, our Cisco Networking Academy program helped one million people develop valuable IT and career skills. Many of them were women, people with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities. Our unique approach of making early-stage investments of cash and product to innovative nonprofits is speeding the pace of social change. Our employees are also embracing Cisco’s commitment to connect everything, innovate everywhere, and benefit everyone in their own communities. They volunteered 155,600 hours in FY15, with 28 percent of time spent mentoring young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)–critical fields in an increasingly digital world.

Other FY15 highlights include:

US$3.8 million in employee donations and Cisco Foundation matching gifts raised through our annual Global Hunger Relief Campaign, enough to provide 15 million meals.

150,000 patients have benefited from the Jordan Healthcare Initiative, our 4-year investment to transform healthcare delivery with Cisco collaboration and communication technologies.

Networking Academy contributed to 1.3 million Cisco CCNA students getting new jobs between 2005 and 2014.

In FY16, we will continue to use our expertise and technology and work with partners to help communities thrive, focusing on education, healthcare, economic development, disaster response, and critical human needs.