UN Volunteers Overcome Adversity to Help the Underserved
Two volunteers in Kenya and Cambodia face sociopolitical challenges as they work to give students an opportunity to join the global economy.

Moroccan Academy Prepares Women for Success in ICT
ENSET Mohammedia academy in Morocco is participating in a project to help prepare women for career opportunities in ICT.

Internet Training Centers Initiative for Developing Countries
By reaching out to educational institutions throughout the developing world to provide greater access ICT education, Cisco and the International Telecommunication Union are building human capacity in nations around the globe.

The Least Developed Countries (LDC) Initiative
Introduced in July 2000, this program provides opportunities for IT training in an effort to bridge the digital divide in the LDCs of the world. This initiative has created opportunities for skills development in participating countries, empowering them to accelerate progress, attain sustainable development, and fully integrate into the world economy.

Cisco and USAID Extend Partnership to Promote ICT in the Developing World

• On February 4, 2008, joined by TelePresence, USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore and Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers announced a five-year extension to USAID and Cisco's public-private partnership. The partnership will promote education, economic growth, entrepreneurial and small and medium enterprise development, and ICT skills capacity building.
• To date, the Cisco-USAID partnership has helped more than 90,000 students acquire the ICT and computer networking skills needed to compete in the global marketplace.

"Cisco's collaboration with USAID is a compelling example of how businesses, international organizations, and governments can work together to contribute to the advancement of the world's underserved communities."

Cisco CSR Awards and Recognition 2007-08

• In July 2007, the UN Global Compact publication "Joining Forces for Change: Demonstrating Innovation and Impact through UN Business Partnerships" cited the work Cisco has done with UNIFEM as a best practice in workforce development. The report highlighted the Achieving E-Quality in the IT Sector program, which was launched to promote women's empowerment in North Africa and the Middle East. The UN Global Compact is the largest corporate citizenship initiative in the world.
• Honored by recognition from the International Taskforce on Women and ICTs and the UN Global Alliance for ICT Development (UNGAID), Cisco was invited to contribute to the Market of Opportunities Tent at the GK3 Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in December 2007. Networking Academy's efforts and investments in support of women's initiatives were a prominent part of the discussion. The GK3 Conference engaged more than 1700 global participants in intensive discussions on emerging markets and technologies.
• In November 2007, Cisco was recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with the 2007 Corporate Citizenship Award for International Community Service, in recognition of our participation in the LDC initiative. The award was presented by the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC). Scott Blacklin, vice president of emerging markets, accepted the award on behalf of Cisco and highlighted Cisco's belief in the power of connectivity to transform people's lives and our corporate culture of giving back.
• In September 2008, Networking Academy received an honorable mention from the World Business and Development Awards (WBDA) Established by the International Chamber of Commerce in 2000, the biennial WBDA are the first worldwide business awards to recognize the crucial role of the private sector in implementing the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).