Cognizant today announced an agreement to join the United Nations Global Compact India (UNGCI), a country-level leadership platform for strengthening sustainable business practices. The agreement reflects the company's focus on promoting tech and STEM education, climate and environmental responsibility, and working against corruption in all forms.

"We are proud to reaffirm our support of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact which are aligned with Cognizant's core values," said Rajesh Nambiar, Chairman, Cognizant India, and President Digital Business and Technology. "As part of our global membership, we will participate in collaborative projects to advance the broader goals of the UN across India, especially the Sustainable Development Goals. We continue to embed these principles into the company's strategy, day-to-day operations, and culture."

UNGC is a worldwide network of more than 9,500 companies and 3,000 non–business participants committed to building a sustainable future. A key requirement for participation is a member's annual submission of a Communication on Progress (COP) report detailing efforts to implement the Ten Principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.  

In 2021, Cognizant crossed several milestones in supporting sustainability. The company joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) in February 2021. It released its 2020 Sustainability report – Living with Purpose – providing a comprehensive overview of the progress made in its environmental, social and governance (ESG) journey. Cognizant also joined World Economic Forum's "Partnering for Racial Justice in Business" initiative to help foster a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Joining the UNGCI reaffirms Cognizant's longstanding commitment to social responsibility in India, evident in the focused work of its Foundation and Cognizant Outreach, the company's employee-led volunteering program. Over the past fourteen years, Cognizant volunteers have mobilized a wide range of social impact programs across India to enhance community well-being and improve diversity in technology; Cognizant Foundation India has been dedicated to improving lives in vulnerable communities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We deployed all available resources to help India overcome the COVID-19 humanitarian crisis and worked closely with the government and public hospitals to help ramp up the medical infrastructure," said Nambiar. "We remain committed not only to the safety and well-being of our 2,00,000 strong associates in India, but also the underserved and vulnerable communities where we operate."

At the onset of the deadly second wave, Cognizant launched Operation C3, the company's COVID-19 rapid response program to combat the pandemic crisis and help save lives. Key initiatives included:

• Delivering immediate relief through $8.5 million in emergency funding to its Foundation and UNICEF.
• Mobilizing delivery of 800 oxygenated COVID care beds and special vaccination camps for 8000 differently abled persons and their caregivers; providing over 7,00,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line workers through Cognizant India Foundation.
• Supporting 25 oxygen plants for hospitals in India through UNICEF.
• Rallying Cognizant Outreach volunteers to support those in need, dedicating more than 10,000 volunteer hours.
• Launching a "Digital Schools" initiative to help overcome the extraordinary disruptions and digital divides in education by donating laptops and tablets and providing e-learning support to digitally deprived government school students and teachers across six states in India, and
• Rapidly deploying multiple solutions to support associates and their families, including, access to vaccinations, medical support for COVID-19 impacted associates and their families, paid leave for COVID care or recovery, dedicated 24/7 emergency helpline, and enhanced medical coverage.