ZMQ receives TERI GTZ Corporate Award 2007 for Business Response to HIV/AIDS

New Delhi, May 25, 2007- ZMQ Software Systems, a New Delhi based innovative software solution provider received the TERI Corporate Award for Business Response to HIV/ AIDS 2007 in recognition of its corporate leadership for HIV / AIDS intervention in Indian industry on May 23, 2007 at New Delhi. The link of the award can be viewed at: http://www.teriin.org/awards/

ZMQ bagged the prestigious TERI Corporate Award for Business Response to HIV/ AIDS 2007 in the Corporate Category I on its unique and innovative initiatives undertaken to combat HIV/AIDS and creating public health awareness using mobile phones and educational technology. This Award was based on a nationwide selection process conducted by eleven-member jury panel chaired by Justice J. S. Verma, former Chief Justice of India. This year more than 120 corporates applied for the prestigious award.

The award was presented by Shri P. Chidambaram, Honorable Finance Minister, Government of India. The TERI Corporate Awards ceremony is a unique opportunity to give recognition to the outstanding and little recognized work of organizations and people who find innovative and effective ways to address HIV / AIDS.


Subhi Quraishi, CEO, ZMQ Software Systems receives award from
Mr. P. Chidambaram, Honorable Minister of Finance, Government of India.

From left: Mr Herman Mulder - Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD); Justice J S Verma - Former Chief Justice of India & Chairman TERI Corporate Awards Jury; Mr. Subhi Quraishi - CEO, ZMQ Software Systems ; Mr. P Chidambaram, Honorable Finance Minister of India; Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director General TERI, Chairman IPCC and Nobel Peace Prize Winner for 2007, Ms. Annapurna Vacheswaran, Director BCSD, TERI.
Speaking on the occasion, the honorable Minister Shri P. Chidambaram said: "Corporate sector is emerging as a critical player in India's development process. Given this expanding role, the corporates have to live up to new expectations from society, one of which relates to the impact of the corporate sector's activities on HIV/AIDS, Environment and CSR initiatives, hence in a rapidly globalizing environment, their contribution to the development of society becomes increasingly pertinent".

Subhi Quraishi, CEO of ZMQ Software Systems said: "We are thankful to TERI for acknowledging ZMQ's innovation to combat HIV AIDS. We are committed in our endeavour to fight the pandemic that faces mankind today using our core competency."

ZMQ's HIV/AIDS initiative covers development and dissemination of HIV/AIDS programs at mass level for creating public awareness using all possible modes of technologies - mobile phones, internet, intranet and stand-alone systems. The programs are developed for semi-literate communities, under-privileged communities, sex workers, out-of-school children, truckers, and migrant laborers; and for organized sector like school children, corporate employees etc. The aim is to reach out to millions of people using technology in local languages.
About TERI GTZ Award:
For the past several years, TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) has been addressing issues related to sustainable development with the Indian corporate sector. Towards this, the Institute has drawn up an India sustainability Charter under the TERI - Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) whose main objective is to provide a basis to companies improve at the corporate level under 5 themes: Energy, Water, Health, Climate Change and Sustainable livelihoods.

The TERI Corporate Awards recognize leadership in corporate environmental management, social responsibility and HIV/AIDS initiatives. Recognizing the increasing complexities facing the environment and its impacts on the sustainability of businesses, many corporate organizations have taken bold and visible steps to integrate sustainability components in their overall corporate strategy. Through them TERI acknowledges innovative practices in Indian industry and accords recognition to model corporate citizens. These awards have the distinction of being the first of their kind where companies are evaluated for their leadership efforts in environmental management CSR and HIV/AIDS programmes. The awards are conferred annually to corporates from a wide section of the industry. TERI instituted the TERI Corporate Awards for Environmental Excellence in 2001 and TERI Corporate Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility in 2002. In 2007 TERI introduced the Corporate Awards to Business Response to HIV/AIDS in collaboration with GTZ. Since inception we have received more than 600 applications for the awards.