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Creating
a better future for all its stakeholders is central to AEGON’s
overall mission. An integral aspect of this is the belief that as
a major international group, AEGON has a responsibility to contribute
positively to the society and environment in which its operates. While
profitable and sustainable growth is paramount, AEGON attaches equal
importance to the manner in which that growth is achieved. The belief
that companies like AEGON must
consider these wider responsibilities is shared throughout
AEGON's Executive and Supervisory Boards, as well as its senior
management.
AEGON is committed to the ongoing development of corporate responsibility,
which is the responsibility of a member of the Executive Board, who
also chairs AEGON’s corporate responsibility strategy team. Under
the Executive Board is a corporate responsibility department. The
department’s role is to manage AEGON's corporate responsibility
improvements across the group, including policy formulation and the
management of corporate responsibility reporting. In addition, there
are corporate responsibility country unit heads and a corporate responsibility
Inner Circle. The Inner Circle provides an inter-country forum on
corporate responsibility issues and consists of representatives from
AEGON's major country units. The international nature of the
Inner Circle ensures that
AEGON’s corporate responsibility policies take full consideration
of the cultural priorities and sensitivities relevant to each geographic
area of AEGON’s operations.
In 2002, AEGON developed a Code of Conduct, which articulates more
clearly a series of business principles and rules of conduct to guide
all of AEGON’s businesses and employees. AEGON strives to create
better futures for all its stakeholders by following the principles
of the code-Respect,
Quality, Transparency and Trust.
The past year has seen the introduction
of the Code of Conduct to the country units, which by the end of 2003
was
implemented throughout most of the AEGON Group. AEGON will continue
this implementation in 2004 to ensure that every AEGON employee is
aware of the group’s core values, business principles and rules
of conduct. AEGON believes that it is vital that the code is integrated
into every country unit’s day to day operations and that employees’
understanding of its concepts
are raised through education and accountability. As part of this,
AEGON will continue to monitor the effects of the implementation and
ensure ongoing compliance with the code.
As a large decentralized company, active corporate responsibility
policies were already established among AEGON’s country units,
before the introduction of the code, with many different kinds of
activities taking place. A major objective has been to form a full
and accurate picture of these policies and activities throughout the AEGON Group. During the year
a centralized and robust method of gathering and monitoring corporate
responsibility activities was developed. This method was based upon
the guidelines of the United Nations-backed body, the Global Reporting
Initiative (GRI).
From this, AEGON has been able to form a clear picture of corporate
responsibility activities group-wide for the first time. This has
enabled AEGON to develop a real understanding of the different drivers, market
cultures and attitudes to corporate responsibility in all the country
units. This process will continue in 2004 and will enable AEGON to
embed its core values and enhance reporting.
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Core values |
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Indicators of
AEGON's CR
progress |
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