Overview

Wim Dik, Senior independent non-executive director, Chairman of the board's CSR committee

Each of our businesses focuses on challenges, which have particular relevance in its own marketplace. You can read about these in the individual business unit reports. At group level, we focus on global matters. The principal challenges for 2006 are:

Climate change

Aviva responds to climate change by keeping its own house in order and seeking to reduce its own CO₂ output. We also encourage others to do the same through the influence we exert through our position as an investor, a purchaser and a provider of products. Our chief focus is on adaptation and mitigation and our report details the considerable contributions in respect of both.

Over the coming year, we will be considering what further steps we could and should take in respect of climate change.

Carbon balancing

This phrase means rendering our activities – broadly travel and buildings management – carbon neutral. Some of our businesses have already begun to consider this in respect of their own operations. Some have already applied it in respect of certain events and activities.

Carbon balancing is a complex field with various competing approaches and we believe that it does need to be carefully researched in order to ensure that a methodology or mix of methodologies really does have a positive effect, which would not have occurred without our intervention. We will conduct that research this year.

Examination of responsibility and disaster response

Aviva, like many other companies, provided matching funds for staff donations in respect of the Tsunami appeal. However, we did not provide similar support in respect of other disasters. The differing responses pose a policy gap, which we believe needs to be explored. The matter raises questions such as:

• Is it appropriate to use shareholders’ funds for response to any such catastrophes or emergencies? What criteria should apply?
• Should our responses be limited to those countries where we have businesses and an interest in identifying with the local community?
• Is it appropriate for us to provide – or to assist staff to provide – any support on an altruistic basis? If so, under what circumstances?
• What support are we able to provide other than financial support?

Continued internationalisation of CSR programme

CSR concepts and practice are often widely recognised to have originated in the UK. However, this has sometimes led to a predominance of UK-centric thinking when we increasingly need to listen and take account of non-UK perspectives.

Our businesses overseas have developed their own routes towards fulfilment of our CSR policy. These routes reflect local marketplace and local priorities. As a global business, we will seek to take increasing account of the views of our overseas businesses and their stakeholders in the future development of our CSR programme.

We have already made progress in this respect with, for example, the establishment of steering groups outside the UK. For the future, we are considering the addition of non-UK experts to Aviva’s external adviser body in the CSR review group. We will also continue with our programme of visits to overseas businesses to both learn from their experience and to provide support.