59.
We want to deliver sustainable, superior results in a way which supports the long-term health,
safety and well-being of our employees, consumers, customers and the communities in which
all our stakeholders live and work.
Millennium Development Goals
During the 2002 UN summit in Johannesburg,
the United Nations formulated the Millennium
Development Goals. The eight Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) - which range from
halving extreme poverty to halting the spread
of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary
education, all by the target date of 2015 - form
a blueprint agreed by all the world's countries
and leading development institutions. They have
galvanised unprecedented efforts to meet the
needs of the world's poorest.
Although the MDGs are an agreement between
governments, it is widely recognised that the
private sector has an important role to play in
the fulfilment of some of the goals or derived
objectives. For example, by offering employment
against decent wages, the private sector
contributes to the objective of halving the
proportion of people who live on an income of less
than one dollar per day. But also in the area of
health care (e.g. halt and begin to reverse the
spread of HIV/AIDS and halt and begin to reverse
the incidence of malaria and other major diseases),
the private sector can play an important role,
especially where corporations are involved in
offering medical care. For this reason, Heineken,
together with a number of other multi-national
enterprises and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, is currently investigating if it is possible
to join forces to combat life-threatening diseases
in Nigeria.
During a meeting between the Dutch signatory
companies to the UN Global Compact and Dutch
Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch
companies - including Fleineken - reaffirmed that
they are willing to play a role regarding the
realisation of the MDGs and will explain their
approach and report on progress in their
Sustainability Reports. As the MDGs are not yet
covered by the reporting guidelines issued by the
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the first task facing
the Dutch companies is to develop indicators that
will facilitate reporting on this important area.
This process is currently underway, with Heineken's
full participation.
Given our major presence in emerging markets,
we feel that we are morally and economically
obliged to contribute to the development of our
host area, country or region. This commitment had
already been expressed prior to the Johannesburg
Summit, in our Business Principles. Many of the
activities we are currently developing, and which
are mentioned in this chapter, aim to fulfil our
commitment. Wherever possible and practical,
we will seek to work together with other
companies, governments and NGOs, with each
participating organisation playing its natural role.
Group learning
By organizing Sierra Leone's sorghum
growers into cooperatives, Heineken is able
to render assistance and expertise in a
meaningful way. A sorghum growers' open-
day workshop was organised in 2005, where
farmers could share their experiences and
local agronomists were on hand to provide
technical advise. Two similar full-day
workshops are planned for 2006.
"There is no rule saying that African
farmers have to be poor and disorganised,"
says Ivan Carrol, a local Heineken
consultant. "We are actively encouraging
them to develop their expertise, increase
their yields and multiply their earnings.
Some of them are opening bank accounts
for the first time in their lives."
Ivan Carrol, Heineken consultant, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Heineken N.V. - 2004/2005 Sustainability Report