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Good corporate citizenship is one of De Beers' core values and this includes the company's commitment to invest in initiatives that improve the communities in which we operate. The principles of social and economic development and environmental management underpin De Beers approach to business.
The most effective means of helping communities to help themselves is by giving them a hand up not a hand out. This is fundamental to De Beers' approach to social sustainability. The idea is to build capacity rather than dependency in the communities with which the company is involved.
De Beers social investment initiatives date back to the company's earliest days in South Africa. Efforts were formalized in the mid-1970s when De Beers and Anglo American launched the Chairman's Fund. Today with the same energy and enterprise De Beers directs CAN $4.4 million a year towards a diversity of socio-economic and educational initiatives.
De Beers is committed to adopting business strategies that meet the needs of the company and its stakeholders today, while protecting, sustaining and developing human, social, economic initiatives that may be needed in the future. We will continue to work with the local communities and industry associations, providing ongoing financial and physical support for the benefit of all involved.
This is nothing new for De Beers as there is a long company history of working with the communities where it operates.
"Our aim is to make profits but to do so in a way that makes a positive and lasting contribution to the communities in which we operate."
- Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, 1954
More recently in March 2005, the De Beers family of companies became members of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). The UNGC is an international initiative that brings companies together with UN agencies to support universal environmental and social principles. Hundreds of companies from around the world are engaged in the Global Compact, working to advance ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
If you would like your charitable organization to be considered by De Beers, click here to access our social investment policy statement, sponsorship forms and application guidelines.
For more information on specific De Beers social investment
initiatives click
here.
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