Human rights

Respect for human rights is core to our approach to being a responsible and sustainable business.

Our business activities are guided by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the core standards of the International Labor Organization and the principles on human rights and labor standards as set out in the UN Global Compact.

Our commitment to Human Rights has been explicitly incorporated in many of our key policies.

Statement on Human rights  

We have a comprehensive Statement on Human Rights which covers both the direct impacts of our daily operations as well as the indirect impacts of our business activities. The statement commits Aegon to upholding international human rights standards at all businesses where the company has sufficient management control and, where possible, to ensure partners uphold the same standards. The text is based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights, core standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the principles of the UN Global Compact. 

Consideration for human rights is built also into Aegon’s Responsible Investment Policy, Vendor Code of Conduct and Statement on Inclusion & Diversity. 

Human rights assessment 

We conduct a Human Rights risk assessment every two years and the latest assessment was carried out in 2024. The assessment is conducted internally and is based on external sources, including Freedom House, Transparency International, UN Development Program and World Health organization.

Aegon's countries of operation are assessed for civil and political rights, corruption, human development, health coverage, business environment, illicit economy, gender equality, working conditions, rule of law and internet inclusion.