People
Banking isn't only about financing; it's also about people. A cooperative is about people. And Rabobank, as a cooperative bank, is at the heart of society and touches the lives of many: from our employees and customers to the people in communities directly or indirectly connected to us. All these people have human rights, and Rabobank is committed to respect those rights. This is not a side issue, but essential in our mission, “Growing a better world together”. Respecting and supporting the internationally recognized human rights is at the heart of our ‘Enable People’ approach.
Human rights
Everyone deserves a fair and equal chance to pursue their ambitions. Human rights are universal – to be enjoyed by all people, no matter who they are or where they live. There are human rights dimensions to everything businesses do. This means that in every role we play as a bank, we must consider the human rights dimension. Rabobank affirms its responsibility to respect international human rights as set out in the United Nations' Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (the UNGPs) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct.
Rabobank and Human Rights
Financial institutions can have a profound impact on human rights, both positively and negatively, and both directly and indirectly. In our role as an employer, with a presence in 35 countries and over 49,000 employees worldwide, we have a direct responsibility for the rights and wellbeing of our workforce. This includes fostering a safe and inclusive working environment, protecting employee privacy, and addressing factors that may affect health and wellbeing. As a financial services provider, we serve more than 8 million private customers in the Netherlands. Through the products and services we offer – such as mortgages – we recognize our influence on the lives and wellbeing of our customers. We also act as a corporate lender to business customers. In this role, we may be indirectly connected to human rights impacts arising from our business customers’ operations or their value chains. Finally, as a procurer of goods and services, we acknowledge that our suppliers can affect the rights and livelihoods of workers and communities through their own business practices.
Enable People
We are committed to safeguarding human rights. We work towards:
Rabobank’s People Approach
Acknowledging, understanding and responding to impacts we and our business relationships have on people, both positively and negatively, is vital. This publication outlines our 'Enable People' approach, where we are today and our next steps.
As a financial institution, we are linked to a wide range of human rights risks due to the diverse sectors and regions in which our business customers operate. To effectively prioritize and address these risks, we conducted a saliency assessment in our role as financial services provider.
Would you like to know more about our impact?
Read our Impact Report and other policies on our special Publications page.