A1 Serbia is launching a CSR program “The World You Dream of”, allocating 10 million dinars in support of projects in the areas of public health, education, and environmental protection. The company announced that citizens will also be invited to personally contribute to the selection process of initiatives designed to make the world around us a better place.
A1 Serbia assembled a team of experts from designated areas on an online conference to start a discussion about these areas of our society that need additional support. The experts had previously selected projects that A1 intends to support.
“Our responsibility to the community in which we operate means that we have to be sensitive regarding issues of common interest but also means we have to take the initiative and offer support and innovative solutions. The satisfaction that comes from what we have achieved so far inspires us to continue in the same direction. Our new program “The World You Dream of” will essentially continue to build upon everything we have done so far for the wellbeing of the community because these three areas have been in the focus of our socially responsible activities for years”, said Dejan Turk, CEO of A1 Serbia and A1 Slovenia.
Thomas Arnoldner, CEO of A1 Telekom Austria Group, emphasized that this international group of companies has always shown great commitment to issues that concern us all, now represented by the Group’s ESG strategy (Environmental, Social and Governance) related to environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance.
“During the past around 13 months, we all have gone through very challenging times. In the course of this pandemic, we – as a company and our entire A1 team – have proven to be a reliable partner for customers, business partners, governmental institutions and society as a whole. Our networks showed their stability and sustainability. But even in this crisis, we are aspiring to more than providing superior digital networks and services. We want to give back something to society and to conduct our business in the most sustainable way. To this end, we have incorporated our ESG targets as a key part of our corporate strategy. This includes addressing environmental issues, e.g. by committing to making our business net carbon neutral by 2030 and increasing energy efficiency by 80%. Additionally, we are dedicated to the circular economy and culture as well as gender equality. Moreover, we see it as our responsibility to ramp up our efforts regarding digital literacy. I am proud that A1 Serbia has established a set of measures that will contribute to this ambition of making our lives and businesses more sustainable.”, Mr. Arnoldner stated in a video broadcast from Vienna.
One of the panel conclusions refers to the consequences of the pandemic, which, among other things, led to a deterioration of mental health which is an issue that troubles many citizens. When it comes to environmental challenges, the panellists believe the time has come to step forward from recognizing problems towards finding solutions, especially to reduce air pollution. They also agreed that companies and educational institutions have the opportunity to work together on improving the digital literacy of both students and teachers, allowing them to take full advantage of technology and digitalization.
In the coming days, A1 Serbia will announce which ventures in the fields of environment, education, and public health will receive financial support in the total amount of 10 million dinars, and how citizens can get involved in the “The World You Dream of” program.
Besides Dejan Turk and Thomas Arnoldner, the panel was attended by Larisa Grizilo, Senior Director of Human Resources and Communications, A1 Serbia and A1 Slovenia; Darko Soković, Partner in the regional organization Propulsion; Vladimir Đurđević, meteorologist and professor at the Faculty of Physics; Andjelka Grujičić, a PhD in public health and a specialist in social medicine; Nemanja Djordjevic, scientific communicator and expert on educational policies; Petar Laušević from the Science Promotion Center; Tamara Kojić, the creator of two initiatives – Rock Camp for Girls and Kilometer of Hair, and Galeb Nikačević Hasci-Jare, journalist and podcaster who was the moderator of this online event.