OREANDA-NEWS. September 17, 2015. This week, the Bank’s Executive Committee decided to launch a 5 million euro plan to support refugees arriving in Europe. 

This support plan will initially be delivered via BNP Paribas’ three philanthropic mechanisms:

  1. Putting into action its BNP Paribas Emergency & Development Fund with donations made by all of its employees worldwide as well as its customers in France to be matched by the bank and then allocated to the 3 partners of the Fund (M?decins Sans Fronti?res, CARE and the French Red Cross) and used to fund their refugee projects in France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria, Sicily, Greece, Serbia…
  2. Support from the BNP Paribas Foundation to three major humanitarian partners: Samusocial de Paris, Apprentis d’Auteuil and The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
  3. Support for employees engaged in helping refugees via local associations through the BNP Paribas Foundation’s “Helping Hand” programme.

Other projects are also currently under consideration: the provision of a holiday camp by the bank’s works council, a training and work integration programme, and others.
BNP Paribas intends all of these actions to be taken in consultation and coordination with all of the stakeholders: government authorities, NGOs and associations, other companies etc.
 

The Emergency & Development Fund
Launched in December 2012 by BNP Paribas, the Emergency & Development Fund is an innovative, effective, rapid-response scheme for raising funds during times of humanitarian crises. The Fund is open to all BNP Paribas group employees worldwide and to retail bank customers in France. It has already resulted in the creation of 10 fundraising campaigns with around 1.65 million euros being transferred to its three partners.

Since its inception, the Emergency & Development Fund has launched two campaigns to help refugees from Ukraine, Central Africa and Syria, with nearly €270,000 paid to the three partners.

The BNP Paribas Foundation
Under the aegis of the France Foundation, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been a major corporate sponsor for the past thirty years. The BNP Paribas Foundation’s actions are part of a multi-disciplinary approach to philanthropy aimed at promoting projects dedicated to culture, solidarity and the environment.

As a result of the ties it has forged with Samusocial de Paris and the Apprentis d’Auteuil, the BNP Paribas Foundation has decided to support these NGOs in their programme to welcome refugees.

The Foundation has also contacted UNHCR, The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to fund the actions it is taking in the migrant-entry countries, specifically Greece, Italy and Hungary.