As a global bank with a key role in promoting economic and social development, we put high standards of ethics at the core of our business activities. To formalise this approach, we launched a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative in 2002 based on four pillars:
- Economic responsibility – financing the economy in an ethical manner;
- Social responsibility – pursuing a committed and fair human resources policy;
- Civic responsibility –combatting exclusion, promoting education and culture;
- Environmental responsibility –combatting climate change.
At BNP Paribas Middle East and Africa, we contribute to the economies in which we operate through philanthropy and ethical policies and approaches. Clients are supported in their responsible growth projects to take up today’s major energy and environmental challenges such as: meeting energy needs, ensuring the security of supply and maximising the use of resources. These transactions highlight the bank’s expertise in advisory to governments and major corporates on complex and large environmental projects and fundraisings.
At BNP Paribas Middle East and Africa, we are committed to fostering and providing a healthy work environment to our employees. A strong emphasis is applied to the attraction and retention of a diverse pool of talent, as well as the continued training and development of our staff. Diversity is also an important pillar of the human resources policy, ensuring that we reflect the markets in which we do business and embrace our differences in a fair and transparent manner.
MEA Graduate Secondee Programme
Our Middle East and Africa (MEA) Graduate Secondee Programme aims to enhance talent in the region and promote diversity across the bank, offering high-potential graduates from the region the opportunity to gain valuable experience.
Mawahib Programme
Mawahib is a newly developed two-year talent development programme for employees who are GCC nationals. The programme demonstrates the bank’s ongoing commitment to diversity in the region, and was designed to develop key leadership skills among locals with aspirations to become team leaders in their current or future roles, with the aim of advancing them to management and middle management positions.
At BNP Paribas Middle East and Africa, our commitment to community investment is founded upon the core principles of designing locally relevant, innovative, strategic and sustainable activities across the region, whilst forging valuable relationships within the community.
We have successfully implemented several key community investment initiatives to promote Education in partnership with local government and NGOs.
BNP Paribas Office Training Incubator – Bahrain
The BNP Paribas Office Training Incubator (OTI) was established in Bahrain in 2012. The OTI operates in partnership with The Ministry of Social Development, offering individuals with disabilities fully accredited office administration skills to enable them to join mainstream employment.
BNP Paribas Career Centre MEA – Qatar
The BNP Paribas Career Centre MEA was established in Doha, Qatar, to help bridge the gap between education and the workplace. In the first phase of the initiative, which ran from 2011 to 2013, the centre provided guidance and training for over 1,300 students aged 18 to 24, who aspire to international careers in finance. Services included accredited training and career advice that would help to prepare them to meet the challenges of the competitive job market. The bank is currently in the process of relocating this project, which will be supported by a Government partnership.
La Sorbonne – Abu Dhabi
BNP Paribas was one of the co-founders of Paris-Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi. Established in 2010 to offer students the opportunity to achieve an international degree locally, we have worked in partnership with Les Amis de La Sorbonne Abu Dhabi to provide ongoing support to the university.
At BNP Paribas Middle East and Africa, we are aware of the importance of our role in protecting the environment. As part of our responsibility, we have been working towards improved policies and practices to control our direct and indirect environmental impact. One example is the paperless project for electronic transfer of documentation, which has saved a total of 380,000 individual pieces of paper per year. More recently, the bank has started a campaign in Bahrain that includes the recycling of paper, plastic and metal, alongside replacing plastic bottles with environmentally sustainable flasks made from recycled plastic, to use with water dispensers.
BNP Paribas, a responsible economic player
For the Group, being a responsible bank means living up to its economic responsibilities and working to finance projects for its clients.
In addition, BNP Paribas recognises that it has responsibilities in three other areas:
Social responsibility
This means treating the Group’s more than 198,816 employees in a fair and loyal manner and engaging in serious and meaningful dialogue with staff union representatives.
Civic responsibility
This means helping to combat social exclusion and promoting education and culture. The Group has a strong stake in society, through initiatives and projects which take its banking role one step further for the good of society: special assistance for underprivileged neighbourhoods and marginalised areas, microcredit, support for charitable organisations and social economy enterprises. Our civic engagement is also manifested in the corporate philanthropy work done by the BNP Paribas Foundation, whose charity initiatives include educational, cultural and public health projects.
Environmental responsibility
BNP Paribas pays particular attention to the environmental impact resulting from its banking activities all over the world. The Group has drawn up and implemented detailed policies relating both to its day-to-day functioning and to sensitive fields of industry, and supports environmental initiatives through the BNP Paribas Foundation.
