2020 Universal registration document and annual financial report - BNP PARIBAS 593
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A COMMITTED BANK: INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CIVIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BNP PARIBAS
Our civic responsibility: being a positive agent for change
Fostering employee commitment
As well as actively encouraging its employees to volunteer (see A learning company supporting dynamic professional path management, Commitment 6), BNP Paribas provides financial support to everyone who chooses to get involved.
Help2Help Devised by the BNP Paribas Foundation, the Help2Help programme showcases and supports the voluntary commitment of employees to NGOs that promote community and humanitarian causes. Now deployed in more than 20 countries, this programme supported the projects of 200 associations in 2020 thanks to an endowment totalling EUR 550,000.
Rescue & Recover Fund: eight years of humanitarian aid Created in 2012, the Rescue & Recover Fund makes it possible to react quickly and effectively worldwide in the event of a humanitarian or environmental disaster. Intended for employees, French Retail Banking customers and retired members of the Group s Retirees Association, this fund collects their donations and matches the amount to finance the projects of four NGO partners. In 8 years, more than EUR 5 million has been donated to on-the-ground actions.
In 2020, the Funds opened up to biodiversity, with the integration of the NGO IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) among the partners. The Funds will now be able to respond to requests from employees in the event of a disaster affecting biodiversity in addition to its already existing humanitarian mission.
The year was also marked by the various crises through which the fund was mobilised: firstly in Australia following the series of gigantic fires that raged through the country, in France and throughout the world in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and finally in Lebanon following the explosions that devastated the city of Beirut.
Two development campaigns were also set up. The first was conducted in the autumn to support IFAW in its actions to promote animal protection. The second, which was intended to support the most isolated people in France, Haiti and Burkina Faso, donated more than EUR 350,000 to NGOs. In total, more than EUR 1 million was raised for NGOs throughout the year, a record since the fund was created.
ARTS Contemporary creation is at the heart of the BNP Paribas Foundation s cultural philanthropy programme. A committed patron of many artists and the institutions that welcome and present their works, the Foundation in particular supports contemporary dance and jazz.
An exceptional support system for artists
The cultural sector was severely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis in 2020. The BNP Paribas Foundation has decided to set up an exceptional support mechanism for its cultural partners. In total, 18 dance and circus companies and 13 musicians were able to benefit from the overall aid of EUR 310,000.
Support for contemporary creation
In 2020, the BNP Paribas Foundation supported, alongside the Maison de la Danse, a digital creation by the famous Anglo-Bangladeshi choreographer, Akram Khan. Entitled Animal Kingdom , this participatory project brought together dancers from all over the world. Through a personal choreography performed to a musical composition by Vincenzo Lamagna, they were able to propose their vision of the animal kingdom. A film of all the performances is available on the Numeridanse platform. For the occasion, a coaching session led by a member of the Akram Khan Company was organised for BNP Paribas employees.
Bahrain Festival
The BNP Paribas Foundation, alongside BNP Paribas Bahrain, has supported the Bahrain Jazz Fest since its creation in 2017. This year, the festival has rethought its format to offer the Bahraini public 12 days of concerts. The BNP Paribas Foundation enabled the jazz pianist Paul Lay, whom it supports, to perform there and give a masterclass to local artists.
