As part of its CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy, BNP Paribas Assurance has recently formalised its commitment to diversity (the fight against all forms of discrimination together with the promotion of equal opportunities) by disseminating to all its employees and associates a document entitled “Our Commitment to Diversity“.

 

The objective is to apply these principles in professional relationships, both internal and external.

As an extension of the initiatives already implemented internally in support of gender equality, BNP Paribas Assurance has signed a partnership with the association Aide et Action. Founded in 1981, Aide et Action is an international solidarity organisation present in 22 countries. Its stated objective is to give everybody access to good quality education as a tool for acquiring knowledge and developing skills.

The purpose of this partnership is to support the association’s programmes that aim at promoting women’s and girls’ access to education in less developed countries. The project relates to 4 countries in West Africa, a region of the world most affected by the problem of girls’ education: Benin, Mali, Niger and Senegal.
This support will enable future students to enjoy a comprehensive and good quality education in a sound and secure environment. This is an essential means of enabling them to be active stakeholders in all areas of family, economic and social life.

 
Access of women and girls to education will over time allow additional annual growth of 0.8% of GDP in these African countries.*
Today there are still some 45 million girls and women in the world who do not have access to education. They account for 60% of all children who are deprived of education. 

As Claire Calosci, General Manager of Aide et Action International, explains: “Young educated girls have twice as high a chance of being spared the AIDS virus. Their income rises by 10 to 20% for each year of studies completed. The education of girls and women is the single most effective tool in the fight against malnutrition and infant mortality.”

*Source: Forum for Partnership with Africa – September 2007