- UN Environment and BNP Paribas have today signed a milestone agreement at the One Planet Summit to establish Sustainable Finance Facilities, collaborative partnerships aimed at raising development capital to drive sustainable economic growth in emerging countries.
- UN Environment and BNP Paribas will collaborate to identify suitable commercial projects with measurable environmental and social impact, with a target of capital funding amounting to USD 10 billion by 2025 in developing countries.
- The aim is to support smallholder projects related to renewable energy access, agroforestry, water access and responsible agriculture among other sustainable activities.
- The Sustainable Finance Facilities programme is the first of its kind in terms of collaboration between companies, investors, development sector partners and civil society organisations, with the support of national governments.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed today between Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas at the One Planet Summit under the patronage of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. This landmark agreement is fully in line with both UN Environment’s and BNP Paribas’ commitments to developing meaningful and sustainable projects addressing environmental and social challenges in emerging countries.
This agreement builds on the Tropical Landscapes Financing Facility, a partnership between UN Environment, BNP Paribas, World Agroforestry Centre and ADM Capital in Indonesia.
UN Environment and BNP Paribas will scale the collaborative effort by establishing Sustainable Finance Facilities in many more developing countries, with a target capital funding amount of US$10 billion by 2025.
Through sourcing funding from third-party global investors, and arranging and issuing green loans, Sustainable Finance Facilities will help channel finance from the private sector to fund sustainable economic development in emerging countries.
Projects focused on rural smallholder productivity enhancement, rural renewable electrification and forest landscape restoration and protection will support national climate and sustainable development commitments, build climate resilience and help countries and communities achieve targets for food, water and energy security. Projects will recognise the vital role of relevant stakeholders, in particular women, indigenous peoples and local communities in all areas of sustainable growth and the need for their full and effective participation.
The projects could include the restoration of degraded agriculture landscapes through agro-forestry, the improvement of small-holder agriculture or renewable energy investments in rural areas, in particular to replace charcoal. Climate-smart agriculture, stopping deforestation and restoring forests and landscapes at significant scale could together contribute over 30 per cent to the achievement of the Paris Agreement.
BNP Paribas will continue to act as the capital markets adviser and structuring adviser to Sustainable Finance Facilities as they are established, and will bring institutional investor capital to participate in the programme.
UN Environment will ensure that environmental and social impacts of projects are positive and significant, and are at the heart of the work of the Sustainable Finance Facilities.
With this agreement, signed at the One Planet Summit, BNP Paribas reinforces its commitment to bringing pioneering financial solutions at scale and helping the UN achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas, said: “As an international bank, we consider it our duty to contribute to a better future. We have a role to play in leveraging our place at the centre of the economy, where we not only take action ourselves, but also bring diverse players to direct financial capital to projects that address the issue of climate change and more broadly, sustainable economic development. We have a particular responsibility to direct this financing to developing countries and vulnerable populations. While some projects may seem to be on a small scale, we must not forget that collectively, these initiatives can make a considerable difference to improving the environment, biodiversity or social development. This agreement marks a new way for governments, businesses and institutions to work together to co-develop solutions.”
Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said: ““The largest untapped potential for climate action is in how we manage our land and soils. The partnership with BNP Paribas sets a signal to the finance industry that ‘business as usual’ is not an option anymore. We need to design sustainable agriculture and forestry in a way that solves the climate crisis, rather than contributes to it. Right now, less than 3 percent of climate finance, public or private, goes to sustainable land-use – and yet it can be more than 30 percent of the solution. We need a tenfold increase in climate finance that goes to sustainable land-use.”
BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 74 countries, with more than 192,000 employees, including more than 146,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets and International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors. The Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance.
In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the European leader in consumer lending.
BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail-banking model in Mediterranean countries, in Turkey, in Eastern Europe and a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Institutional Banking and International Financial Services activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific.
UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, the civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.
The Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF) aims to ‘leverage private finance for public good’ by scaling up investment in landscapes resulting in enhancing the ‘GDP of the Poor’ achieved through sustainable production of agricultural commodities, and improved smallholder productivity with reduced deforestation in Indonesia.
The TLFF was launched by the Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia on 26 October 2016, based on a partnership between UN Environment, BNP Paribas, ADM Capital and The World Agroforestry Centre, receiving strong support from the Indonesian government to create a mechanism to access and deliver private sector capital enabling the country to meet its significant development and climate targets. The objective is to support closing the USD 20bn funding gap in Indonesia for projects with significant environmental and social impact which are critical to securing long-term economic prosperity.
Press Contacts
UN Environment
Florian Eisele – Florian.Eisele@unep.org +352. 691 588 863
BNP Paribas
Julia Boyce – julia.boyce@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 43 16 82 04
Coralie France-Savin – coralie.francesavin@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 40 14 94 89
Renato Martinelli – renato.martinelli@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 58 16 84 99
Claire Helleputte – claire.helleputte@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 55 77 89 63
The BNP Paribas Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, under the patronage of the President of the French Republic launch One Planet Fellowship, a programme leveraging French, African and European expertise to support research on climate adaptation in Africa
- The BNP Paribas Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with the Agropolis Foundation, and under the auspices of the French ministry of Higher education, Research and Innovation, today announced the creation of One Planet Fellowship, a $15 million, 5-year programme.
- Funded on an equal basis by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the BNP Paribas Foundation, this philanthropic programme’s objective is to support 600 African and European researchers working to help Africa adapt to climate change. It also aims to bolster the African and European scientific community working in this field.
- The agreement was announced during the One Planet Summit in Paris on 12 December 2017, by Bill Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair and Trustee and BNP Paribas CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, in the presence of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Director, Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg in attendance.
- One Planet Fellows will collaborate in research and higher education projects that aim to advance agriculture and climate change issues, funded by the Agropolis Foundation over a five-year period with a budget of €5M.
Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The continent is likely to suffer serious consequences, such as prolonged periods of drought and lower crop yields. Given the urgency of the situation and the anticipated long-term impacts on the environment, it is vital to promote the development of relevant policies at the local level today. Such policies can only be drawn up on the basis of solid scientific knowledge.
The BNP Paribas Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, respectively committed to the fight against climate change and eradicating extreme poverty, are therefore launching today the One Planet Fellowship. The purpose of this philanthropic effort, which will be run by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), is to provide additional resources to African research and support the work of the next generation of scientists who will have to deal with a new set of challenges.
One Planet Fellowship will on the one hand help to finance the research carried out by African scientists into climate change adaptation, focusing particularly on issues that small farmers will have to cope with, and on the other hand help to strengthen the capabilities of the African and European science communities through training programmes combining mentoring, study trips and networking opportunities for young researchers.
The One Planet Fellowship, which enjoys the official patronage of the President of France, has a total budget of $15 million, funded on an equal basis by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the BNP Paribas Foundation.
“Undertaking research into climate change adaptation enables us to gain a better understanding of the current and future risks and identify the best solutions to address them. I firmly believe that in the research field, sharing knowledge and working together are key to finding more effective solutions to climate change issues,” explained BNP Paribas CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafé.
“The foundation is delighted to support the creation of the One Planet Fellowship program,” said Nick Austin, Ph.D., director of Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We believe it’s critical to nurture a new generation of climate scientists, particularly African scientists, who can build on existing agricultural research and innovations to deliver new climate adaptation solutions to help smallholder farmers and their families in the decades to come.”
“Building an African and European scientific community that stands together with rigour and commitment to fight against climate change and adapt agriculture is both a human and a scientific challenge. It calls for all people of good will to join and prepare our common future,” explained Pascal Kosuth, Director of the Agropolis Foundation.
Mobilizing 600 African and European scientists to work on Africa’s adaptation to climate change
120 African researchers will be selected on the basis of their climate change adaptation research projects. Each of them will receive a joint mentoring – from a scientist in Africa and in Europe – which will involve a period of several months working in a laboratory in Europe. In turn, they will then mentor two young researchers, one from an African institution and one from Europe. The programme will involve a total of 600 scientists over a period of five years.
In addition, these researchers will interact with projects, funded by the Agropolis Foundation, addressing climate change-related problems faced by agriculture.
In France, the researchers will be hosted in Montpellier by the Agropolis Foundation, which, together with its partners, constitutes a world-class scientific community of 2,700 researchers and teachers specialising in the fields of agriculture, food science, biodiversity and the environment. Funding members and partners include the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the French National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), the French Research Institute for Development (IRD), Montpellier SupAgro (French National Institute of Higher Education in Agricultural Sciences), the University of Montpellier and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), all engaged in Montpellier University of Excellence (MUSE).
This new programme represents an additional step in the ongoing efforts made by the BNP Paribas Foundation to support research into ways and means of combating climate change. These targeted efforts started with the creation in 2010 of the Climate Initiative, a philanthropy programme with a budget of €6 million over three years (2017, 2018, 2019), and which provides backing to climate research projects following a careful process of selection by scientists reputed in their fields of research. Today the Climate Initiative is providing financial support to eight projects involving 178 researchers, engineers and academics from 73 universities and research institutes working on issues ranging from the study of past climates to the current impact of climate change on coral reefs.
One Planet Fellows will collaborate in research and higher education projects that aim to advance agriculture and climate change issues, funded by Agropolis Fondation over a five-year period with a budget of €5M.
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
About the Agropolis Foundation
The Agropolis Foundation promotes and supports high-level research and higher education in agricultural sciences and sustainable development. Emanation of the world-class Montpellier scientific community it connects it with an international network of over 400 foreign partner institutions, including the AWARD program presented above. In the past 10 years the Agropolis Foundation has granted €40 million to scientific projects on cultivated plant diversity, biology and breeding, crop protection, sustainable agriculture and food systems, agro-ecological transition, adaptation to climate change, food processing and quality, socio-economics and public policies.
BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 74 countries, with more than 192,000 employees, including more than 146,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets and International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors. The Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the European leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail-banking model in Mediterranean countries, in Turkey, in Eastern Europe and a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Institutional Banking and International Financial Services activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific.
About the BNP Paribas Foundation
Under the oversight of the Foundation of France, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been a major player in corporate philanthropy for 30 years. It is also encouraging and contributing to the BNP Paribas’ philanthropic policy growth in all parts of the world wherever the Bank operates. The BNP Paribas Foundation’s activities are aimed at multidisciplinary philanthropy, supporting innovative projects dedicated to culture, social inclusion and the environment. It pays close attention to the quality of its commitment to its partners through a long-term commitment. Since 1984, over 300 cultural projects, 40 research programs and a thousand social and educational initiatives have earned its support in France and around the world.
Press Contacts
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Gates Media – media@gatesfoundation.org
BNP Paribas
Julia Boyce – julia.boyce@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 43 16 82 04
Coralie France-Savin – coralie.francesavin@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 40 14 94 89
Renato Martinelli – renato.martinelli@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 58 16 84 99
Claire Helleputte – claire.helleputte@bnpparibas.com +33 (0)1 55 77 89 63
Agropolis Foundation
Oliver Oliveros – oliveros@agropolis.fr +33 (0)6 70 39 18 39
BNP Paribas is delighted to be a Silver Sponsor of the 48th New York City Pride March, which will be held on Sunday, June 25. This is the second straight year the Bank will serve as a sponsor of the parade in partnership with White & Case LLP, a global law firm.
The sponsorship is part of BNP Paribas’ commitment to promoting Diversity & Inclusion worldwide. In New York, the Bank will host a pre-parade brunch for clients and employees, after which all attendees are invited to march in the parade alongside the BNP Paribas float. BNP Paribas will also participate in Pride festivities in London, Paris and San Francisco, among others.
For more on the Bank’s global Diversity & Inclusion efforts, click here.
To mark its sponsorship of the new Whitney Museum of American Art building in downtown New York City, BNP Paribas hosted a private preview event for clients on April 27.
As part of its civic responsibility and active support of arts and cultural institutions worldwide, BNP Paribas is a Founding Sponsor of the new building, which officially opens May 1. Designed by Renzo Piano, the new Whitney boasts spectacular features such as sprawling galleries, cascading outdoor galleries, and stunning views of the Hudson River and the city.
More than 400 guests filled the Whitney to view the museum’s inaugural exhibition, “America Is Hard to See.” The exhibit features over 600 works by some 400 artists spanning the period from about 1900 to the present, examining the themes, ideas and passions that have preoccupied and galvanized American artists over the past 150 years. Guests were able to take in the exhibition across multiple floors, with experts stationed on each floor to answer any questions regarding the works.
Jean-Yves Fillion, CEO BNP Paribas North America and Head of Americas CIB, welcomed guests to the event on behalf of the Bank and highlighted BNP Paribas’ continued commitment to the arts both in the US and globally.
“We are very honored to partner with the Whitney and to have the opportunity to sponsor the relocation to this new venue,” he said. “This new space not only creates a true home for its collections, but also embraces the energy of the city and the spirit of transformation of this neighborhood. The opening exhibit here, ‘America is Hard to See’, tells the story of America across many mediums. BNP Paribas has deep roots in America, and as a global bank, we see America’s unique place in the world, which is why we are committed to being a contributing citizen to our communities here.”
Find out more about BNP Paribas’ support to the arts, here.