Revealing the talents of newcomers
Present in 18 cities and 7 countries, SINGA Global works across the world to create a link between migrants and the host society. It supports the inclusion of people from migrant backgrounds and those forced into exile, offering an incubation programme for newcomers or locals with a project that promotes social cohesion.The partnership between the BNP Paribas Foundation and SINGA Global will lead to the creation of two new incubators in Europe: the first in Marseille and the second in a European Mediterranean country. The aim of this scheme is to provide refugees with entrepreneurial projects with personalised support, to enable them to set up their own businesses or impact organisations. They will thus benefit from individual personalised follow-up, mentoring and will also have access to a large local community, which is essential for the success of their project.
In addition to the support of the BNP Paribas Foundation, SINGA Global will also be able to draw on the expertise and network of the BNP Paribas Group.
"A pioneer in its support for the integration of refugees, the BNP Paribas Foundation has decided to consolidate its commitment by joining forces with SINGA Global, a key player committed to this cause, and whose innovative mission, focused on the economic inclusion of refugees, is perfectly in line with the actions carried out by the BNP Paribas Group in favour of developing entrepreneurship. We are happy to support them for a minimum of three years, at a time when the issue of climate refugees and refugees from Ukraine is particularly topical."
Strong commitment to the integration of refugees in Europe
This initiative reinforces the European refugee aid programme initiated by the BNP Paribas Foundation and the Group in 2015, which focuses on professional integration and learning the language of the host country.
With a total commitment of €17.3m since its launch, the BNP Paribas European programme supports the integration projects of 29 associations in 11 European countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).
Conferences to raise awareness and mobilise all stakeholders
As an extension of its support actions, the Group is taking part in several events in June dedicated to the challenges of integrating refugees into the workforce:
- #TechForRefugees - “How technology can help refugees on their journey towards inclusion?”. The event will take place on 15 June at the BNP Paribas Lab at VIVATECH and will be attended by Antoine Sire, Head of Company Engagement at BNP Paribas; Frédéric Bardeau, President and co-founder of Simplon; Joséphine Goube, CEO of Sistech and Rooh Savar, President of SINGA Global and SINGA France.
- #RefugeesAreTalents - “Inclusive recruitment of refugees: levers and good practices”: the Refugees Are Talents business collective, committed to the employability of refugees, is organising a round table on 21 June in the presence of Emmanuelle Fenard, Head of Impact Projects at BCEF; Sophie Bilong, Associate Researcher at Ifri; Cécile Pierrat Schiever, Co-founder and President of Kodiko and Marilisa Fantacci, Director General of Action Emploi Réfugiés.
- “Socio-economic inclusion of refugees, what role for companies?”: on 22 June, a conference organised by the Paris Chamber of Commerce, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on the challenges of refugee displacement in terms of socio-economic inclusion and opportunities for business. With the participation of Isabelle Giordano, General Delegate of the BNP Paribas Foundation.
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