BNP Paribas Foundation

“BNP Paribas and its Foundation were among the first private sector actors in France to support UNHCR’s European response in 2015. Whether by advancing UNHCR’s shelter response in Greece and Serbia, or its vocational training activities for refugees in Europe, BNP Paribas has played an important role in assisting refugees and demonstrating that a whole of society approach to the refugee response, as envisaged in the Global Compact on Refugees, can make a huge difference to people’s lives.”

Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees

About the partnership

Since: 2015

Locations: Italy, Serbia, Greece

The BNP Paribas Foundation began its collaboration with UNHCR at the end of 2015, as a direct response to the mass influx of refugees arriving in Europe.

During the crisis, the Foundation supported UNHCR's emergency response in Greece and Serbia, protecting and sheltering the most vulnerable arrivals and providing them with essential supplies.

BNP Paribas and its Foundation have also committed to the economic and social integration of refugees in Greece and Italy, through language lessons, education and professional training. 

Each year, BNP Paribas and its Foundation mark World Refugee Day by raising awareness of refugee causes among their stakeholders.

Impact at a glance

• More than 120,000 refugees supported in 3 countries in Europe
• More than 1.5 million basic items distributed such as blankets, mattresses, hygiene kits, clothes and shoes