Report 2004

Chairman’s Statement

BNP Paribas' efforts in favour of sustainable development are not a response to a fad. They stem from our long-standing commitment to making our company's economic, social and environmental responsibility an integral part of its business model.

A thorough process of collective deliberation led us to our undertakings in this field. In the course of a seminar involving 80 of the Group's senior executives, organised at the time of the merger, we were able to define our core values and set the management principles that guide us today. Likewise, the decision to join the United Nations Global Compact was arrived at after in-depth discussions within our Executive Committee and was approved by the Board of Directors.

We have done more than simply declare our support for general principles. We wanted to make sure that these commitments would actually guide the behaviour of all our employees, world-wide. More than 1,000 Group executives have taken part in seminars designed to help them base their management methods on our principles and values, which all employees are expected to uphold in their daily actions. The extent to which they do is among the criteria for their annual evaluations.

Sustainable development lies at the heart of our objectives.
Clearly, the issue of economic, social and environmental responsibility should not be left to experts and specialists; for our company, it represents a more demanding standard against which we assess the way we conduct our operations.
Each business, each department needs to consider its potential impact on our various partners, in line with our Group's principles of action. We ask all employees to help shoulder this responsibility.

Rating agencies specialised in socially responsible investing are increasingly taking note of BNP Paribas efforts in this field.
However, our teams are well aware of how difficult it can be to fulfil society's multiple, complex and evolving expectations in this area and to find solutions that are acceptable to all stakeholders.

Michel Pébereau