The United Nations Sustainable Goal 16:
Promote Just, Peaceful and Inclusive Societies.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consist of 17 key commitments that strive to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030.
Yann Arthus Bertrand has chosen this photo to represent the challenges of meeting the United Nations SDG 16.
Yann Arthus Bertrand - Iraqi tank cemetery in the desert near Jahra, Kuwait (29° 26’ N – 47° 24’ E).
This field of tanks is witness to the nefarious effects that war still has on health and the environment. In 1991, during the first Gulf War, 1 million depleted uranium projectiles were used and these munitions will affect the environment for a long time.
According to the United Nations:
- In 2014, the majority of detected trafficking victims were women and girls (71 per cent), and about 28 per cent were children (20 per cent girls and 8 per cent boys). Over 90 per cent of victims detected were trafficked for sexual exploitation or forced labour.
- Since 1998, more than half of countries (116 of 197) have established a national human rights institution that has been peer reviewed for compliance with internationally agreed standards (the Paris Principles). However, only 75 of these countries have institutions that are fully compliant.
BNP Paribas:
BNP Paribas fully contributes to achieving all 17 SDGs through a large range of actions and initiatives.
Our commitment to achieving SDG 16:
Partnership with the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative:
BNP Paribas and the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) have signed on December 2018, a five-year partnership within the framework of a program in South Africa aimed at helping young men and women from Cape Town districts to fill the roles of peacemakers and entrepreneurs within their community.
On the year of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this partnership extends the cooperation that has been established in California between WPDI and Bank of the West, the BNP Paribas’ US retail banking subsidiary. It completes the Group’s worldwide action in favour of youth inclusion, with a strong dynamic in France where BNP Paribas is one of the most committed companies to provide school and professional support to young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Within the framework of the Youth Peacemaker Network, WPDI’s flagship program that will be deployed in the Flats area of Cape Town, 360 young leaders will receive trainings in new technologies, conflict resolution and business management, as well as the necessary resources to enable them to carry out their projects with every chance of success. They will become mediators and committed entrepreneurs within their community, exerting a positive influence on 60,000 other young people and residents.
Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, Director and Managing Director of BNP Paribas added: "Education and the strengthening of dialogue among individuals are essential for the common future of all the world’s inhabitants. BNP Paribas has been committed for many years to the social and professional inclusion of young people. Bank of the West and Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative are already working together to develop a program aimed at promoting non-violence among middle school students in the United States. The Forest Whitaker initiative is one of the most generous and effective among those led by leading figures in the arts. We are delighted to now accompany his effort in South Africa and the United States”.