Intesa Sanpaolo's social commitment to reducing inequalities
Chief Social Impact Officer Paolo Bonassi participated in the event organised by UNHCR on World Refugee Day, reviewing some of the activities in which the Bank has worked alongside UNHCR in recent years and underlining the importance of Intesa Sanpaolo for Social Impact, the new Intesa Sanpaolo organisational unit dedicated to reducing inequality and poverty in Italy.
"All organisations – but especially businesses – are called upon to intensify their ESG commitment, with a particular focus on the ‘S’ of ‘social’ by striving to ensure that the partnership between the public, private and private social sectors becomes the driver of ever greater inclusion and social cohesion"
Paolo Bonassi - Chief Social Impact Officer
Intesa Sanpaolo's support for UNHCR projects offers a real contribution to the good of the community and the reduction of inequalities and is in line with its commitment to becoming the world's first impact bank.
Intesa Sanpaolo for Social Impact
Intesa Sanpaolo for Social Impact is the new organisational unit created at the behest of CEO Carlo Messina and dedicated to combating poverty and promoting social inclusion. It is primarily based in Brescia.
With resources of €1.5 billion by 2027 and more than a thousand people dedicated to social work, the Bank has set up the leading cohesion project in Italy, positioning itself as an institution at the country’s service to promote a fairer society.
The activities of Intesa Sanpaolo for Social Impact include:
- analysis of social needs, guidance and coordination of the Group's multiple initiatives, networking with social actors for the study of systemic and subsidiarity actions with a strong social impact
- responses to meet basic needs and wide-ranging programmes for the inclusion and social cohesion of individuals and families in situations of fragility
- combating educational poverty through training and employability programmes aimed especially at young and disadvantaged people.
Intesa Sanpaolo with UNHCR
Intesa Sanpaolo and UNHCR have developed structured actions to support communities over the years.
UNHCR projects supported by Intesa Sanpaolo include:
- DAFI, a programme to provide university education for young refugees, to whom the Bank is making available 19 scholarships.
- Welcome-Working for Refugee Integration, to foster the employment of refugees in Italy by promoting the engagement of the business community, institutions and civil society organisations.
UNHCR was also one of the first recipients of the donation for the Ukraine emergency with an immediate allocation of €3 million, to which was added around €2.3 million raised through For Funding, the Group's crowdfunding platform.
In the future, Intesa Sanpaolo plans to carry out initiatives with UNHCR that go beyond the emergency plan, in pursuit of shared planning and the construction of solid local social support networks.
Photo credits: courtesy UNHCR
Last updated 24 June 2024 at 17:52:54
