In 2015, United Nations member states defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A universal blueprint, in keeping with the importance of the challenges facing our planet: combating global warming, fighting poverty and building a more sustainable and inclusive world by 2030. Like states and citizens, businesses are invited to help stick to the agenda.
The Sustainable Development Goals identified as important for Orange... and its foundation
Orange identified 6 SDGs that resonate deeply with its purpose and strategy: to be the trusted player that gives everyone the keys to a responsible digital world. These are the goals that Orange has the biggest impact on and for which the company will report on its progress.
At the Orange Foundation, as part of our philanthropic commitment, we are developing integration actions through digital training, access to culture and improving the living conditions of the most disadvantaged populations. Through the programmes we deploy in Europe and Africa, we contribute primarily to two of the Orange Group’s objectives:
- number 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
- number 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development.
Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Reducing inequality and not letting anyone fall through the cracks are an integral part of efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
At the Orange Foundation, we have supported projects that promote learning for better social and professional integration in all the countries where Orange operates for many years. We use digital technology to combat digital illiteracy and to provide access to culture for as many people as possible.
Digital education is our priority. For people experiencing difficulties, it can help create equal opportunities as they look to the future:
- In our Women’s Digital Centres, we train women without qualifications and without jobs in Europe and Africa using digital tools. This training enables them to access paid employment and helps them to find a job, return to work, or retrain for a new career. Objective: the empowerment and integration of these women into society.
- In our Digital Schools and Solidarity FabLabs, we train schoolchildren and young people in difficulty to facilitate their access to education, training and employment.
Because digital does not solve everything, our teams in the field are also committed to working closely with local populations: the aim is to provide better living conditions and access to healthcare which are a prerequisite for access to education, particularly in Africa and for girls and women especially. We work in close collaboration with the Group’s subsidiaries and in partnership with local associations and NGOs.
Strengthened global cooperation
UStrong international cooperation is needed now more than ever to ensure that all countries have the means to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It is therefore necessary to strengthen the means of implementation for the Global Partnership. It is, for example, through the international partnerships that we establish (with NGOs, institutions, governments…) that our foundation can contribute to the development and revitalisation of this objective.
The Orange Foundation encourages and values the active participation of current and retired Orange Group employees in the activities of charitable associations. Through this volunteering and skills sponsorship, Orange employees are working alongside several hundred Orange Foundation partner associations to reduce inequality and, in particular, the digital divide.