Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER)

AFD’s commitment to act in favour of sustainable and equitable development is the cornerstone of its Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) policy.

It applies to Agence Française de Développement and its subsidiary PROPARCO and reinforces and complements the values and principles of the Group’s charters of professional ethics and Group charter.

The AFD Group Corporate Responsibility 2011 Report

The AFD's process

climate

Since its Global Compact membership AFD has devoted efforts to identify and scale up its contribution to meeting the goals and values of these texts, both in its functioning and operational practices.

This process has led AFD to

  • define a strategic programming method based on both the relevant stakes and the measurement of sustainable development outcomes
  • overhaul assessment and management procedures for environmental and social risks related to its funding
  • develop a transparency policy with the aim of increasing access to information on its functioning, mission, operations and intellectual production
  • analyse its environmental practices with a view to mitigating the ecological impact of its activity.
Find out more about AFD's environmental activities

The reference framework

In January 2007 Agence Française de Développement formally adopted as a reference framework for its social and environmental responsibility procedures

  1. the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  2. the International labour Organization conventions
  3. the three Rio Conventions
  4. the anti-corruption conventions of the OECD and United Nations, as well as international anti-money laundering rules.

In view of AFD’s mandate and activity, it is proposed to add to this reference framework the orientations defined by

  1. the Environment Charter included in the French Constitution
  2. the 15 May 2001 NRE law on new economic regulations
  3. the Paris Declaration on official development assistance effectiveness.

Standards, labels, codes of conduct or other reference frameworks relating to Corporate Social Responsibility developed by private or non-governmental initiatives are also to be taken into account as a source of capitalization.

AFD's environmental and social commitments

AFD Carbon Footprint ®

AFD has two simplified tools to analyse greenhouse gas emissions from its development projects and the vulnerability of the latter to the effects of climate change. The aim is to allow managers of projects financed by AFD to analyse their carbon content and to enhance project content by integrating climate change.

Find out more

Sustainable development and private sector

The private sector receives special attention.  It is the motor behind growth and contributes directly to achieving goals in the fight against poverty. But it can also have a negative impact on the environment and social cohesion.

Find out more
Last update in April 2013