corporate social responsibility complete report France ... - Orange

22 a responsible GroupAfrica, Middle-East, Asia (AMEA)In 2008 further emphasis was placed onenvironmental actions. With regard to socialresponsibility, discussions have begun tocommunicate the Group‟s diversity policy inaccordance with the local context.The subsidiaries also maintained their historicalinvolvement in charitable activities, with the help of theOrange Foundation.access for allTo democratize the use of information andcommunication technologies, subsidiaries in the zoneare developing tariff packages adapted to low incomepopulations.In this way, a first top-up offering for Orange customeraccounts (“Transfert Pays”) was launched in April2008 in Madagascar and Senegal.In 2009 this should extend to other African countries.In the Côte d‟Ivoire, at the end of 2008, , inpartnership with BNP Paribas, the Group launched thefirst secure payment and money transfer service viamobile telephone in Western Africa. Called OrangeMoney, this service aims to make up for the low rateof bank penetration in the Côte d‟Ivoire, anindispensable factor for the economic and socialdevelopment of the country.In 2008, Mauritius Telecom launched NetPC, anoffering for people who do not have computers to usea single screen to connect to a centralized serveroffering Microsoft Office software and broadbandInternet for 30 hours per month for a monthlysubscription rate of less than €12.In terms of infrastructure, the Group is involved in twoprojects for the construction of undersea cables thatwill relieve the isolation of the countries in the zone:- The LION project will provide Madagascar withsecure international connectivity at lower cost,- The ACE project (Africa Coast to Europe) involvesthe construction of an undersea fibre optic cableapproximately 12,000 kilometres long that willallow more than 20 countries in West Africa toconnect to the Internet.community investmentOrange foundations are in place in Senegal, Mali,Côte d‟Ivoire and Jordan. They are conducting localphilanthropy projects, often as part of joint actions withthe Orange Foundation, with special emphasis oneducation.On 2 June 2008, Orange Foundation Mali signed athree-way partnership agreement with UNICEF andthe Malian Ministry of Education for the construction of114 classrooms. As part of this partnership, theOrange Mali Orange Foundation will finance 36classrooms and 12 warehouse offices for a total costof 368,500,000 CFA francs (€552,750). These newclasses will provide approximately 8,000 students withaccess to education.In Niger, in partnership with the NGO “Aid and Action”,Orange Foundation and Orange Niger are investing inthe “girls in school” project. This aims to contribute tothe education of 1,500 primary school pupils, 50% ofwhom are girls, in 15 rural schools in the Tillaberyregion, in western Niger.In Guinea, as part of its action against visiondeficiency, the Orange Foundation, working withOrange Guinea, gave support to the Helen KellerInternational (NGO) campaign to distribute vitamin Ato 1.5 million children.environmentIn 2008, the priority projects of the AMEA subsidiariesfocused on energy efficiency, waste management andvisual and auditory impacts.The flagship program featured the deployment ofmobile stations entirely powered by solar energy (seepage 44). At the end of 2008, 226 solar energystations were in place in Madagascar, Senegal, Nigerand Guinea. The goal is to install 1,000 from now tothe end of 2009.In addition, to encouraging the establishment ofenvironmental management systems in the varioussubsidiaries in the zone, work has begun with thesupport of the group‟s environmental management toprovide correspondent countries with a methodologyguide. A pilot program is being tested in Madagascarand will later be adapted to other countries in theregion.Among other noteworthy projects in the year, Jordanconducted an employee awareness project for greenbehaviour and invited its staff to participate in a forestcleanup day as part of the international “Clean Up theWorld” initiative. Entitled “Together we can save theenvironment”, this program brought together 150employee volunteers led by the enthusiastic CEO ofJordan Telecom.key facts & figuresThe AMEA (Africa, Middle East and Asia) zonecovers 20 countries for fixed and mobile telephonyand the Internet.Orange is a leader in the majority of thesecountries.- 2008 revenues: 5% of Group revenues- 13,995 employees (active at end of period)- 20 million customers