United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
Access Bank became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) in April 2009. The UNGC, which is now the world’s biggest and best supported Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative offers 10 principles for signatory companies to follow, covering the environment, labour relations, human rights and anticorruption.
After our year of grace, we will communicate our activities through an annual Communications on Progress (COP) Report. The COP to the UNGC will outline Access Bank’s continued commitment to the Compact's philosophy, intent and principles. The document will highlight key actions implemented in 2009 against the Compact's ten principles as well as confirming our sustainability priorities and performance targets.
www.unglobalcompact.org
United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
The United Nations Environment Programme’s Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) continues to be key for Access Bank. UNEP FI is a global partnership between UNEP and the financial sector. Over 170 institutions including banks, insurers and fund managers, work with UNEP to understand the impacts of environmental and social considerations on financial performance.
www.unepfi.org
Business in the Community (BiTC)
Access Bank is the 1st and only Nigerian member of Business in the community (BiTC), an organization that inspires, engages, supports and challenges companies to integrate responsible business practice into their operations.
We value Business in the Community (BITC) for its practical expertise in the four impact areas - workplace, marketplace, environment and community.
www.bitc.org.uk
United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI)
Access Bank is the only indigenous Nigerian signatory to become a member of the UNPRI. Launched in April 2006 by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, the Principles provide a framework of possible actions for incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues into mainstream investment decision-making and ownership practices.
Adopting the UN Principles reinforces the commitment Access Bank has made to sustainable development and contributes to our goal of incorporating sustainability further into our core operations, both from a risk and business development perspective. www.unpri.org
Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC)
Established in 2001, the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC) has developed an alliance of over 220 international companies united to keep the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria a global priority.
The GBC provides a platform for businesses to respond to the AIDS epidemic in a variety of ways; such as, taking action in the workplace and extending programs into communities, by using products, innovation, skills and services creatively and by advocating for greater action by all sectors of society.
The GBC leads on innovative initiatives to help address the pandemic. For instance, as part of the 2008 World AIDS Day activities, CEOs of organizational members of the GBC signed a non-discrimination pledge, as part of action-oriented initiatives to support GBC members in communicating their role in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Access Bank is also represented by the Group Managing Director/ CEO on the GBC Advisory board.
www.gbcimpact.org
Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NIBUCAA)
Access Bank became a member of the Coalition in 2007.
The Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NIBUCAA) is part of the national response to the HIV & AIDS pandemic. The coalition overarching goal is to support business to implement workplace HIV & AIDS programmes and to position members individually as well as collectively to contribute to the national response to HIV pandemic. www.nibucaa.org
Equator Principles (EP)
The Equator Principles provide a framework to help banks manage their impacts on society and the environment from infrastructure and other projects that they finance.
We adopted the principles in 2009 and we apply them to all project finance and advisory engagements.
Following the Principles means that we categories the risks of lending opportunities, based on criteria common to all signatories. We require borrowers to demonstrate the extent to which they meet agreed guidelines and standards. Loans for high and medium-risk projects include covenants requiring borrowers to comply with their action plan to address the risks. We monitor compliance and work with borrowers if necessary to help them achieve their plans. www.equator-principles.com
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
Access Bank is the only Nigerian financial services provider in Nigeria that is an organisational stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
The GRI's vision is that reporting on economic, environmental, and social performance by all organisations is as routine and comparable as financial reporting. The GRI network accomplishes this vision by developing, continuously improving and building capacity around the use of a Sustainability Reporting Framework, the core of which is the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.
The GRI framework gives guidance on how social responsibility or sustainability reports should be produced, including a set of core and discretionary indicators that should be used.
GRI advocates uptake on a voluntary basis. The framework represents the expectations of civil society for organisational behaviour from a sustainability perspective. GRI bases its legitimacy on its multi stakeholder process and its transparency which includes businesses, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), labour unions, and others.
Access Bank is one of the over 1500 organizations from 60 countries that use the GRI guidelines to produce their sustainability reports and have declared their voluntary adoption of the guideline worldwide.
Access Bank’s 2008 Corporate Social Responsibility Report has been developed in alignment with the guidelines developed by the Global Reporting Initiative. These guidelines are intended to enhance the quality, rigor and utility of sustainability reporting and to provide standard definition. www.globalreporting.org
London Benchmarking Group (LBG)
London Benchmarking Group (LBG) is a business membership organisation whose members commit to measuring and benchmarking their corporate community investment contributions using the London Benchmarking Group (LBG) methodology.
It is a member-driven organization where companies have been working collectively since 1994, under the guidance of Corporate Citizenship, to, among other things; continue the development of a global measurement standard – the LBG model.
Access Bank Plc is the pioneering and only Nigerian organisation that is a member of the London Benchmarking Group (LBG). We joined the LBG in March 2009 to assist us improve on the existing framework for investing in the community and reporting on these investments. www.lbg-online.net
Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF)
Access Bank’s commitment to partnerships for development is further demonstrated through our membership of the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), as a Gold member, the foundation’s highest level of membership.
Membership of this foundation helps Access Bank support genuine efforts in the conservation of nature and its resources with the aim of improving quality of human life through:
- Preserving the full range of Nigeria’s biodiversity
- Promoting sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations
- Advocating actions that minimize pollution and wasteful utilization of renewable resources
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) is the premier charitable environmental organization in Nigeria. The NCF has gained local and international acclaim as a reputable, influential and highly successful environmental NGO.
NCF track records cut across conservation education, biodiversity surveys and species identification, policy advocacy, habitat identification and protection, research, internship for college graduates, media sensitization and fundraising, advocacy for rare species conservation, fight against environmental pollution and poverty reduction. www.ncfnigeria.org
Convention On Business Integrity (CBI)
Access Bank Plc is a member of the Convention on Business Integrity (CBI).
Our membership of the CBI is in furtherance of Access Bank’s transparency, integrity and accountability in governance and enables us effectively contribute to efforts at fighting corruption. We therefore will participate in the CBI’s five star ranking scheme on corporate governance.
The CBI was established in 1995 with the aim of encouraging businesses to abide by ethical principles and procedures while ensuring full compliance with ethics, code of professional conduct and award businesses who have satisfactorily completed the requirements with a “tick mark” which can be stamped on letterheads and advertising materials of the organization. www.theconvention.org