BBVA - Press Room

• To mark the anniversary, BBVA Chairman & CEO Francisco González has signed the CEO statement of the Global Compact and sent a letter to all BBVA Group employees
• BBVA has launched a course on human rights that is accessible to all Group employees
• "Respect for human dignity and rights constitutes an essential ethical requirement on the part of all working here at the BBVA Group"
• BBVA upholds that compliance with BBVA's commitment to human rights, approved in December 2007, is largely predicated on employee familiarity with this and other undertakings assumed in this arena
  

In conjunction with the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, BBVA Chairman & CEO Francisco González has signed the CEO statement of the Global Compact. In addition, BBVA has launched a course on human rights accessible to all Group employees. With these two initiatives, BBVA has joined the United Nations Global Compact with the goal of reinforcing the commitment by all segments of society and the economy to the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration.

The celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 2008 marks a unique opportunity to reaffirm BBVA's commitments in this area.

In a letter sent to all Group employees, the Chairman & CEO of BBVA stressed that "respect for human dignity and rights constitutes an essential ethical requirement on the part of all working here at the BBVA Group."

He went on to state that "BBVA's commitment to human rights represents a clear expression of our principle-driven business model and forms the cornerstone of our corporate responsibility policy."

Two initiatives to mark the anniversary

Two major initiatives were undertaken to mark this important milestone. Firstly, in conjunction with the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Chairman & CEO of BBVA signed a CEO statement of the Global Compact and, secondly, BBVA launched a course on human rights which is accessible by all Group employees.

The overriding purpose of the United Nations Global Compact is to communicate to entities worldwide that those signing the declaration, regardless of their country of origin or line of business, acknowledge the importance of respecting and supporting human rights within their sphere of influence.

The BBVA Group, through its CEO statement, now features on the list of entities officially committed to human rights. The link to this list is: www.unglobalcompact.org/Issues/human_rights/CEO_Statement.html.

Course launched on human rights

Secondly, BBVA has launched a course on human rights in all its operating markets via its Conoce ("learn") online learning platform. All interested employees are entitled to sign up for the course.

BBVA upholds that compliance with BBVA's commitment to human rights, approved in December 2007, is largely predicated on employee familiarity with this and other undertakings in this arena. This commitment arose in response to the demands of society at large.

The BBVA commitment to human rights training course is structured into the following sections:

• Objectives
• Reasons underpinning the commitment
• Ethical behavior and personal and professional integrity as part of our corporate culture.
• Our Code of Conduct
• The 10 Principles of the United Nations Global Compact. These principles are illustrated with examples of best corporate practice in implementation.
• Understanding BBVA's commitment to human rights in relation to BBVA stakeholders: customers, suppliers, employees and society.
• This section includes real-life case studies with the goal of highlighting the risks and opportunities flowing from this commitment.
• The Responsible Behavior Channel, where employees can draw attention to ethically questionable situations, based on the content of the Code of Conduct, including situations that could arise from any potential violation of human rights

There is also a section called "Learning more" targeted at employees with an interest in exploring these issues in greater depth.

United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

The United Nations CEO statement is worded as follows: "On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we, business leaders from all corners of the world, call on governments to implement fully their human rights obligations. We also reiterate our own commitment to respect and support human rights within our sphere of influence. Human rights are universal and are an important business concern all over the globe."