HUMANITARIAN OPERATION LEBANON

Our actions in France

France— and more specifically Marseille, the historical birthplace of the Group—holds a special place for the CMA CGM Foundation, which carries out numerous initiatives in the region. The Foundation is also deeply committed to supporting projects across seven French overseas territories: French Polynesia, New Caledonia, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, and Mayotte.

Key figures

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    million meals distributed since 2020 across mainland and overseas France

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    educational projects implemented in Marseille

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    young beneficiaries supported through educational initiatives in the French overseas territories

Marseille

Marseille, the historical cradle of the Group, holds a special place for the CMA CGM Foundation, which carries out numerous actions in the region. 
 

Improving access to quality education

Since 2005, the CMA CGM Foundation has been committed to promoting education in Marseille, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who face significant barriers in accessing education, academic success, and professional integration.

  • To ensure training and professional integration, the CMA CGM Foundation launched in 2024 the “Formation d’Avenir” program for professional training and integration, notably supporting 11 schools and associations in Marseille.  Each year, these organizations provide annually 1,500 young people at risk of dropping out of school and far from employment with training and qualification opportunities in forward-looking sectors such as digital, energy transition, transport and logistics, cinema and audiovisual, heritage restoration, etc.
  • The CMA CGM Foundation has also supported the creation of Loyola College, a flagship institution for diversity and academic excellence. Located in the heart of the Euroméditerranée district, this innovative and inclusive college aims to accommodate up to 500 students, primarily from underserved neighborhoods across Marseille.

Education through sport

In Marseille, the CMA CGM Foundation is contributing to the Legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games by promoting access to sports and encouraging young people to discover the sea through a variety of initiatives:

  • The renovation of several City Stades in partnership with the OM Foundation – Treizième Homme, the Agence Nationale du Sport and the City of Marseille. The first renovated facility is located at the foot of the La Major Cathedral in the 2nd arrondissement. Two additional City Stades are scheduled to open in Marseille by the end of 2025.
  • The renovation of a modern, multifunctional sports field in 2024 at the Maison d’Enfants à Caractère Social (MECS) La Reynarde (11th arrondissement), providing 40 young people regular access to sports.
  • The renovation and layout of a multisport gym at La Source, a care home run by the Massabielle association, located in the Belle de Mai neighborhood. Equipped with a non-slip floor, a climbing wall, sports mats, and football goals, this new space promotes sports practice and social integration for more than 130 young people from the neighborhood each year.

A significant number of children in Marseille under the age of 12 do not know how to swim, even though drowning is the leading cause of fatal accidents among those under 25. Considering this concerning observation, the CMA CGM Foundation commits to expanding access to water-based activities and swimming education:

  • Support, since 2020, for the "Un pas vers la Mer " program, which enables 150 children, each year, to participate in a swimming program developed by the Marseille Capitale de la Mer association.
  • In 2023, launch of a sailing initiation program for 100 teenagers from Marseille, aboard skipper Eric Bellion's schooner Ahoy.
  • Launch of a sea discovery program for 800 young people from local social centers across Marseille in 2024, in partnership with the Léo Lagrange Méditerranée association.
  • In partnership with the association Le Grand Bleu, launch of a swimming education and discovery program for various water activities (swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, etc.) for 2,000 children and teenagers from priority neighborhoods in Marseille each year, at the Corbières nautical base. The program also includes vocational training for 115 young people annually in careers related to safety and supervision of aquatic activities—including lifeguarding, rescue operations, and swimming instruction.

Le Phare: The Social incubator of the CMA CGM Foundation

The Foundation aims to support entrepreneurs in developing innovative solutions with a social and educational vocation in the Marseille area through its social incubator, Le Phare. 

Fighting food insecurity

The CMA CGM Foundation is also actively engaged in combating food insecurity across mainland France. It provides financial, human, and logistical support to the main associations working in this field. Each year, employees of the CMA CGM Group come together alongside volunteers from Banques Alimentaires and Restos du Cœur to participate in national food drives.

In Marseille, spotlight on the Entrepôt Solidaire, the largest shared food warehouse in France.

Overseas

The CMA CGM Foundation is also active in seven French overseas territories: French Polynesia, New Caledonia, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, and Mayotte.
 

Response to Crisis and Natural Disasters

  • Since 2012, the Foundation has delivered more than 6,000 tons of humanitarian materials to overseas territories, including 103 containers in 2024 (over 850 tons), through its Containers of Hope program. This initiative is carried out in partnership with Banques Alimentaires, Bioport, the French Red Cross, Andès, and the Crisis and Support Center (CDCS) of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
  • The Foundation mobilizes its logistical capabilities to support government-led humanitarian operations during crisis or natural disasters. In January 2025, it signed a framework agreement with the General Directorate for Civil Security and Crisis Management (DGSCGC) of the Ministry of the Interior. In this context, 50 containers were shipped from the port of Marseille-Fos to Mayotte in the first quarter of 2025.
  • In collaboration with the French Red Cross, the CMA CGM Foundation supports crisis prevention and emergency response, through the strengthening of regional intervention platforms in the Caribbean Americas (PIRAC) and in the Indian Ocean (PIROI). This includes the construction, renovation, and equipment of Red Cross warehouses in Guadeloupe, Réunion, Mayotte, and Mauritius, in order to enhance their capacity to respond quickly to emergencies in overseas territories and neighboring countries.

Fighting food insecurity

  • Banques Alimentaires - Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion. 
    Since 2020, over 2.1 million meals have been distributed in overseas territories thanks to the support of the CMA CGM Foundation. In 2024, more than 800 tons of food products were shipped free of charge by sea from mainland France. That same year, the Foundation also provided financial support to strengthen the logistical capacities of the Banques Alimentaires by financing structural investments to improve the food distribution chain.
  • Andès, the Network of Solidarity Grocery Stores: through a network of 44 grocery stores in Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, and Mayotte, the equivalent of 500,000 meals will be distributed in 2025 thanks to the support of the CMA CGM Foundation.
  • Cop1 Student Solidarity: In 2024, the equivalent of 600,000 meals was distributed through the two existing branches in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Starting in 2025, with the opening of a new branch in Réunion, the goal is to distribute 900,000 meals per year in 2025 and 2026.

 

 

Training and professional integration

The Adapted Military Service (SMA), created in 1961, is a military-based program designed to support the social and professional integration of young people aged 16 to 25 who are distanced from employment. Each year, it accommodates 6,000 volunteers (10% of a generation) who have access to a complete pathway: initial military training of 2 months, professional training lasting between 4 and 10 months depending on the field (10% of the participants entering the transport and logistics sector) and a phase of professional integration. 84% of the SMA graduates find a job or continue their training. The SMA Foundation, established in 2023, aims to secure the social and professional integration pathway of young people from overseas territories upon their departure from the SMA.

In 2025, the CMA CGM Foundation became the main partner of the Adapted Military Service Foundation to enable sustainable professional integration of 400 young people from overseas territories. Through this partnership, the CMA CGM Foundation supports more than 400 young people from the SMA who have found employment, are continuing their education, or are developing entrepreneurial projects. This support includes helping them obtain specialized licenses (heavy vehicle licenses), pursuing further education (primarily in the transport and logistics sector), gaining access to housing (assistance with settling in and the provision of essential furniture kits), and fostering entrepreneurial initiatives in local agriculture (to promote food autonomy in the overseas territories).