Regional Hub of the Veolia Foundation

• The Veolia Foundation opens its Veoliaforce Regional Hub in Rabat, Morocco, aimed at Africa, Near, and the Middle East. This operational platform is designed to bolster the Foundation's ability to respond to humanitarian emergencies.
• Based in Morocco, the new hub will bring the Foundation's expertise and equipment closer to the needs of the region, particularly in the field of water access.

• On this occasion, the Veolia Foundation and the Moroccan Red Crescent signed a partnership agreement to enhance their collaboration through the Veoliaforce skills-based volunteer program. The partnership will focus on training, technical support, and the deployment of Veolia Foundation's emergency equipment, notably Aquaforce water treatment units.

   

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A New Step in Humanitarian Engagement With the launch of its new hub in Rabat, the Veolia Foundation is reaffirming its commitment to working alongside humanitarian and institutional partners in Africa, Near, and the Middle East. Since 2004, the Foundation has supported over 1,500 public-interest projects worldwide and conducted more than 200 field missions involving skills-based volunteering. This hub will further improve the Foundation's capacity to rapidly mobilize volunteers, technical expertise, and operational equipment where needs are most acute.

Serving as a regional anchor, the Morocco-based hub will facilitate training, storage, and the deployment of the Veolia Foundation's operational resources. It will provide support to partners committed to strengthening local resilience and access to essential services, especially in water, sanitation, and emergency management.

Morocco was chosen due to Veolia's long-standing presence in the country nearly 25 years of supporting essential services in collaboration with local authorities, institutions, and partners. The decision also reflects Morocco's unique role as a regional and international cooperation leader, positioned at the crossroads of several strategic geographic areas.

The launch event brought together institutional representatives, international organizations, and key humanitarian actors, including the Moroccan Red Crescent, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The gathering provided an opportunity to discuss field needs and explore ways in which the Veolia Foundation could support its partners with technical expertise, training, and operational equipment through skills-based volunteering.

"With this regional hub in Morocco, the Veolia Foundation is taking a new step in the international expansion of Veoliaforce. Our ambition is to bring our resources closer to the field, strengthen collective preparedness, and work with our partners to develop concrete solutions for the most vulnerable populations," said David Poinard, Executive Director of the Veolia Foundation.

The hub's launch follows an intensive training program for new Veoliaforce volunteers from across the region. Through technical workshops and hands-on simulations, these volunteers have been trained to use the Foundation's emergency equipment, including Aquaforce water treatment units, to ensure rapid deployment in crisis situations.

On this occasion, the Veolia Foundation and the Moroccan Red Crescent formalized their partnership. The agreement includes providing Veoliaforce volunteers for technical expertise sharing, training in the use of Foundation equipment, and participation in preparation, coordination, and humanitarian emergency response actions.

As a public-interest organization and auxiliary to public authorities in the humanitarian sector, the Moroccan Red Crescent has a major local presence through its network of committees and volunteers. This partnership will combine the Veolia Foundation's technical expertise with the Moroccan Red Crescent's local knowledge and operational capacity.

"This collaboration between the Moroccan Red Crescent and the Veolia Foundation embodies our shared commitment to humanitarian projects. By combining the Moroccan Red Crescent's proximity to communities with the Veolia Foundation's operational expertise, we are creating synergies to amplify our impact," said Dr. Mohammed Bendali, Head of First Aid, Youth and Disaster Management at the Moroccan Red Crescent.

Beyond launching an operational platform, this initiative demonstrates the Veolia Foundation's commitment to developing sustainable regional capacities based on proximity, cooperation, and the mobilization of practical expertise. From Rabat, the hub aims to strengthen connections among public, humanitarian, and technical stakeholders to enhance resilience and access to essential services.

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ABOUT THE VEOLIA FOUNDATION

For more than two decades, the Veolia Foundation has supported public-interest initiatives in France and internationally in three key areas: social inclusion and employment access, environmental and biodiversity protection, and humanitarian aid and development. As an operational foundation, it relies on three complementary tools: skills-based volunteering, financial support for public-interest projects, and the provision of specialized technical equipment, particularly in water and sanitation. Its Veoliaforce program deploys volunteer employees from the Veolia Group to provide technical assistance to NGOs, public institutions, and humanitarian organizations facing emergencies or complex challenges in accessing essential services.