The CMA CGM Foundation Becomes the Main Partner of the Adaptive Military Service Foundation to Support the Long-Term Professional Integration of 400 Young People from the French Overseas Territories

At a signing ceremony held at the Ministry of the Overseas in Paris, attended by Tanya Saadé Zeenny, President of the CMA CGM Foundation, Brigadier General Patrice Bellon, Commander of the Adaptive Military Service, and General (2s) Jean-Pierre Metz, President of the Adaptive Military Service Foundation, the CMA CGM Foundation became the principal partner of the Adaptive Military Service Foundation. This commitment strengthens the CMA CGM Foundation's action in favor of the professional integration of young people in the French Overseas Territories and illustrates the common desire of the two Foundations to make a concrete contribution to the development of the Overseas Territories.

On this occasion, Tanya Saadé Zeenny, President of the CMA CGM Foundation, declared: “This partnership with the SMA Foundation will enable 400 young people from the French overseas territories to find a job, receive training or even launch an entrepreneurial project. Specific support for vocational training in logistics will help build bridges with CMA CGM's businesses. This action reinforces the historical presence of our Group and its Foundation in the French overseas territories.”

According to General Jean-Pierre Metz, President of the Adaptive Military Service Foundation: “With this three-year agreement, the CMA CGM Foundation and the SMA Foundation are taking a new step forward for the benefit of young people in overseas territories. It is a contract based on trust, providing the young people supported by the SMA Foundation with additional material and human resources. It's a fantastic opportunity to be able to count on the CMA CGM Foundation, which is present in all French overseas territories.”

As part of its educational initiatives, the CMA CGM Foundation is supporting training and professional integration in the French overseas territories by awarding 400 scholarships over three years to young people from seven overseas territories (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion Island, Mayotte, French Polynesia and New Caledonia).

This personalized support will complement the training young volunteers receive after leaving the regiment. The main objective is to facilitate and secure the transition to professional life. These funds will be used to finance targeted actions, such as obtaining specialized driving licenses (e.g. for HGV drivers), attending training courses in addition to those that young people attend as part of their Adaptive Military Service, covering the cost of housing adaptations related to new job opportunities that require young people to leave the family home, and support for local entrepreneurship, in particular. This partnership is particularly aimed at supporting projects that contribute to the strategy of food self-sufficiency in the French overseas territories.

In a context marked by the challenge of rebuilding Mayotte after Cyclone Chido, 50 young people in the archipelago will receive targeted support. By supporting their training and access to employment, this initiative contributes directly to the economic and social dynamism of the territory, while providing opportunities for young Mahorais.

The CMA CGM Foundation will provide specific support for logistics training, both in warehousing and multimodal transport. The aim is to improve the skills of young people in the French overseas territories and to maximize their chances of finding employment in the logistics sector by building bridges with the CMA CGM Group's businesses.

Finally, the CMA CGM Foundation will study the creation of a container processing industry based on the trades taught in the SMA regiments. This initiative will create local jobs in a promising sector.

Since 1961, the SMA has welcomed 6,000 young people aged 16 to 25 from the French overseas territories, 30% of whom are women. Thanks to the SMA, these volunteers participate in a complete program: an initial military training phase of 2 months, a vocational training phase of 4 to 10 months, depending on the field, and an integration phase.

More than 84% of the beneficiaries leave the 118 SMA training courses with a job or further training. Of these young people, 10% enter the transport and logistics sector.

Created in July 2023, the SMA Foundation brings together public, private and associative actors in the fight against exclusion, discrimination and poverty. Its goal is to respond to targeted projects to ensure the socio-professional integration of former volunteers and, more generally, young people in the French Overseas Territories. Since its creation, the Foundation has supported more than 150 projects.

The SMA Foundation aims to integrate 40% of its beneficiaries who are women and to professionally integrate 90% of the young people it supports in 7 overseas territories.

In addition to its commitment to the training and professional integration of young people in the French Overseas Territories, the CMA CGM Foundation is also involved in humanitarian activities. In partnership with the French Red Cross, it contributes to the improvement of the regional intervention platforms PIRAC (Americas-Caribbean) and PIROI (Indian Ocean), which play a key role in responding to crises and natural disasters by pre-positioning emergency supplies to enable a rapid response in the event of a disaster.

It also provides logistical support to humanitarian and institutional actors to deliver emergency aid. After Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte, the CMA CGM Foundation, in partnership with the French Civil Protection (DGSCGC), coordinated and financed the shipment of 50 containers of humanitarian aid from the port of Marseille-Fos to the archipelago.

Finally, the CMA CGM Foundation supports the French Food Banks in its fight against food insecurity by purchasing food and strengthening its logistical capacity. Since 2023, more than 1,000 tonnes of food have also been transported free of charge from France to the French overseas territories. In partnership with ANDES in the French Overseas Territories and the Cop1 Solidarités Étudiantes association, the Foundation is also enabling the distribution of nearly 3 million meals to people in precarious situations between 2024 and 2026.