Western Union Joins White House Call-to-Action for Private Sector Engagement on the Global Refugee Crisis
July 01 2016 - 8:30AM
Business Wire
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payment
services, announced its participation as a founding partner in the
White House call-to-action for private sector engagement on the
global refugee crisis.
There are more than 65 million displaced people in the world
today, the highest number on record since the UN Refugee Agency
(UNHCR) began collecting statistics. More than 21 million of these
people have crossed international borders in search of safety and
are registered as refugees. The despair that drives these people to
flee their homes is heart-breaking, but their resilience is awe
inspiring. Refugees are a valuable untapped resource and, if given
the opportunity, can thrive and contribute wherever they
reside.
A crisis of this scale, however, requires more than government
action. For this reason, Western Union is proud to join with
President Obama in challenging the U.S. private sector to draw on
its unique expertise, resources and entrepreneurial spirit to help
refugees regain control over their lives and integrate into their
new communities.
To date, Western Union has taken the following action to assist
the global refugee crisis:
Western Union has a long history of supporting issues related to
migration, refugees, and humanitarian crisis. In 2013, Western
Union drew early attention to the needs of young Syrian refugees
through a multi-year consumer fundraising campaign to benefit
UNICEF. In 2015, the company expanded its efforts to support
humanitarian relief for refugees throughout the Middle East &
Europe, taking a 360° approach by engaging a variety of assets and
audiences, including its core operations, corporate voice,
marketing and customer engagement programs, employee volunteerism,
business partnerships, corporate giving, and support from the
Western Union Foundation. Western Union designed a three-pronged
approach, designed to address short-, medium- and long-term needs
that were identified through hands-on field research.
- Products: Western Union products
have enabled NGO staff from Oxfam, IRC and others to send
humanitarian payments from their desktops directly to programs in
the field – including to refugees and fieldworkers. Western Union
is offering zero-fee and reduced fee promotions to support the
refugee community.
- Giving: In 2015, The Western
Union Foundation with the support of The Western Union Company
provided more than $600,000 in philanthropic contributions to
numerous charitable organizations serving refugee populations
throughout the Middle East and Europe, including longtime partners
Save the Children, Mercy Corps, and the Red Cross. Western Union
also contributed ten US cents per transaction for all
consumer-to-consumer transactions originated within the European
Union, giving more than $400,000. In 2016, The Western Union
Foundation has committed to giving more than $500,000 in
humanitarian assistance, raising additional funds from business
partners and employees to deliver critical support.
- Employees: Western Union has
matched employee contributions 2:1, and Western Union employees in
Europe have participated in hands-on volunteer efforts, collecting
donations, handing out supplies, even babysitting the children of
refugees so the parents could attend classes. Employees are working
with NGOs to teach a full year of Italian and German to roughly
1,000 new refugees – a camp-full. They have worked with Caritas to
create two homes for unaccompanied refugee children, and to provide
language skills and education.
- Customers: Western Union has
made it easy for customers to make a difference through the MyWU
customer loyalty program, which enabled Western Union customers to
redeem their loyalty points to support the refugee crisis both in
France and Germany, with Western Union matching their donations.
Western Union actively promoted points donation via SMS and email,
and used social media to provide transparent updates on progress
and encourage others to join in. Earlier this year, Western Union
donated more than €10,000 thanks to the generosity of loyalty
members.
About Western Union:
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global
payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago
Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment
services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with
fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around
the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of
March 31, 2016, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded
services were offered through a combined network of over 500,000
agent locations in 200 countries and territories and over 100,000
ATMs and kiosks, and included the capability to send money to over
a billion accounts. In 2015, The Western Union Company completed
262 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $82
billion of principal between consumers, and 508 million business
payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
Follow Western Union:
@WUNewsroom @WesternUnionCEO @WesternUnion @TheWUFoundation
About The Western Union Foundation
The Western Union Foundation is dedicated to creating a better
world, where the ability to realize dreams through economic
opportunity is not just a privilege for the few but a right for
all. Through its signature program, Education for Better, and with
the support of The Western Union Company, its employees, Agents,
and business partners, The Western Union Foundation works to
realize this vision by supporting education and disaster relief
efforts as pathways toward a better future. Our combined social
ventures efforts make life better for individuals, families and
communities around the world. Since its inception, The Western
Union Foundation has paid more than $106 million in grants and
other giving. These funds have been pledged to more than 2,794
nongovernmental organizations in more than 137 countries and
territories. The Western Union Foundation, is a separate §501(c)(3)
recognized United States charity. To learn more, visit
www.westernunionfoundation.org, or Follow us on Twitter
@TheWUFoundation.
WU-G
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Western Union Corporate
CommunicationsAmericas and European Union:Pia De
Lima, +1 954 260-5732pia.delima@westernunion.comorMiddle East,
Africa, APAC, Eastern Europe & CIS:Ingrid Sahu, +971
44373656Ingrid.sahu@westernunion.com
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