Western Union Advances Commitment to Global Refugee Crisis Launching Company-wide Global Initiative
Supporting Economic Opportunities
Western Union CEO attends White House Call-to-Action Meeting for Private Sector Engagement
As a founding partner of the White House Call-to-Action for private sector engagement on the global refugee crisis,
the Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payment services, today announced expanded participation.
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Fact Sheet: Western Union and the Western Union Foundation, Standing With Refugees (September 20, 2016) (Graphic:
Business Wire)
The Western Union Foundation has pledged a three-year grant support totaling USD$ 750,000 to the Whitaker Peace &
Development Initiative (WPDI) that will help provide access to education for 10,000 refugees in Uganda.
During a White House Call-to-Action meeting today in New York, Western Union CEO, Hikmet Ersek reaffirmed exploring the
opportunity to use Western Union’s cross-border platform, marketplace voice, charitable giving and talent to help refugees
participate more directly in the global economy. Western Union’s support will extend to include education, employment and
enablement initiatives.
“The need for assistance is great, and a crisis of this scale requires action on many fronts,” said Ersek. “Supporting the
people in the communities that we serve through education and economic opportunity is in the DNA of Western Union and can provide
new ways toward a better future.”
Western Union’s White House Call-to-Action program includes looking at ways to expand access to education for refugee children
and young adults, leveraging Western Union’s products and services to implement refugee crisis response initiatives, and
proactively striving to make job opportunities available to refugees via traditional employment and shorter-term assignments, such
as internships and freelance opportunities, with Western Union and teaming up with key corporate partners. The Western Union
Foundation’s three-year commitment to WPDI, the non-governmental organization created by Forest Whitaker, represents the first step
in this multi-year effort.
WPDI’s successful approach to training refugees focuses on life skills, vocational training and entrepreneurship. This will
serve as a blueprint to implement a new program in a camp in Kiryandongo, Uganda where the UNHCR reports that approximately 70,000
refugees and asylum seekers from Kenya, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan reside, 85% of whom are under 18. Uganda hosts the
eighth-largest refugee population in the world, third-largest in Africa.
“After meeting Hikmet at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit this year, it became clear that partnering with the
Western Union Foundation was a natural fit and alignment with our passion and purpose for strengthening communities,” said WPDI
Founder and CEO, Forest Whitaker. “Connecting to people, empowering them with the tools they need to succeed, and teaching them to
give back to others is a very powerful thing.”
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 June 30, 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 billions of
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.
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.
About the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative
WPDI is a non-governmental organization with an international scope and reach, founded by Forest Whitaker in 2012. WPDI develops
an array of peacebuilding programs, initiatives and campaigns to foster peace and reconciliation in disadvantaged and fragile
communities in Africa, Latin America, and the United States. Our mission is to help societies impacted by destructive conflicts
transform into safer and more-prosperous communities. Visit us online at www.wpdi.org and follow us on Twitter (@connectWPDI), Facebook, and Instagram (whitaker_peace).
WU-G
Western Union
Rachel Rogala, +1 720-332-2686
Global Corporate Communications
Rachel.rogala@westernunion.com
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