Western Union Joins White House Call-to-Action for Private Sector Engagement on the Global Refugee Crisis

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.–(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

Contacts

Western Union Corporate Communications
Americas
and European Union:

Pia De Lima, +1 954 260-5732
pia.delima@westernunion.com
or
Middle
East, Africa, APAC, Eastern Europe & CIS:

Ingrid Sahu, +971
44373656
Ingrid.sahu@westernunion.com

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