Achievements
Barclays is committed to being a responsible global citizen and our work in this area has achieved notable success. From global campaigns to local fundraising and industry-leading initiatives, we are acting on our pledge to support the communities in which we have a presence.
Leading on human rights
In 2008 and 2007, we co-chaired the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative Workstream. Working with representatives from 12 financial services businesses, we developed and launched an online tool to help lenders identify potential human rights risks in business relationships.
Unicef partnership
In November 2008 we announced a global partnership with Unicef. Through the Building young futures programme, we will invest £5m over three years to provide education, training and employment opportunities for children in 12 developing countries.
Rewarding colleagues' commitments
The annual Barclays Chairman's Awards recognise the work of individuals and teams across the business in supporting their local community. Winners in 2008 included a team from Barclaycard in the USA who mentored pupils at a local school, and volunteers from Absa in South Africa, whose fundraising helped pay for water sanitation facilities for a rural village.
Projects around the world
Colleagues from Barclays branches and offices all over the world volunteer time and share skills to support projects in their communities. In 2007, we invested £52.4m in community projects and more than 43,000 colleagues in 26 countries were involved in fundraising and volunteering initiatives.
