We represent 33 organizations calling on Western Union to end its business relationship with Burma’s military. The Burmese military has been accused by United Nations investigators of being responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Western Union is in a business relationship with a military-owned bank in Burma, which it uses as one of its agents in the country. Myawaddy Bank is a subsidiary of a giant military business conglomerate called Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (UMEHL). Profits from Myawaddy Bank benefit the military.
The United Nations-mandated International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar has urged the international community to “sever ties with Myanmar’s military and the vast web of companies it controls and relies on” as “any foreign business activity involving the Tatmadaw (military) and its conglomerates MEHL and MEC poses a high risk of contributing to, or being linked to, violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. At a minimum, these foreign companies are contributing to supporting the Tatmadaw’s financial capacity.”
Western Union is doing business with a military responsible for the rape of thousands of women, and the killing of thousands more. There are plenty of alternative non-military companies in Burma that Western Union can use in Burma. There is no justification for putting money into the pockets of Burma’s brutal military.
We commend Western Union CEO Hikmet Ersek for speaking out for the rights of migrants and refugees. However, Western Union has partnered with Burma’s army that forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, creating the world’s largest group of refugees. By partnering with Burma’s generals, Western Union puts at risk its reputation and that of its top management.
We urge Western Union to end its partnership with Myawaddy Bank. We further urge Western Union to adopt a policy of not doing business with any Burmese military-owned or military-controlled companies and conduct the necessary thorough due diligence to ensure that it does not partner with such companies again.
Signers
Action Committee for Democracy Development
ALTSEAN-Burma
Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters- HRDP
Association Suisse Birmanie (Swiss Burma Association)
Burma Campaign UK
Burma Task Force
Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK)
CodePink
Collectif HAMEB
Dana Investment Advisors
Free Burma Campaign (South Africa)
Friends Fiduciary Corporation
Fund Our Future
Global Witness
Independent Old Catholic Church, Office of Ecumenical, Interfaith, and Global Engagement
As you know, Sudan is facing one of the most critical humanitarian crises in the world today. It is the site of the largest internal displacement crisis on Earth. Conflict and genocide have 25 million Sudanese struggling with limited access to food, clean water, and basic medical care. That is half of the population.
Entire communities are uprooted, seeking safety in already overwhelmed areas, and the situation continues to deteriorate as resources become scarcer by the day.
We are reaching out to you because you have taken action for Sudan in the past. Over the past year, you have taken nearly 13,000 actions on behalf of the people of Sudan. Congress and the Biden Administration are listening.
Your donation will allow us to:
Continue to raise awareness about the genocide in Sudan. While it may not be leading newscasts or appearing on the front pages of newspapers, policymakers are talking about Sudan. That is because of your actions. With your help, we can continue to sound the alarm about what is happening.
Make the U.S. government do more to end the genocide in Sudan. Congress can and must act to end the violence, get more humanitarian aid into the country, and force the warring parties to sit down and work out a deal for lasting peace.
Stop the Biden Administration from providing weapons to the UAE. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been the principal sponsor of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. The RSF has been committing atrocities across Sudan. That must stop.
Make the NBA step away from the UAE. As the National Basketball League (NBA) touts its support for diversity, inclusion, and civil rights in the United States, it cozies up to dictators around the globe. In 2021, it entered into a contract with the UAE to inlcude hosting games in that repressive nation. By working with the UAE government and whitewashing its repressive policies and support for genocide, the NBA is complicit in the UAE’s crimes against humanity. We can make them stop.
The need is urgent—and every contribution makes a difference. With your support, we can bring hope to those who have lost so much. Please consider making a donation today to help us save lives in Sudan.
Help us end the #UyghurGenocide
As you may have seen, Volkswagen has announced it is leaving Xinjiang, China. This is due to public pressure from you and people like you who took actions to let Volkswagen know that its complicity in the genocide against the Uyghurs is not acceptable. In 2024, you took nearly 7
The Uyghur community faces genocide, persecution, forced labor and organ harvesting, and separation from their families at unprecedented levels. For years, millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim groups in China’s Xinjiang region have been subjected to severe restrictions on their basic freedoms, leaving families and entire communities struggling to survive under immense pressure.
You have taken nearly 70,000 actions on behalf of the Uyghurs. We cannot thank you enough for that. Because of you, Congress is listening. Because of you, companies like Volkswagen are leaving Xinjiang, and Shein is on alert. But we cannot stop now.
By making a donation today, you can help us:
Raise awareness of the issue. Companies like VW and Shein rely on people not knowing where their products and the materials for their products come from. It has been estimated that one in five cotton garments are made with cotton from Xinjiang.
Keep goods made with slave labor off the international market.Earlier this year, thousands of luxury cars made by VW brands were kept out of the United States because they included parts made by Uyghur slave labor. Your actions led to the ban on goods from Xinjiang. Your help will let us keep the pressure on lawmakers to keep goods made by slave labor out of the U.S. and other global markets.
Raise awareness of the use of #ForcedLaborFashion. So-called “fast fashion” companies like Chinese retailed, Shein, rely heavily on Uyghur labor to make the items they sell and for the cotton they produce. You can help us stop this. Take action to get Shein to stop using slave labor by going here.
Make the U.S. government hold China accountable for the Uyghur genocide. China continues to violate international law and the civil rights of its citizens because the international community allows it to. With your help, we can make Congress and whoever is in the White House in January force them to end this genocide.
With each passing day, thousands of Uyghur families risk losing everything. Your support today can give them a lifeline.
Ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Azerbaijan
Over a year ago, Azerbaijan invaded Artsakh (Nagorono-Karabakh), and forced approximately 120,000 Armenians to flee their homes. The Armenians had lived there for more than one thousand years. Now Azerbaijan has started erasing all evidence that Armenians ever lived there.
You have taken over 6,600 actions this year on behalf of the Armenians forced from their ancestral homes by Azerbaijan. This atrocity cannot go unanswered.
Continue to raise awareness about atrocities committed by the Azerbaijan government. While it may not be leading newscasts or appearing on the front pages of newspapers, we need to make people aware of what happened. We cannot let this second genocide of Armenians go unchecked.
Make the U.S. government do more to help the displaced Armenians be allowed to go home. Congress can use its influence to rectify this wrong.
Hold BP accountable for its silence in this matter. BP has been in the region since the early 1990s. Since then, it has been the largest investor in Azerbaijan, spending more than $84 billion on projects in that nation. The United Nations has called on companies like BP to pay closer attention to human rights in these high-risk conflict zones.
The need is urgent—and every contribution makes a difference. With your support, we can bring hope to those who have lost so much. Please consider donating today to help us get justice for the Armenians displaced.
Become a monthly donor: Provide ongoing support that will sustain relief efforts in the coming months.
Share our mission: Spread the word to friends, family, and colleagues about the fight against genocide, ethnic cleansing and other mass atrocities and encourage them to join the cause.
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