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Press Release11 September 2020Joint Press Release by Siemens and VolkswagenWolfsburg, Munich, Moria/Lesbos
Volkswagen and Siemens donate 5 million euros for immediate aid to refugees in Moria
CEOs Joe
Kaeser from Siemens and Dr. Herbert Diess from Volkswagen commented. “We have
all seen the shocking images from the Moria camp and the island of Lesbos. The
circumstances for the refugees are desperate, the majority have lost what
little they possessed. There is often a lack of bare necessities. In this
situation, we believe it is our humanitarian responsibility to help the
distraught refugees, the adults and all the children, swiftly and with as
little red tape as possible. Given the situation, experienced aid organizations
such as the Red Cross will ensure that our aid reaches those in need quickly
and that appropriate care and support is given to the refugees.“
DRK General
Secretary Christian Reuter said: “The donation from these two major German
corporations is a wonderful example of willingness to help others, humanity and
practical solidarity. I am grateful that in light of the situation on Lesbos,
both companies have responded so swiftly and are providing sustained aid for
the work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement that has been
endeavoring to improve the situation of the refugees in Greece for a long
time.”
In April,
the Volkswagen Group already donated one million euros for immediate aid and
emergency relief for refugees in Syria, Turkey and Greece menaced by the corona
pandemic. Volkswagen Group Refugee Support has been initiating and coordinating
integration programs in Germany to prepare young refugees for vocational
training and the labor market since 2015. Over 5,000 people have already been
helped to date. Expanding refugee support on an international scale is an
important element of the Volkswagen Group’s engagement in refugee aid.
Siemens
regularly provides aid to refugees. Back in 2016, the company set up four
special classes of 16 refugees each. As part of an intensive, six-month
training program, these students were then prepared to receive technical
training. In addition, the company made about 400 internships available for
refugees and provided about €2 million in donations. Immediately after the
corona pandemic broke out, Siemens set up a worldwide COVID-19 relief fund.
Through the non‑profit organization Siemens Caring Hands e.V., this fund is
providing long-term assistance by supplying financial and material resources to
people who have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. In this way,
Siemens is providing corona relief totaling about €15 million, including
donations made by Siemens employees from around 40 countries. Moreover, Siemens
and Siemens Healthineers frequently support regions in difficult situations by
making healthcare technology and infrastructure services available. This aid
includes, for instance, custom-equipped Siemens Smart Clinics of the kind
recently deployed in Jordan, Colombia, Egypt and Iraq.
For this press release
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Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed companies Siemens Energy, the global energy business of Siemens, and Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the energy systems of today and tomorrow as well as the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (as part of Siemens Energy), Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. In fiscal 2019, which ended on September 30, 2019, Siemens generated revenue of €86.8 billion and net income of €5.6 billion. At the end of September 2019, the company had around 385,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet www.siemens.com.
Contact
Florian Martens
Siemens AG
Werner-von-Siemens-Straße 1
80333 Munich
Germany
80333 Munich
Germany
+49 (89) 636 22804
Christoph Ludewig
Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
Brieffach
011/1972
38436 Wolfsburg
Gerrmany
38436 Wolfsburg
Gerrmany
+49 (5361) 9-87575