BT Makes Clinton Global Initiative Commitment To Action With Red Cross

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BT today announced its participation in the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting for the third consecutive year and its Commitment to Action, "Prepare, Respond, Recover," in partnership with the British Red Cross in support of a beneficiary program at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The CGI Annual Meeting, being held this week in New York City, brings together global leaders to share insights and ideas for creating meaningful and lasting change in the world. Each member of CGI is asked to make a Commitment to Action in which the member organization develops an achievable plan to address a significant global issue.

This year, through its partnership with the Red Cross, BT will fund the development of three Beneficiary Registration Kits (BRKs), used by the humanitarian organization's field teams administering aid in disaster struck areas to give more control to individuals affected by crisis.

Each kit is equipped with 20 mobile devices, 10,000 plastic cards, one barcode printer, a back-end server and associated supplies.

The Red Cross teams can register people's basic information through mobile devices with data collection taking place in real-time to a single, centralized database. The plastic cards issued to beneficiaries include all the relevant information, such as the support, services and items they are entitled to.

With a beneficiary card approach, the Red Cross puts more control into the hands of those affected, which has been shown to improve survival chances. It is estimated that the BT funded program could benefit up to 150,000 people next year.

"BT has already helped us improve our telecommunications infrastructure to support our response following disasters around the world. Now, with this mobile device-based system of collecting information and allocating relief, we will be better able to provide effective humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people during times of disaster," said Pete Garrett, Disaster Response Manager, British Red Cross.

"This global effort is a fantastic expression of this year's CGI's theme - Mobilizing for Impact," said Bas Burger, President, US and Canada, BT Global Services. "We're proud to support the Red Cross as they work to assist people in crisis around the world. Harnessing the potential of technology to deliver faster relief to those in need is a very true example of our Better Future program and the power of communication to improve lives."

"Prepare, Respond, Recover" ties into CGI's "Response and Resilience" track which focuses on bringing companies together to solve global issues. It aims to highlight positive trends and innovations in an effort to identify how nongovernmental organizations, governments, corporations and civil society can effectively prepare for and reduce the impact of conflict and disaster through increased coordination.

For more information regarding BT's participation, please contact Kris Kozamchak ([email protected]).

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 400 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $73.5 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world, and, this year, CGI Latin America, which will bring together Latin American leaders to identify, harness, and strengthen ways to improve the livelihoods of people in Latin America and around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

About the British Red Cross
For more information on the British Red Cross please visit: http://www.redcross.org.uk or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/britishredcross
The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies.

We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them to recover and move on with their lives.

About BT
BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Retail, BT Wholesale and Openreach.

For the year ended 31 March 2013, BT Group's reported revenue was £18,103m with reported profit before taxation of £2,315m.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. 

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

Kris Kozamchak, (972) 830-8135, [email protected]

SOURCE BT