(RED) Partners With Leading Financial Institutions To Call A CODE (RED) On COVID-19

Bank of America, American Express®, Citi and PayPal join forces with (RED) to provide lifesaving COVID-19 relief to countries most in need

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Oct 13, 2021, 21:00 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- (RED) has brought together leaders in the financial services sector to call a CODE (RED) on the COVID-19 pandemic, raising money to support urgent and equitable access to COVID-19 relief in response to the ongoing and devastating impact of the virus in the world's poorest countries.

"(RED)'s cavalry of companies has delivered nearly $700 million to fight AIDS in Africa -- and tens of millions more in marketing neon that has encouraged governments in the fight too. That mission is as essential as ever, but in 2021 you cannot fight AIDS without fighting COVID-19," said Bono, (RED)'s co-Founder. "So I am punching the air today that CODE (RED) is launching to get COVID-19 vaccines, testing, PPE, oxygen and other support to countries that need it. Less than 5 percent of people in Africa are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while in America and Europe shots are piling up on shelves. We have to do more and faster to get vaccines and other vital defenses to the hundreds of millions of people who still can't access them."

"Global public health – from New York to Nairobi - will continue to be under threat until everyone in the world has access to COVID-19 relief" said Jennifer Lotito, (RED)'s President & Chief Operating Officer. "(RED) has a legacy of 15 years fighting the AIDS pandemic, and today, we are launching a new initiative with the finance industry to help fight COVID-19. We are so grateful to American Express for leading the charge in launching CODE (RED), and to Citi, PayPal and their customers for donating points, to our proud partner Bank of America for joining forces with us once again and Lin-Manuel Miranda for supporting this fight."

Since its founding in 2006, (RED) has generated nearly $700 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS. This financial support has helped more than 220 million people and contributed to building strong and sustainable health systems in the poorest parts of the world. Today, as the impact of COVID-19 on life-saving AIDS programs continues to take its toll, (RED) is stepping-up to deliver private sector money to support the fight against AIDS and COVID-19. Through CODE (RED), contributions generated for the Global Fund will support the COVID-19 Response Mechanism, providing access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatment, personal protective equipment (PPE), and critical support for healthcare workers on the front lines in the world's most fragile health systems. Contributions channeled through Gavi will fund the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) enabling access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to protect the most vulnerable populations.

There are a number of ways that customers can join the fight, including:

American Express
American Express® Card Members can use Membership Rewards points towards a donation with PayPal's Pay with Rewards feature to help provide COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines for people most in need. In addition, American Express will donate $250,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts championed by (RED) and its partners, the Fund for the Global Fund and COVAX, and will match employee contributions to the campaign. One hundred percent of all funds raised will support the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response Mechanism and the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).

"Communities around the world need our support more than ever, and we are committed to mobilizing our resources to accelerate the delivery of life-saving vaccines and other pandemic relief worldwide," said Stephen J. Squeri, American Express Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "As the leading global organization fighting the world's most pressing health emergencies, (RED) is the perfect partner to facilitate our efforts to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines to billions of people still waiting for availability."

Bank of America
Bank of America has partnered with (RED) in the fight against AIDS since 2014 and today is proud to help launch this new initiative. Bank of America will support CODE(RED) with a $3 Million (USD) commitment to the Global Fund, as part of their broader $35 Million pledge through 2025. In addition, Bank of America will continue to help drive broad support of the Global Fund with messaging across its platforms, including their vast ATM and Financial Center network.

"The global pandemic continues to have a disproportionate impact on many of the world's most vulnerable communities," said Anne Finucane, Vice Chairman, Bank of America. "Building on our partnership with (RED) and the Global Fund since 2014 to help in the fight against AIDS, today Bank of America proudly joins CODE(RED) to help drive critical awareness and funding to support (RED)'s efforts in the global COVID response. Our commitment of $35 million to the Global Fund will help to fight both pandemics -- funding AIDS prevention and treatment and helping to provide equitable access to COVID testing, treatment and personal protection equipment."

Citi
Citi is providing eligible U.S. cardmembers with the option to donate their ThankYou® Points via PayPal's Pay with Rewards feature to the Code (RED) Campaign, which provides COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines within vulnerable communities. All points donations to the Code (RED) Campaign will be converted and transferred as cash in support of the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response Mechanism and the COVAX AMC. Citi will be amplifying the CODE (RED) initiative through many of its marketing channels, including online and through digital communications to its millions of ThankYou members. In addition, Citi will donate $250,000 to (RED)'s efforts to provide global COVID-19 relief.

Throughout the pandemic, Citi has provided support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as the financial advisor for the COVAX Facility, its global procurement mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines. This support aims to ensure that Gavi accomplishes its mission to save lives and protect people's health by increasing the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines. In addition, Citi and the Citi Foundation have committed more than $130 million in support of COVID-19-related community relief and economic recovery efforts globally.

"It's crucial that we expand access to vaccines in low- and middle-income countries that are disproportionately impacted by this pandemic," said Jane Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of Citigroup. "With this effort, we're proud to further expand our relationship with Gavi along with (RED), our peers, and our cardmembers to make a meaningful difference in combating this crisis on a global scale."

PayPal
PayPal has extensive experience in mobilizing customers to support the cause and relief efforts close to their hearts, recently focusing on helping support national vaccination efforts in underserved communities. As one of the largest digital donation platforms in the world, PayPal supports more than 600,000 nonprofits with fundraising, and engaging a community of more than 400 million consumers and merchants to contribute to charitable efforts around the globe. By extending PayPal's longstanding partnerships with American Express, Bank of America and Citibank to support CODE (RED), PayPal customers can easily contribute and donate to the Global Fund using PayPal's Pay with rewards feature, seamlessly converting credit card rewards to an equivalent dollar amount. All donations are made to the PayPal Giving Fund which then grants 100% of donations to the Global Fund, supporting the essential COVID-19 recovery effort.

"Throughout the global pandemic, we have worked to help our customers and their communities navigate the impacts of COVID-19 — and to provide easy ways for them to give to those in dire need around the world," said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. "We are proud to extend our partnerships with American Express, Bank of America, and Citibank, to support CODE (RED) and its vital mission of global pandemic relief by making it easier than ever for customers to give in any way they can through the PayPal platform."

"COVID-19 is having a devastating impact on the fight against HIV, TB and malaria, hitting particularly the most vulnerable communities around the world," said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. "We must unite to beat COVID-19 and ensure everyone has access to life saving tools and services. We are immensely grateful to (RED) for calling a CODE (RED) on COVID-19. It is time for another push to save lives."

"In the midst of this unprecedented pandemic, vaccine inequity combined with the rising threat of variants means it is more important than ever for the private and public health sectors to act together". said Dr Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO. "We are thankful to (RED) for calling a CODE (RED) on COVID-19 and for supporting COVAX as we strive to bring COVID-19 under control."

To learn more please visit Codered.org.

ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS
American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.

Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: personal cards, business cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, Kabbage, Resy, corporate card, business travel, diversity and inclusion, corporate responsibility and Environmental, Social, and Governance reports.

ABOUT BANK OF AMERICA
At Bank of America, we're guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We're delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It's demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).

ABOUT CITI
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

ABOUT PAYPAL
PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering more than 400 million consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit paypal.com.

ABOUT (RED)
(RED), named for the color of emergency, was founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 to turn companies into a cavalry to fight the AIDS pandemic. Today, that cavalry is also fighting the urgent threat of COVID and its devastating impact on the world's most vulnerable communities, answering the need for a truly global response.

(RED) partners with the most iconic brands and people to create (RED) products and experiences — all of which raise money for the Global Fund, one of the world's largest funders of global health. (RED) partners include Amazon, Anova Culinary, Apple, Balmain, Bank of America, Beats by Dr. Dre, Buffalo Games, Claro, eos, Girl Skateboards, The Honey Pot Co., Louis Vuitton, Mavin Records, Montblanc, Primark, Salesforce, Starbucks, Stellantis, Telcel, Therabody, TRUFF, U-Mask and Vespa. (RED) supporters include Merck and Roche.

To date, (RED) has generated nearly $700 million for the Global Fund, helping more than 220 million people. The money raised by (RED)'s partners and campaigns goes directly to strengthen health systems and support life-saving programs in the communities where pandemics hit hardest.

ABOUT THE GLOBAL FUND
The Global Fund is a worldwide movement to defeat HIV, TB and malaria and ensure a healthier, safer, more equitable future for all. We raise and invest US$4 billion a year to fight the deadliest infectious diseases, challenge the injustice which fuels them and strengthen health systems in more than 100 of the hardest hit countries. We unite world leaders, communities, civil society, health workers and the private sector to find solutions that have the most impact, and we take them to scale worldwide. Since 2002, the Global Fund has saved 44 million lives.

Information on the work of the Global Fund is available at http://www.theglobalfund.org/
Follow the Global Fund on Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalfund
Join the Global Fund on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theglobalfund

ABOUT GAVI, THE VACCINE ALLIANCE
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world's children against some of the world's deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 822 million children – and prevented more than 14 million deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines.

Gavi is a co-convener of COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, together with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In its role Gavi is focused on procurement and delivery for COVAX: coordinating the design, implementation and administration of the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery.

After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Vaccine Alliance brings together lower-income country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organizations that fund Gavi's work here.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE (RED)