UNIQLO is donating $1 million to relief efforts for Syrian refugees, the biggest corporate contribution received to date.
The cash donation from the Japanese retailer will go toward helping the more than 4 million Syrians displaced within the country, in addition to the over 2 million Syrians who have been forced to flee the country.
Fighting began in the country in March 2011.
“UNIQLO’s contribution shows that there is an imperative to respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in and around Syria – not just by governments and aid agencies, but also by the corporate world,” said Daniel Endres, the UN Refugee Agency’s director of external relations, in the announcement.
The agency is asking other companies to follow UNIQLO’s lead.
“Their help could make a life-saving difference to displaced families and others in great need,” said Endres.
In addition to the cash donation, UNIQLO has donated more than 220,000 items of clothing to refugees in Syria and Jordan since 2011. It is planning on donating another $1 million worth of clothing suitable for cold weather to children between the ages of 3 and 18 that are displaced by the civil war.
“We are especially sensitive to the needs of refugees who need the most basic supplies to keep them warm and comfortable,” Larry Meyer, chief operating officer of UNIQLO USA, told TODAY.
Recycled clothing from the company has also gone to other countries since 2006, through the Refugee Agency.
The Refugee Agency says that it appealed for $4.4 billion for Syria relief operations this year, as well as another $1.4 billion for operations elsewhere in the region. The agency has received 46 percent of the request so far.
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