PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 January 2015
Human Rights at Sea is pleased to announce a new partnership with AFEX, one of the world’s largest non-bank payment and risk management solution providers in the world.
AFEX EU Human Resources Manager, Gareth Germain, said: “We are delighted to be working with an organisation that has such a clear and worthwhile vision in an area of International Business which currently lacks the basic standards of Human Rights. As a global organisation who works directly with the sea freight and travel industries, we at AFEX feel this partnership will help us support this community who we work so closely with, to ensure that everyone can have the same basic right to work or travel within a safe atmosphere.
We hope that from AFEX taking the lead and putting Human Rights in the maritime environment on the CSR agenda of the International Payments industry, other organisations will want to follow suit and support these important issues.”
Human Rights at Sea Founder, David Hammond, said: “The new partnership with AFEX has reinforced the on-going Human Rights at Sea Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work within the business community and particularly alongside entities engaged within the maritime industry striving to develop improved Human Rights awareness, compliance and associated assurance mechanisms.
The recent increase in awareness of the ‘Human Element’ in terms of addressing human rights provisions and protections required for credible CSR practices, and which are essential for undertaking good business, is a positive indicator that maritime businesses are now looking to improve their in-house policies, safeguards and market profile. Those entities who do recognise the need for non-financial business provisions and associated assurance mechanisms are most likely to be those who will lead in their respective fields by taking a pro-active stance towards Human Rights and associated CSR provisions.
Importantly, AFEX has taken a leading stance on this issue as part of their international business strategy within the maritime space, and HRAS is delighted to be a part of that.“
AFEX (Associated Foreign Exchange) was founded in 1979. It provides commercial foreign exchange solutions for businesses and private individuals, including a range of global payment and risk management solutions such as Spot Transactions, Forward Contracts, delivery and currency options, trading more than $15bn in foreign exchange each year. AFEX is one of the world’s largest non-bank, private providers of global payment solutions with a presence spanning the globe with offices across the United States, Australia, Europe, and a growing presence in the Middle East and Asia. AFEX is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for the provision of payment services in the United Kingdom. It is licensed and regulated in all jurisdictions in which it operates, has an AA credit rating with leading credit agencies and has won the Deutsche Bank ‘Straight Through Processing Award’ five years in a row.
Contact:
AFEX 4th Floor 40 Strand London, WC2N 5RW England Tel: 0800 680 0626 / +44 (0)207 004 3939 Fax: +44 (0)207 004 3899
Human Rights at Sea (HRAS). Established in April 2014, HRAS is a private not-for-profit maritime human rights entity based in London working under the founding principle that “Human rights apply at sea, as equally as they do on land”. Its aim is to explicitly raise awareness, implementation and accountability for human rights protections throughout the maritime environment, especially where they are currently absent and being abused.
Today, HRAS is represented in 13 states by pro bono correspondents, has 50 international ‘Supporting Entities’, is running seven international human rights programmes, has investigative, psychological and anti-trafficking supporting services and is shortly to launch the ‘Missing Seafarers & Fishers Reporting Programme’ www.missingseafarers.org as a first for indexing missing seafarers and fishermen on a global basis. HRAS is a recognised seafarers resource by both the IMO and its registered partners.
Contact:
David Hammond, Founder, Human Rights at Sea
david.hammond@humanrightsatsea.org
+44 203 700 4396