Building and Deepening Long-term Relationships / Doing Right by Our Communities
Doing Right by Our Communities
UOB is committed to supporting the social development of communities in which we operate through the focus areas of art, children and education. We believe this is crucial for the advancement and well-being of society. Our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts across the Group come together under the UOB Heartbeat CSR programme, which aims to drive sustainable good and foster more caring and inclusive societies across the region. We do this through our 3Ps framework, giving back to the communities around us through corporate philanthropy, stakeholder partnerships and employee participation.
Target
Achieve an average of 2.1 volunteer hours per employee per year across the Group in 2024.
In 2024, we achieved an average of
0
volunteer hours
Target
Contribute at least $4 million to support the social development of art across Asia in 2024.
In 2024, we contributed
$0 million
Target
Equip at least 9,600 students with digital literacy skills and/or digital learning tools across Asia in 2024.
In 2024, we equipped more than
0,000
students with digital literacy skills and/or digital learning tools
Championing Southeast Asian art and ink art
We have been supporting artists and engaging communities across Asia for more than four decades because we believe art is important in fostering social inclusiveness. A champion of Southeast Asian art, our flagship UOB Painting of the Year (POY) competition is Singapore’s longest running and one of Southeast Asia’s most esteemed competitions. Since its inauguration in 1982, it has fostered the talents of more than 1,100 outstanding artists from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
At the 2024 UOB POY awards ceremony, we debuted 41 Southeast Asian artists. We also unveiled an all-new UOB Artist Alumni Network programme that deepens our support for the development for UOB POY and UOB Art in Ink Awards artists – past and present – by elevating their profiles across Southeast Asia and Greater China.
2024 UOB POY Award Winner, Mr Yong Wee Loon (middle) with Mr Desmond Tan, Minister for National Development (left) and Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and CEO, UOB (right).
In Singapore, we launched an #ArtforGood initiative which consisted of a multisensory food art showcase and unique dining experience. Edible art creations crafted by UOB POY artists and six executive chefs from Pan Pacific Hotels Group were offered at various partner restaurants. A portion of the proceeds from the menu sales, along with all proceeds of auctioned artworks donated by UOB POY artists were donated to ART:DIS, a non-profit charity that provides opportunities in the arts for persons with disabilities.
#ArtforGood edible art co-created by UOB POY artists and executive chefs from Pan Pacific Hotels Group.
2024 UOB Heartbeat Run
The 2024 UOB Heartbeat Run united more than 25,000 UOB colleagues, customers and partners across the region to raise more than $3 million for 25 charities globally through our annual flagship fundraising and volunteerism programme. In addition to UOB in Singapore, UOB China, UOB Hong Kong, UOB Indonesia, UOB Malaysia, UOB Thailand and UOB Vietnam also hosted physical finale run events where colleagues rallied together to showcase our commitment to do right by our communities.
Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and CEO, UOB (centre) and Mr Ted Tan, Vice Chairman, Community Chest (fourth from left, in white) with UOB colleagues at the start line of the 2024 UOB Heartbeat Run.
In Singapore, the 18th edition of the annual flagship UOB Heartbeat Run event was held at the Promontory
@ Marina Bay on 28 September 2024, with a record turnout of close to 10,000 UOB colleagues and their families, customers and beneficiaries.
More than $2.2 million was raised for four beneficiaries supported by Community Chest - Care Corner Singapore, the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s ComLink+ initiative, Life Community Services Society and President’s Challenge. The Bank also matched the revenue received by social enterprises present at the event’s carnival to sell a wide variety of cookies and gifts designed by crafters with special needs and different abilities. Food and beverage partners also donated a portion of their proceeds towards an adopted beneficiary of UOB, or an adopted beneficiary of their own.
Bridging the digital divide
UOB My Digital Space (UOB MDS) is our flagship regional education programme that supports disadvantaged students across eight markets by equipping them with digital tools and skills, while connecting them to wider learning opportunities. In 2024, the UOB MDS programme benefitted more than 15,000 youths across the region through a series of digital literacy workshops and the sponsorship of more than 1,000 digital devices.
UOB was a key exhibition partner at the Digital for Life Festival 2024, organised by Infocomm Media Development Authority in Singapore. More than 50 UOB Heartbeat volunteers came together to engage 60,000 participants which included children, parents and the elderly through an immersive digital learning adventure focusing on tips to navigate the digital space and tools to stay safe from cyber threats.
Across the region, UOB Thailand continued its partnership with Thailand Collaboration for Education to build computer rooms and provide digital learning courses focused on topics such as English, Mathematics and Science to close to 4,500 students across eight provinces. In partnership with Saigon Children's Charity CIO, UOB Vietnam built five fully-furnished computer rooms across village schools in the under-developed Mekong Delta area. This provided more than 450 students between the ages of 9 and 11 with access to digital learning platforms and learning opportunities.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs, at the UOB My Digital Space booth.
