VZCZCXYZ0042
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #1993/01 1671554
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161554Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5153

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001993 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EB/CBA NSMITH-NISSLEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: DR ECON BEXP ELAB ETRD KSEP SENV AMGT
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:  CITIBANK 2006 CORPORATE 
EXCELLENCE NOMINATION 
 
REF: SECSTATE 64726 
 
The US Embassy is pleased to recommend Citibank Dominican 
Republic for the 2006 Secretary of State Award for Corporate 
Excellence (ACE).  Multinational enterprise Citibank should 
be recognized for its exemplary business practices in the 
Dominican Republic in the areas of education, micro credit, 
and community development. End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Citibank in the Dominican Republic 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
For more than 40 years Citibank as contributed to the 
economic and social development of the Dominican Republic. 
It has to the helped the country not only as a financial 
organization but also a charitable group.  Through multiple 
initiatives and programs, either using Citibank,s own 
funding or in partnership with renowned local and 
international non-governmental organizations, Citibank is 
leaving its mark on the Dominican Republic as a socially 
responsible company. 
 
Citibanks Employee Volunteer Program encourages employees to 
participate in several programs for various causes through 
Habitat for Humanity, Fundacion Sur Futuro, Junior 
Achievement Dominicana and through a special relationship 
with Escuela Fundacion.  Citibank Dominican Republic focuses 
its efforts in three fundamental areas: financial education, 
micro credit programs, and community development. 
 
------------------------- 
Financial Education 
------------------------- 
 
Citibank is a board Member of Junior Achievement Dominicana. 
For the last 5 years Citibank Dominican Republic has had a 
successful relationship with Junior Achievement programs and 
especially with the "Banks in Action" program.  More than 800 
students from 20 different Dominican public and private 
schools benefited from this project by learning basic 
elements of bank management. Students had the opportunity to 
participate in a nationwide competition and the winning team 
went to Brazil for aregional competition. 
 
--------------------------- 
Micro-Credit Programs 
--------------------------- 
 
Citibank Dominican Republic has supported multiple micro 
credit projects since 2002.  The company is currently working 
with Dominican NGO Sur Futuro on a Micro Credit Project for 
Rural Communities in Azua, located in the southwest region of 
the country.  The project provides small business owners in 
rural communities access to secure, efficient financing 
sources that contribute to improving the quality of life in 
the communities the businesses serve.  Another objective of 
the program is to assure the sustainability and permanence of 
small businesses over the long term by providing them the 
necessary training to acquire abilities to run their 
businesses in an efficient manner for the long term. 
 
As part of the program with Sur Futuro in Azua, a team of 34 
Citibank employees volunteered for a reforestation campaign 
during which they planted more than 3,000 trees. 
 
------------------------------- 
Community Development 
------------------------------ 
 
Citibank Dominican Republic sponsors Escuela Fundacion, a 
school located in an impoverished area of Santo Domingo. 
Citibank contributions to Escuela Fundacion include 
restoration of the physical structure and facilities and 
installation of innovative and dynamic learning tools for the 
school to help create the best learning environment.  In 
addition, Dominican Citibank employees showed their support 
by donating books, classroom chairs, clothes and; most 
importantly, their own time to carry out these activities. 
More than 1,500 children in the Escuela Fundacion community 
have benefited from these contributions. 
 
Another example of Citibank's commitment to community 
development is its work with Habitat for Humanity.  Through 
its programs "Aiding Families in Risk" and "Building Hopes," 
Citibank Dominican Republic jointly with Citigroup Foundation 
and Habitat for Humanity, have helped more than 8 families to 
build their own houses.  This will allow these Dominican 
families to raise their children safely in the communities of 
Nagua, Maria Trinidad Sanchez and Cabrera, locations where 
Habitat for Humanity concentrates its operations.  25 
 
Citibank employees participated in a one-day brigade trip 
dedicated to the construction effort. 
 
-------------------------- 
Concluding Thoughts 
---------------------------- 
 
Dominican Citibank works hand in hand with the American 
Chamber of Commerce's community committee and it is the only 
banking institution that is a member of that committee. As a 
result of Citibank,s strong belief in corporate social 
responsibility, Citibank members on the AMCHAM committee 
organized and hosted the first Social Responsibility Seminar 
for companies in the Dominican Republic. 
 
Given it long history of gernerous contributions to the 
country, it is not surprising that in 2005 Citibank Dominican 
Republic was featured in Dominican business journal "Mercado" 
as one of the top Socially Responsible Companies in the 
country.  It is the only institution from the banking sector 
to have received the honor. 
KUBISKE