CEMEX initiatives work to improve livelihoods and meet development goals

New York/Monterrey, Nuevo León, February 10, 2014 - Leading building materials company, CEMEX has announced it will join the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to ensure that more than 150,000 low-income families have access to safe and affordable housing by 2016. In its effort to contribute to the Millennium Development Goals, the company will expand two affordable housing programs, the Assisted Self Construction Program (PiAC) and Patrimonio Hoy by improving access to safe housing for families in Mexico and Latin America.

"We applaud companies such as CEMEX for their innovations in business models, which are designed to have a direct impact on the quality of life in low-income communities. These two new commitments to the BCtA platform are vital to supporting safe housing and home ownership", said Sahba Sobhani, Acting Progamme Manager, Business Call to Action.

CEMEX is the first company to join the BCtA with two separate initiatives. CEMEX's first initiative is to expand its innovative Assisted Self Construction Program (Programa Integral de AutoconstrucciÃn Asistida--PiAC), designed to benefit local communities. Through the PiAC program, CEMEX supports families with the training and technical assistance required to construct their own homes.

At the same time, the company partners with local governments and nonprofit organizations to manage Self-Employment Production Centers, where local families receive supportive training and materials to manufacture brick blocks to better construct their own housing. As part of this inclusive business model, CEMEX has already supported more than 25,000 families through these centers and plans to reach an additional 26,000 families in Mexico and the Caribbean region by 2016.

The second initiative involves the award-winning inclusive business Patrimonio Hoy, founded in 1998, which is designed to offer a market-based, integral solution to meet the housing needs of low-income families in urban areas, having already benefited more than 2 million people.

To improve families living conditions and hence, quality of life, Patrimonio Hoy offers all required materials for housing and provides micro-financing, logistical support and technical assistance to build and expand their homes safely and efficiently. In addition, Patrimonio Hoy works with community-based promoters and local distributors to impact the local economic and social development of these communities.

As part of their BCtA initiative, these inclusive business plans with new developed products aim to have an impact on 125,000 low-income families by 2016.

“"CEMEX is a company that is constantly striving to innovate so that our products, services and strengths contribute to improve the quality of life, especially of vulnerable families. To achieve this vision we need to join global collaborative networks, and these coordinated efforts will impact people's lives while achieving the Millennium Development Goals," said Martha Herrera, Director of Corporate Responsibility, CEMEX.

Patrimonio Hoy is one of the first private initiatives that combine what most companies aspire to: it is a real inclusive business being profitable and at the same time producing important social and economic impacts to the participating families and communities.

In addition, Patrimonio Hoy's success has not only led to new socially responsible initiatives, e.g. Mejora Tu Calle (Improve your street), but also, one of CEMEX's most important assets today is the accumulated knowledge of the low-income market, said Saidà Chávez Rodríguez, Director of Patrimonio Hoy.

"The private sector has the great opportunity to contribute positively to social development challenges through core business and public private partnerships. We have learned that we can contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals without sacrificing our own business goals," said Juan Romero, President, CEMEX Mexico.

The company plans to continue to work with a number of key partners, and plans to scale up its interventions in numerous countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.

For More Information:

BCtA: Karen Newman, karen.newman@undp.org, +1(212)906-5194

CEMEX: patrimonio.hoy@cemex.com

Business Call to Action is a global initiative that challenges companies to develop inclusive business models that offer the potential for development impact along with commercial success. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, UK Department for International Development, US Agency for International Development, United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Global Compact, and the Clinton Global Initiative to meet the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Companies report on progress toward commitments on an annual basis. To learn more, please visit www.businesscalltoaction.org or join the conversation on Twitter at @BCtAInitiative.

CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high-quality products and reliable services to customers and communities in more than 50 countries. CEMEX has a rich history of improving the well-being of those it serves through innovative building solutions, efficiency advancements, and efforts to promote a sustainable future. To learn more, please visit www.cemex.com Twitter or join the conversation on Twitter at @Cemex and @CEMEXMx.