Covid-19 vaccine to SpaceX: Top migrant moments of the year 2020

Today is International Migrants Day. Marking the day, WorldRemit, a leading cross-border payments company, released its list of the top Migrant Moments of 2020. This list features developments which have had significant impacts on communities across the world. From the first COVID-19 vaccine to the US presidential election to SpaceX - each of these milestones have been influenced by migrants from around the world.  Let's take a look

COVID-19 Vaccine

WorldRemit says: "German couple of Turkish descent, husband and wife Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, have been credited with the discovery of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine that is being distributed across the globe."

Kamala Harris

WorldRemit says: "Kamala Harris became vice-president elect following the 2020 US Presidential election. In 2017, she was sworn in as a United States Senator for California, becoming the second African-American woman and first South-Asian American senator in history. Though she was born in Oakland, California, Harris' parents emigrated to the United States from India and Jamaica."

Future Stars

WorldRemit says: "Arsenal Football Club welcomed the winners of the Future Stars competition to London in January. Chinasa Mandy Ukandu of Nigeria and Luis Alejandro Castañeda from Colombia, won an all expenses paid trip to London to take part in a personalized training program with Arsenal Football Club’s Development coaches."

Zoom

WorldRemit says: "Zoom, the videoconferencing platform which has allowed friends, families and colleagues to stay in touch during Covid-19, was founded by Eric Yuan, a Chinese migrant to the United States. At its peak, the firm counted more than 300 million daily participants in virtual meetings, while paying customers have more than tripled."
 

Project 8000

WorldRemit says: "Project 8000 is a community outreach initiative to give thousands of handwritten ‘thank you’ cards to frontline Covid-19 healthcare workers at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore, led by student Marion Lee."

Deliveroo and DoorDash

WorldRemit says: "DoorDash, America’s most popular meal delivery app, was started by a Chinese American migrant, Tony Xu. Meanwhile Deliveroo was co-founded by William Shu, a Taiwanese American entrepreneur. DoorDash has launched a number of initiatives during the pandemic. In October, it launched the Reopen for Delivery campaign, with the stated aim of bringing together brick and mortar restaurants that have closed due to the pandemic."

NHS workers

WorldRemit says: Almost 1 in 17 (14%) of the NHS’s 1.28 million staff report a non-British nationality, amounting to approximately 170,000 key workers. India is responsible for the most NHS workers from outside the UK, followed by the Philippines.

Parasite

WorldRemit says: Parasite, a film written by South Korean native Bong Joon-ho, became the first non-English language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture in the 92-year history of the awards.

Adewale Adeyemo

WorldRemit says: Among Biden’s team of top cabinet picks and economic advisers is Nigerian-born Adewale Adeyemo, who served as a senior international economic adviser in the Barack Obama administration. Adeyemo will be the first African to occupy the seat of Deputy Treasury Secretary.
 

May Parsons

WorldRemit says: "A 90-year old lady named Margaret Keenan from Coventry, became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer & BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which was administered by Filipina nurse May Parsons."