Bogota, Colombia, December 15, 2021 – GeoPark’s ‘Viviendas Sostenibles’ housing program won first place from Colombia’s Mines & Energy Ministry, the National Hydrocarbons Agency and the National Mining Agency in the fourth version of Experiencias Significativas awards for best social and environmental practices in the mining and energy industries.
GeoPark has implemented the Viviendas Sostenibles program since it started working in Colombia. It aims to improve the living conditions and welfare of the areas that neighbor its operations in Casanare and Putumayo departments, contributing to the consolidation of more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable societies. It was selected from among 23 programs that companies entered in the same category.
Through a participative process under the technical leadership of the Minuto de Dios Corporation, since 2013 GeoPark has benefited more than 1,200 families in the municipalities of Tauramena, Villanueva and Paz de Ariporo in Casanare, as well as Puerto Asis in Putumayo. The improvements made in houses have improved different indicators in the Multidimensional Poverty Index by up to 94%.
This is the third year in which GeoPark has won an Experiencias Significativas award. In 2018 and 2019 the Company won acknowledgment in the Social Conflict Prevention and Labor Management categories. This year, the jury of public sector, academic and multilateral organizations considered criteria such as initiatives’ impact, sustainability, innovation, and relation to the 2030 agenda.
“Since we arrived in Colombia, we set out to contribute to the country’s development through generating and implementing projects that positively impact the life and well-being of the communities that neighbor our operations,” GeoPark Nature and Neighbors director Norma Sanchez said on receiving the prize. “We believe that the Viviendas Sostenibles program genuinely connects us to our goal of Creating Value and Giving Back and, most importantly, it allows us to assertively meet the expectations, dreams and wishes of our neighbors, who see in this initiative an appropriate way of realizing their long-term projects with dignity and well-being.”
Viviendas Sostenibles has an important differential value that goes beyond promoting better living conditions for beneficiaries and involves articulating the efforts of different actors, such as local institutions, in implementing projects that contribute to overcoming poverty. Projects cover areas such as the improvement of rural roads and building infrastructure for basic services, health, recreation, sport and others. GeoPark has complemented the program withholding community workshops that promote healthy ways for families to live together.
GeoPark is grateful to the Government of Colombia for this distinction and congratulates all the companies that also won awards for their differential management. The Company reaffirms its commitment to contribute to the development of the country through implementing projects that promote well-being and prosperity and strengthen the efforts made to contribute to closing gaps to ensure compliance with the 2030 agenda.
