Colombia, December 28, 2023 – In 2023, we worked together with local authorities, institutional partners and our neighboring communities to continue creating a legacy of prosperity through initiatives that promote sustainable territorial development in the regions where we operate. Our aim is to consolidate and strengthen our good neighborly relationship through proactive, close, open and transparent dialogue, allowing us to continue building a future together.
We Create Value and Give Back based on five pillars of socio-environmental management. Our achievements in 2023 include:
Promoting the quality of life of our neighboring communities
· We provided more than 2,200 medical services through health drives in Puerto Asis, Meta and Casanare in conjunction with the Colombian Civil Air Patrol.
· We donated kitchen equipment to 39 Child Development Centers (CDI) in Putumayo department and 168 canteens in educational institutions in Puerto Guzman, through the Works for Taxes mechanism and supported by the Territory Renewal Agency.
· We made infrastructure improvements to neighbors’ homes in Ecuador and Colombia.
· We opened two offices for our Cuéntame grievance mechanism in Casanare and Meta departments, enabling us to meet with local stakeholders and enhance dialogue and active participation.
Programs and partnerships to help protect the environment
· We are implementing our ambitious Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction strategy. We expect to reduce our emissions by 35-40% by 2025 and by 40-60% by 2030, and our goal is to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
· We trained more than 400 residents in Putumayo, Casanare, Meta and Shushufindi (Ecuador) on environmental issues to increase their knowledge and improve their practices on protecting natural resources.
· In partnership with the Casanare Scholars Association and within the framework of the ‘Weaving Knowledge’ program, we held training workshops for our neighbors on topics including biodiversity, climate change, ecosystem services, and the 1% environmental investment.
· We rescued and relocated more than 5.3 million animals in Casanare, including fish, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans and birds.
Helping build a better future in the territories by promoting education
· We supported the professional training of 20 young people from Casanare through providing university scholarships covering 100% of students’ fees at the National Open and Distance University (UNAD).
· We supported sports training for more than 200 boys and girls in Casanare and Shushufindi in local sports clubs.
· We promoted the musical training of more than 100 children and young people in partnership with the Batuta National Foundation in Puerto Asis.
· We helped strengthen community leadership through training 44 leaders from Putumayo and Shushufindi in skills including dialogue, teamwork and communication.
Creating spaces for open dialogue and citizen participation
· More than 800 people participated in person and virtually in the Environmental Public Hearing for the Bienparado Development Area, which was an exercise in continuous and transparent dialogue convened by the National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA).
· We held three Meetings for Transparency in Casanare and Putumayo, which are spaces for dialogue, discussion and feedback on our performance and include the participation of community leaders and representatives of municipal authorities.
We will continue to strengthen our commitment to work together with neighboring institutions and communities to create a legacy of prosperity and sustainable development in the areas we operate in.
We firmly believe that advancing our work will allow us to continue generating opportunities for the territories and their inhabitants.
For more information about our operations in Casanare click here, in Putumayo click here, and in Ecuador click here.
