Communicating with and listening to local communities that may be affected by company activities is a Gran Tierra priority. Many of Gran Tierra’s social investments focus on economic development, such as productive and business development initiatives which are critically important in post-conflict areas. Another priority for many local communities in rural areas are programs that strengthen capacities and leadership.
GTE has developed a social investments strategy that reflects the results of a broad study of community and GTE management. The strategy recognizes that two of the Company’s most important commitments are to build trusting relationships and to be a good neighbour. The objective is for the Company to be a trusted partner with the communities near its operations. Among its many provisions, the strategy calls for social investments to:
- Be tangible and measurable
- Align with business, Ecuadorian, Colombian and international social impact standards
- Improve community feedback
To learn more about the way GTE works with communities to inform, educate and support local communities through projects and programs where they feel visible and heard view the stories below.
Gran Tierra Te Escucha: An Open Door for the Community
How Gran Tierra Handles Petitions, Complaints and Claims
Familiarization Trips
Gran Tierra in My Community
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Gran Tierra Te Escucha: An Open Door for the Community
As part of its efforts to maintain a strong, positive relationship with local communities, Gran Tierra has local offices that are part of a program called “Gran Tierra Te Escucha” (Gran Tierra Listens). The role of each office is to create a physical, easily accessible channel for community members to engage in two-way communications with the Company.
Community members are encouraged to visit the offices in an effort to uncover potential concerns, which are referred to as Petitions, Complaints and Grievances (PQR’s). This important feedback from community partners can highlight opportunities for improvement or specific issues that the company must respond to. Some of the most frequent questions include: Can GTE include more communities in its work participation programs? Can it provide more jobs?
Gran Tierra Energy can measure the effectiveness of its grievance management process through the number of PQRs, the higher the numbers of petitions, questions, complaints, or claims (PQRs) indicate that communities feel comfortable engaging with the company.
Gran Tierra Te Escucha has been an important avenue for communities to communicate with the Company in Ecuador as well. Even though a physical office has not yet opened, Gran Tierra Te Escucha channels received approximately 147 PQRs during 2022.
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How Gran Tierra Handles Petitions, Complaints and Claims
Gran Tierra respects the evolving relationships with local communities and the Company has continued to build relationships based on mutual understanding and acceptance. Gran Tierra seeks to provide quality, timely, coherent, efficient and responsible responses that build trust, manage expectations and minimize environmental risks.
Whether Gran Tierra has delegated an activity or performed it directly, GTE is committed to being responsible for how it is carried out. This procedure embodies principles recommended by the World Bank Group and performance criteria that are set forth in the United Nations publication Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The Process
There are four in-person and correspondence-based channels that people can use to file petitions, complaints and claims. These are screened and go through the documentation centre and the coordination centre. Everything is coded with a report received in real time at Gran Tierra’s headquarters in Canada and regular reports are sent to senior management. An Effectiveness Committee meets every month, looking at trends. One database captures all of these interactions, and cases are expected to be investigated between 3-12 calendar days from when they were opened, if possible. To ensure that the system continues to improve, internal and external satisfaction surveys and performance statistics are reviewed by GTE’s senior management team on a regular basis.
To see the ways to submit a PQR visit our Community Queries page here.
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Familiarization Trips
GTE has several programs that let people see first-hand what the Company does to minimize the impact of its operations on the environment. One program is called Familiarization Trips (Fam Trips), which involves encouraging stakeholders to visit production sites and observe the Company’s practices, particularly with respect to operations and the environment. This program has proved to be effective in countering myths some people have regarding industry practices, by providing basic information about hydrocarbons, and by providing basic information on how oil operations work. Some visitors come from areas near current operations and some are from areas where GTE is planning to operate.
In 2022, GTE hosted FamTrips in the Middle Magdalena Valley and in Putumayo. Guests in attendance ranged from National and local government officials to local community members, including participants from GTE’s Mentorship program. The FamTrips toured GTE’s Costayaco Field, Costayaco Forestry Centre, and the Suruma Museum, as well as the Acordionero field.
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Gran Tierra in My Community
GTE regularly hosts a variety of community-based activities to strengthen ties with communities, leaders, and institutions in the areas where Gran Tierra operates. The events cover a wide variety of topics, including operational, educational and cultural.
One of the most effective engagement programs in Colombia is “GTE en Mi Comunidad” (GTE in My Community), in which more than 15,000 people from four departments: Putumayo, Cauca, Santander, and Cesar, participated in 2022. Dozens of cultural and community-building events are hosted for people of all ages through the program throughout the year. The program strengthens community ties, by promoting spaces for recreation, community service and cultural exchanges in the areas near Gran Tierra’s operations. The Company works hard to align these efforts with the priorities of local communities and their representatives.
GTE supports community-led activities such as environmental training, traditional games, theatre and music in communities across Putumayo, Cauca, Cesar and Santander departments. These events, are also part of Colombia’s national “Brujula” program which instills principles of personal, family, and social coexistence. Out of more than three hundred participating municipalities, the program in Rio Negro which is focused on victims of violence and has for years been supported by GTE, was recognized as one of the top 20 in Colombia by Colombian NGO Corporacion Juego y Ninez (Game and Childhood Corporation), for the past two years.
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