Page 5 - 2019 Sustainability Report

can support government priorities in the communities where we operate. For example, our new AgroEmprende partnership develops agricultural techniques and infrastructure that will help facilitate the reintegration of farmers involved in illegal crops into Colombian society. Similarly, our partnership with the Barcelona Football Club Foundation is aimed at abating child recruitment, making sure at-risk youth remain connected with society.
We have also invested heavily in building healthy economies in areas near our operations. As part of our commitment to create value
for all stakeholders, we source millions of dollars of goods and services each year from Colombian companies, provide thousands of job opportunities for local workers, and support hundreds of entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses.
As we continue to develop our operations in Colombia, we are introducing our approach to the neighbouring country of Ecuador. In 2019, we were awarded three licence blocks adjacent to our existing blocks in Southern Colombia. This provides us with a contiguous land position in areas with much promise. Our approach in Ecuador, like our approach in Colombia, calls for learning from and
communicating with communities before beginning any production activities.
We must inspire trust and confidence.
We believe our sustainability program is
the foundation upon which this trust is built. Last year alone, over 90,000 Colombians benefitted from Gran Tierra’s social investments. This record demonstrates
to our stakeholders that we honour
our commitments.
Transparency, including public accounts of our environmental contributions, social investments and the quality of our governance, is a critical part of the work we do. Throughout this report, we provide the data we use to measure all aspects of our performance. We also share stories about our local neighbours and partners to further illustrate the impact our efforts
have made. We hope you find them to be as interesting and inspiring as we do.
Gary Guidry
President and CEO Gran Tierra Energy Inc.
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