Jhon Wajai is a member of the Shuar Indigenous People of Ecuador and Peru. He provides technical and political support to Indigenous Peoples’ organizations in the Amazon region, including CONFENIAE, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon, and COICA, Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin.
On July 31 and August 1, 2014, Equitable Origin was invited to participate in a workshop with COICA and CONFENIAE, indigenous organizations of the Ecuadorian Amazon, to discuss best practices in the oil & gas industry and potential uses of the EO100™ Standard.
An enthusiastic audience collected in Providence, RI at 2:30pm on August 7, 2014 to watch the screening of Oil & Water at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
EO’s President and Co-Founder David Poritz participated in a Q&A session after the film with director Laurel Spellman Smith, answering questions that ranged from updates on the progress of Equitable Origin and the Cofan Survival Fund, to the best ways of changing oil companies’ practices.
On April 9th and 10th of 2014, in the Colombian municipality of Orito, Putumayo, with the participation of representatives from chapters and councils of the Indigenous Zone Organization of Putumayo (OZIP), Equitable Origin inaugurated the Awareness and Empowerment Workshop for the use and application of the EO100™ Standard as a useful tool for indigenous organizations in managing hydro-carbon activities within their territories.
On May 21, 2014, Fernando Benalcazar, EO’s VP of Global Implementation and VP Latin America, gave a presentation to mayors of the Colombian municipalities most affected by oil and gas exploration and production. He was invited to give this presentation by Dr. Gilberto Toro, Executive Director of the Colombian Federation of Municipalities.
The ISEAL Alliance has approved Equitable Origin’s application to progress from associate to full membership, the highest membership status in ISEAL, following a review of its standard-setting systems and monitoring and evaluation program.
Jhon Wajai, representative of COICA, sits down with Soledad Mills, our VP of Stakeholder Engagement, at the SPE conference.
The oil and gas industry faces a serious deficit of public trust. A recent study by the Reputation Institute asked 55,000 consumers to rank the world’s 100 most reputable companies among multinational businesses with a global presence; not a single oil or gas company made the list.
Contact:
Amy Blumenthal
Blumenthal & Associates
617-879-1511
[email protected]
New York, NY/Bogota, Colombia, August 26, 2013 – Equitable Origin (EO), the first stakeholder-based, independent social and environmental certification for the oil and gas industry, has formed a landmark partnership with Colombia’s Country Brand, to promote certification of Colombia’s oil and gas production under the EO100™ Standard.
It is broadly accepted that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a necessary part of a company’s approach to business and contributes to long-term value for companies that continue to treat their employees well and “give back” to their neighbors.
At Equitable Origin, our goal is to positively transform the global oil and gas industry, to ensure that biodiversity is protected and local communities benefit both economically and socially from oil and gas development.
While our sights are set on the world, we are starting with Latin America, where a significant amount of new oil and gas development is taking place.