The Organization of American States (OAS) begins today (25th of February) in Cancun, Mexico, a forum for exchanging experiences amongst companies of different sectors, with respect to the “Best Practices in Corporate Social Responsibility of the Extractive and Tourism Sectors” attended by Julián González, Cerrejón’s Manager of Sustainability and Public Affairs

The forum will be the scenario to exchange perspectives on the challenges, best practices and solutions of multinational and small and medium enterprises (PYMES, for its Spanish initials) on matters related to Corporate Social Responsibility (RSE, for its Spanish initials) and sustainability.

During the forum, Mr. González will share the Social Responsibility model of Cerrejón; the central axis of which is the promotion of sustainable development in La Guajira; the search for corporate practices in agreement with international standards; the construction of trust with the communities; the evaluations by external experts as a way of promoting constant improvements; and the opening to opportunities of dialogue with sundry groups of interest.

He will also present the fashion in which Cerrejón undertakes its policies both directly and through its System of Foundations, consisting of four (4) institutions, the objective of which is to promote and support projects targeted to the strengthening and sustainable development, either only with Company resources or through agreements with local and international sources.

Cerrejón is a management leader for the industries of the same sector. Its activities are certified under ISO 14001 (environmental management), OHSAS 18001 (industrial security and occupational health); additionally, it adhered to the UN Global Compact and is part of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

The event is organized by the OAS’ Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (“Secretaría Ejecutiva para el Desarrollo Integral – SEDI - de la Organización de Estados Americanos - OEA”), with the support of the Canadian Agency for International Development (“Agencia Canadiense de Desarrollo Internacional – ACDI”) and in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (“Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe – CEPAL”) and the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT).

At the event, the audience will be able to participate during four times of the dialogue, videlicet:

1. Challenges for the sustainability of the extractive and tourism sectors (Social License to operate in the new political, socio-economic and environmental contexts).
2. Definitions of RSE and sustainability for the enterprise sector they represent (what is and what is not RSE).
3. Lessons learnt in the implementation (construction of a guide of responsible acting: governance and strategy recommended).
4. Recommendations to the PYMES (applicable suggestions without much complexity and need of financial resources).

Click here to view the letter from OAS