Our role in society

We aim to ensure that our presence in Georgia, and wherever we operate, creates mutual advantage for us and for those with whom we come into contact. Using our collective experience and resources and working in partnership with others, we seek to respond to local needs and contribute to building the capacity of individuals, communities and institutions.

In Georgia, our focus will be to help protect the co-venturers’ asset base and overall investment by retaining the goodwill and supporting the work of key stakeholders – communities adjacent to the facilities, government and the NGO sector and the local business community.

We began 2009 to implement the stakeholder engagement strategy agreed with our partners in 2008. We plan to invest an average of $3 million per year in Georgia on activities within the strategy in 2009-2011.

Our goal is to maintain good relationships with communities near our facilities, as well as support the creation of a favourable environment for small and medium sized businesses. The geography of our operations and the economic profile of neighbouring communities mean that sustainable projects in support of agriculture will remain our focus in rural areas.

Recognizing Georgia’s need to further develop its energy sector, we also seek to build capacity in civil society organizations and within communities. Within the programme, activities to be considered include energy efficiency initiatives in rural areas, technical assistance and energy education.