Cienaga, December 4, 2023
More than 200 attendees, among which were local government leaders and other public officers of Cesar and Magdalena, participated in this training space to reaffirm that “What unites us is the commitment for our region”.
Within the framework of its corporate social responsibility and its contribution to institutional strengthening, the company held the fourth version of the ‘Good Government Seminar’ from November 29 to December 1 in the city of Santa Marta. The academic event was organized for the newly elected governors, mayors, departmental assembly members and municipal Council people from Drummond Ltd.’s mining, railway, and port area of influence of the municipalities of Cesar and Magdalena.
“The ‘Good Government Seminar’ is a space where we invite elected leaders and offer them skills that will be helpful to them in the work during their elected periods. This allows us to meet with them, strengthen relationships, and lay the foundations to form possible alliances. It is one of the ways in which we demonstrate the support that Drummond gives to the region in which we have operated for more than 30 years,” commented Jose Miguel Linares, president of Drummond Ltd. Colombia.
Training for a better Government
During this event, Drummond Ltd., with the support of the Proceder Siglo XXI Foundation and the certification of the Universidad del Norte, provided tools, methodologies, and training to improve the competencies and skills of elected leaders, emphasizing how to manage local issues that contribute to prosperity and coexistence. In addition, participants acquired information that contributes to cooperative work between governments and the company.
In this way, participants attended conferences and workshops on territorial economic development, good government and policies, human rights, region and governance, among other topics of relevance for public management, and the projection of territorial plans in alliance with the company.
“The seminar helped us focus on what´s important. In the case of my municipality, our flagship program is education and Drummond supports this fundamental pillar. We are going to close gaps in our community to push our municipalities forward. I know that all the mayors who were here gained knowledge that will help us transform territory,” said Luz Helena Andrade Campo, elected mayor of Fundacion, a municipality of Magdalena.
On the other hand, the elected mayor of Chiriguana, Cesar, Jose Carmelo Galeano, expressed: “This training has helped us understand that we have to focus. This space reaffirms that we must work on projects that mark the history of our municipalities. I highlight the good will of the company to convene all the leaders, because this way we can think as a region and not individually”.
The academic and networking meeting featured speakers that included Carolina Riaño, VP & Chief Sustainability Officer for Drummond Company; Jose Rafael Unda, external advisor for the company on Human Rights; Amilkar Acosta, Former President for the Nation’s Congress and former Minister of Mines and Energy; Jaime Arteaga, director of J.A. Asociados; Tatiana Oñate, delegate attorney for territorial management and governance; Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Promotion of Justice Vice-Minister; Diana Acosta, Secretary of Culture and Heritage for the Atlantico; Jorge Ávila, manager for Parques para a Gente; Valeria Flores, head of digital communication for the Government of Atlantico; Rodrigo Peñailillo, representative of the CAF Agency in Colombia, and Brigadier Jorge Urquijo, commander of the Barranquilla Police.
Finally, to close the training cycle, the last day of the Seminar included the participation of former Barranquilla mayor (2008-2011 and 2016-2019 periods), and current elected mayor for this city, Alejandro Char Chaljub, who through a dialogue guided by Diana Acosta and y Jorge Ávila, presented his successful experience from the Barranquilla’s Mayor Office, which generates great contributions to the models to follow and which can be adopted for the execution of a Good Government.
Agreement for a Good Government 2023 – 2027
After the training stage and during the last day, everyone’s commitment was highlighted, including private companies, leaders, and public servants, to drive the communities forward and promote the real development of the municipalities that are part of our area of influence. This is how the signing of the Good Government Agreement was formalized in a symbolic act.
The elected officials present signed the agreement to keep their leadership alive, and the commitment to a good government for the next four years in which they will be at the service of the community. The elected mayor of Barranquilla, Alejandro Char, served as a witness to the event.
In his closing remarks at the event, Drummond Ltd.’s president, Jose Miguel Linares said: “I want to congratulate you on behalf of all the members of the Drummond team for your success at the polls. It is now up to you to guide your communities, your voters, within areas such as politics, social, economic, and environmental, seeking sustainable development for our regions. “In addition, he stressed: “We are your neighbors, your friends. We want to contribute to the economic and social growth of Magdalena, Cesar, and Colombia with our work, which is mining that is done well, responsible mining”.
In this way, Drummond Ltd. strengthens its commitment to the region and the country, complying with its pillar of Governance for Development from its objectives of transparency and citizen control.
If you want to know more about this Good Government Seminar, we invite you to access the following QR code:
