December 15, 2015
- A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Administrative Department for Social Prosperity during the event. The memo states that Drummond will allocate 1 billion Colombian pesos to social and economic development projects.
Drummond organized the Second Training Seminar in Good Governance on December 9, 10, and 11 in Santa Marta with the objective of providing tools, information, and training to recently elected governors, mayors, councilpersons, and deputies of departments and municipalities in the mining and railway areas of influence.
Participants included: the Director of the National Mining Agency, Silvana Habib; the Vice Minister of the Interior, Carlos Ferro; the President of the Colombian Mining Association, Santiago Angel; the Comptroller Delegate for the Social Sector, Jose Antonio Soto; delegates from the Ministry of Post-conflict, and other experts on topics related to local governance, security and peaceful coexistence, development instruments, royalties, cooperatives, and communication which was facilitated by the Proceder Siglo XXI Foundation.
The President of Drummond Ltd., Jose Miguel Linares, stated that in light of a potential post-conflict scenario where work must be done to close gaps in terms of inequality and to foment sustainable development for regions and for the country, the company’s main interest is promoting the investment of resources in priority areas to improve people’s quality of life.
“In such a landscape, joint work is very important between the company, local governments and communities, so that the resources we generate and contribute to the region and to the country will be of real benefit to those who most need them, attempting to generate diversity in economic activity,” indicated Linares.
Silvana Habib, President of the National Mining Agency, said “This seminar is a good initiative of Drummond’s; demonstrating engagement in responsible and efficient mining. It demonstrates that the company is open to listening to governors, mayors, councilpersons, and deputies. This is the type of event we need to coordinate the efforts of private enterprise, government institutions, and the community.”
The seminar also covered topics such as social relationships in the post-conflict era, royalty resources and participation in the General Royalties System, and human rights in companies. The presentations were made by experts such as Hector Riveros, attorney specialized in Constitutional Law; Carlos Sarabia, National Director of Infrastructure; Jose Rafael Unda, human rights expert; Jose Antonio Soto, Private Secretary to the Comptroller General of the Nation; Bernardo del Toro, advisor to the president of the Avina Foundation, and Tatyana Orozco, Director of Social Prosperity.
“This is a very important arena in which mayors, councilpersons, and deputies can interact and learn about tools that will allow them to strengthen their institutional capacity for activities and responsibilities,” indicated the governor-elect of Cesar, Francisco Ovalle. The Mayor of Chiriguana, Zunilda Toloza, stated: “Drummond has always been abreast of the community’s needs. It is an organization that has stuck close to regional institutions and pays attention to the mayors.”
Alliance to Overcome Poverty
In the framework of the Training Seminar for Good Governance and in line with the company’s commitment to contribute to the development of the region influenced by its operations, Drummond and the Administrative Department for Social Prosperity (DPS in Spanish), led by its Director, Tatyana Orozco, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which Drummond will allocate $1 billion Colombian pesos to social and economic development projects, child nutrition programs, productive projects, and housing improvements.
“We feel quite satisfied with this document we signed with Drummond, because it aligns the interests of the private sector with those of the public sector. Drummond is a company that is committed to the social development of the regions in its area of influence and it has demonstrated its interest in the community,” expressed Orozco.
“The agreement focuses mainly on overcoming extreme poverty, matters related to healthcare and education, and other projects we identified jointly with Social Prosperity,” indicated the President of Drummond.
By signing this agreement, Drummond Ltd. takes on a new challenge to work together with the government to invest resources to give the most vulnerable population groups new opportunities for income and generate programs to strengthen society and sustainable productive projects.
