6.21.2000 ET

(CSRwire) The Royal Dutch/Shell Group (Shell) has been awarded the "Corporate Impact Assessment Achievement Award" by the International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA) in recognition of its work on the Camisea Project in Peru.

The award, one of eight in different categories, will be presented in Hong Kong at the 20th annual meeting of the IAIA on Friday, June 22, and specifically recognises “Shell's role in producing and implementing standard setting processes on consultation, social impact assessment and building social capital in Peru". The IAIA also, “...recognises that even though the project was not able to proceed beyond the appraisal phase the activities undertaken merit high recognition".

Shell’s approach to the social and environmental issues surrounding the Camisea project was unique. Involving some 250 stakeholders ranging from international NGOs to the indigenous communities, initial consultation was started two years before the signing of any agreement, and numerous tools were used to ensure stakeholder involvement in the process, ranging from one to one meetings to national and international stakeholder workshops.

Some examples of unique features of the project included health passports for all non-indigenous employees to protect against the spread of disease, the use of helicopter and hovercraft transport to eliminate the construction of roads and an ‘offshore’ policy to protect communities from non-indigenous workers.

The president of the IAIA Dr. Hobson Bryant congratulated Shell, “On its dedication to advancing the practice of impact assessment to benefit not only the people in Peru, but also for providing lessons that should enhance operations in the world at large.”
Royal Dutch/Shell Group Managing Director and Exploration and Production CEO, Phil Watts commented:

“We are extremely honored by this award. We learned an enormous amount from this experience, and even though the Camisea project itself did not materialise, the experience has helped to shape our approach to consultation, and to mould the way we approach Sustainable Development in doing business in sensitive areas.”
Shell acknowledges the role played by the many individuals and NGOs who contributed both to the project itself and also to the Company’s learning.

Notes

The IAIA is the environmental professionals’ forum. It has been in existence for more than 20 years and its members come from governments, consultancies, industry, universities and NGOs in more than 100 countries.