Successfully concluded the first Government-industry meeting with new regional leaders

The first meeting of elected regional and local leaders with representatives of the national government and the oil and gas industry successfully concluded, with the aim of starting a joint effort with the new authorities of the hydrocarbon-producing regions and fostering a constructive dialogue about the presence of the industry in the territory.

The event, which had as its central axis competitiveness, innovation, and governance in the hydrocarbons sector, allowed for the identification of regional priorities, and how the Government and the sector can contribute to their transformation and progress. It also helped to expose and resolve concerns on issues such as the reform of the General Royalties System, the hiring of local labor and gender equity, the promotion of other productive sectors, social conflict, social and environmental management in the regions, among other topics of interest for the leaders.

• The ANH, through the Territorial Hydrocarbons Strategy (ETH), organized a meeting with the newly elected leaders of the producing regions, initiating joint work between the Government, the industry, and the new local authorities.
• Hiring of local labor and gender equity, promotion of other productive sectors, and social conflict in the regions, among the main concerns of the leaders.
• Regional tables were held to identify work proposals regarding these issues, with the participation of local authorities, the national Government, and the industry.

The meeting, which took place in Bogotá on December 10 and 11, 2019, brought together more than 100 elected leaders, including governors and mayors, from departments such as Meta, Casanare, Arauca, Caquetá, Putumayo, Huila, Tolima, Córdoba, Sucre, Bolívar, La Guajira, Santander, Antioquia, among others.

The president of the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), Luis Miguel Morelli, who led the meeting, stated that “this is the first approach with the new leaders to offer them support in the development of their management. It is important that they have technical support so that their municipal development plans can be prepared in the shortest possible time and with the best structure.”.

 Morelli assured that the meeting was conducive to advancing specific issues of each territory: “we have presented the projects we have in their departments and have agreed to work in a coordinated manner to carry out very strict oversight of compliance with the environmental standards that companies must meet in the regions.”.

For his part, the mayor of Pueblo Nuevo (Córdoba), Fidel Mercado González, highlighted the importance of the meeting: “the fundamental basis is dialogue, knowing everything that will be done in our territories so that we can socialize it with our communities and thus prevent social conflict. It is good to reach agreements and for us to be told how we will work together, so that communities know the roadmap of all operations, know how resources will be protected, and also how the impact on the environment will be mitigated.”.

For his part, Diego Mesa, acting Minister of Mines and Energy, emphasized to the leaders that with the reform to the Royalties Law, producing municipalities and departments will receive a significant increase in their income starting from the 2021-2022 biennium. “Meanwhile, there are 30 trillion pesos to be executed in 2020 that must be invested in well-structured projects to benefit all communities,» asserted the official.

In the same vein, the Executive President of the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP), Francisco José Lloreda Mera, emphasized “the importance of building an agenda and work plan for the future that allows for concrete support to the new leaders so that they see the industry as an ally for the sustainable development of the regions and to create a new way of relationship in the territory based on the generation of trust.”.

As a result of the meeting, and the regional tables held, joint proposals emerged to strengthen the coordinated work between local authorities, the national government, and the hydrocarbons industry, in economic, social, and environmental matters, looking ahead to the next four years.