Hocol stands out as the second-best company with private social investment in Colombia

• Hocol's social investment actions benefited more than 1.3 million people in 2023.
• More than 107.2 billion pesos were invested by the company (Voluntary Social Investment 2023 and Works for Taxes between 2018 and 2023).
• The 175 largest companies in the country participated in this edition of the Private Social Investment Index.

Hocol, a company of the Ecopetrol Group, was recognized as the second company with the best private social investment in Colombia, according to a study called Private Social Investment Index – ISSP conducted by the firm Jaime Arteaga and Associates.

The Private Social Investment Index, which was recently presented to the Inter-American Council for Social Development of the OAS as a potential international measurement standard, is responsible for evaluating the efforts and social and environmental initiatives carried out by private sector companies to generate development and improve the quality of life of the populations where they operate.

The dimensions recognized by the ISSP are linked to the company's business model, planning, investment, evaluation, and reporting of these efforts. Hocol has been recognized because its socio-environmental investment activities are carried out in partnership with
public, private, and cooperation actors to develop projects especially focused on vulnerable and rural populations, which enables a high impact on benefits and sustainability over time.

With an investment that in 2023 benefited more than one million three hundred thousand people and exceeded 31 billion pesos, Hocol develops activities focused on issues of access to drinking water, protection of natural wealth, education, access to social gas, and initiatives leveraged through the works for taxes mechanism.

100% of the socio-environmental investment projects implemented by Hocol are developed in total coordination with communities and private sector allies. In addition, 70% of these initiatives involve the participation of local governments, which strengthens the sustainability of the processes.

The socio-environmental investment actions that Hocol implements are focused near its operations in the departments of Bolívar, Córdoba, Huila, La Guajira, Meta, Sucre, and Tolima.

Additionally, actions have been developed in the departments of Antioquia and Valle del Cauca, which, although they are not operational areas of Hocol, have been included thanks to the leveraging of resources through the Tax Works mechanism, in which Hocol has also stood out for its leadership. Between 2018 and 2023, the Tax Works initiatives benefited more than 800 thousand people with an investment exceeding $76.200 million pesos.

Vulnerable individuals, victims of the conflict, and ethnic communities, as well as children, adolescents, and youth are some of the population groups that Hocol's socio-environmental investment focuses on the most. «We are very proud of this recognition. At Hocol, we firmly believe in the importance of working as a team to ensure a high and positive impact in our actions.

Our purpose of Sharing the life of Colombia in projects that promote access to essential resources and contribute to the social, environmental, and economic well-being of the country will continue to be a priority for us,” said Luis Enrique Rojas Cuellar, president of Hocol.