As part of its strategic plans, Vintage Petroleum Boliviana (VPB), a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental, has developed and implemented a social responsibility (SR) program that supports company business objectives and positively affects and adds value for all stakeholders—employees, contractors, national oil company, communities, and the environment. VPB’s SR program achieves a balance between its oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) interests and communities’ expectations and needs. The SR program carried out through an extensive engagement process has served as the model for the company’s operational excellence and resulted in alliances between VPB and the communities in the areas of influence and at large.
The objective of this paper is to share the methodology, approach, and processes that VPB has implemented to improve the quality of life of society as a whole and to be a shared-value partner with the communities. This paper addresses both tangible and intangible benefits that communities have received and quality-of-life enhancements in the communities, as well as the key performance indicators used to measure performance for operational excellence, community development, and project/program evaluation.
VPB’s working interests in the E&P operations in Bolivia are in three areas: Naranjillos, Chaco Sur, and Ñupuco fields (Fig. 1).
The business unit in each of these areas has conducted detailed environmental- and social-impact assessments, including identifying the areas of direct and indirect influence and mitigation measures and action plans. Using these, VPB has developed and implemented an SR program that is consistent with Occidental’s corporate SR five-pillars framework and commitments and, at the same time, supports VPB’s business objectives and positively affects people, communities, and the environment in the areas of influence of the operations.
Occidental’s SR commitments and ongoing initiatives are categorized in five pillars: governance and transparency, workforce development, health and safety, environmental stewardship, and economic and social development. Fig. 2 explains the specifics of the commitments under each pillar.
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