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For AES Changuinola, the
responsible management of the relationship with all stakeholder groups
of the society in which it interacts on a daily basis, is fundamental
and a comprehensive part of its way of operating.
As part of this
responsibility, the building of a productive relationship based on
concerted agreements with one of the main stakeholder groups of the
project -- namely, indigenous populations residing adjacent to the
project -- has been key to the company.
This relationship started
with investigations, studies, and diagnostics that have enabled the
company to better understand the social realities these communities have
traditionally lived themselves in. Most of those living in these
communities are indigenous groups from the Nögbe tribe. They have
historically lived under poverty conditions within an area without
access roads and communication, where there was a scarce presence of the
state as well as limited coverage of public services. Therefore, area
residents were practically invisible to authorities and society in
general. This reality has significantly changed after our project came
to the place, making their existence visible and creating a new dynamics
in the area.
It should be pointed out
that from the beginning of the project's development AES has fully
observed all laws of the Republic of Panama, in strict adherence of
respect for the integrity and human rights of persons who currently
reside in areas surrounding the project.
The responsibility we
assumed with these groups leads us to address two important aspects in
the development of the project, namely the Participative Resettlement
and the Comprehensive Social Development of the area.
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