In addition, we seek to provide mutually beneficial training, employment and business opportunities to indigenous peoples through local content programs and strategic community investments. For additional information on our strategic community investment initiatives, see page 64. A core component of our operations is ensuring the safety of our employees as well as neighboring communities. In 2015, ExxonMobil partnered with the Marine Exchange of Alaska, a nonprofit maritime organization, and two local indigenous villages to upgrade safety technology in their communication centers near our operations at Point Thomson, Alaska. Vessel tracking software and communication devices were used to help village residents monitor marine vessel traffic in relation to their traditional subsistence hunting areas. As a result of this effort, marine users were able to avoid conflicts with subsistence activities and carry out their operations in a safe manner. We continue to participate on the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues, IPIECA’s, task force on free prior and informed consent, which focuses on gaining clarity on the definition and best practices for working Up Close: Working with indigenous peoples in Kaktovik, Alaska The village of Kaktovik, located within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain on Barter Island, is home to approximately 250 to 300 residents of Inupiat Eskimo descent whose ancestors have lived in the area for centuries. During the 1890s and early 1900s, Barter Island was an important trading site for commercial whalers. Early inhabitants of the region were semi-nomadic and relied heavily on the availability of fish, game and marine mammals. Today, Kaktovik residents continue to maintain a strong connection to the cultural heritage of their ancestors. Our Point Thomson project is located on state acreage along the remote Beaufort Sea coast, 60 miles west of Kaktovik. A
where village residents were able to reconnect with the collection, helping bolster local elementary and secondary education programs that preserve and advance their rich Inupiat cultural heritage.
with indigenous peoples. In 2015, IPIECA continued to monitor developments related to this topic and held periodic calls, sessions and webinars to share local knowledge and discuss emerging trends. Cultural heritage and diversity We are sensitive to concerns around balancing cultural heritage with the desire for economic development. Our respect for the cultural heritage and customs of local communities carries into our everyday business practices. For our Upstream projects, we incorporate into our project planning, design and execution considerations such as cultural, spiritual or sacred heritage sites and areas, biodiversity conservation, traditional knowledge and sustainable resource management. Prior to starting work in an area, we identify potential sites of cultural significance using a cultural heritage identification process. Additionally, we leverage relevant studies to deepen the knowledge among our workforce and provide training to our construction and field contractor personnel on managing cultural heritage challenges. Our objective is to preserve cultural sites and artifacts appropriately. central tenet of our vision for Point Thomson is to be a good neighbor. Through regular and consistent communication with Kaktovik community leaders and residents, we learned about their long-standing desire to reconnect with a collection of more than 3,000 artifacts that were excavated and removed from the area in 1914 and curated at the Canadian Museum of History (CMH). The collection includes antler arrowheads, ivory harpoon heads, traditional copper slate knives and other remarkably preserved artifacts that represent a way of life extending back 1,000 years. The Point Thomson project’s multi-year cultural resources management program culminated in the return of this collection to Alaska for the first time since 1914. As part of a museum-to-museum loan, the CMH sent this iconic collection to the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks, where ExxonMobil sponsored Kaktovik cultural experts to visit and assist researchers in the documentation and analysis process. The program soon evolved into a cultural exchange
Return of artifacts to Alaska fulfills century-old promise
Kaktovik artifacts preserved at the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Land use and resettlement ExxonMobil employs practices and policies to respect property rights in the locations where we operate, and we pay particular attention to those areas populated by indigenous peoples. Whenever land is necessary for projects, we adhere to applicable host-country regulatory requirements that govern land acquisition. If projects are externally financed, we also comply with land use, access and resettlement requirements stipulated by the lender(s). Additionally, consistent with the 2012 IFC Performance Standards , when working on traditional lands, we endeavor to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples before initiating significant development activities. We understand that community members often have concerns about how our activities may affect their land and way of life. When managing land-use-related impacts, we aim to minimize involuntary resettlement through a disciplined multi- dimensional site selection process. Several potential locations are typically assessed based on technical criteria such as availability, accessibility, safety, security and constructability,
Community and social impact exxonmobil.com/citizenship
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