(6)Somos Choapa: A New Approach to Local Engagement and Community Investment

摘要

Traditionally Los Pelambres mining company had established bilateral relations with each individual community within its area of influence. Dialogue was a tool to resolve specific issues and community investment was mostly reactive. This approach no longer meets the challenges of sustainable coexistence between this large mining company -responsible for about the 40% of the regional product1 - and Choapa province's 42 communities impacted by its operation. Los Pelambres is in the process of implementing a new approach to community engagement, anchored in the fact that company's sustainable development is inseparable from the territory?s. Thus, the company has made an explicit commitment to the long-term local development and is working under a specific framework to work towards this goal. This framework -called Somos Choapa- relies on multistakeholder participation and private-public collaboration. Corporate community investment is also evolving to reflect this new approach. Los Pelambres is replacing its traditional array of community initiatives with a project portfolio, defined through an ample consultation process and aligned with public policy for local development. Projects included in this portfolio will share high quality standards and be assessed for effectiveness. New community projects will address core community expectations and concerns as jointly identified with the neighbours and the local government. This portfolio approach will allow for greater synergy among the different projects thus responding to more complex or longer-term issues.