Colombia has become the country to watch in the Southern hemisphere: oil is now the country’s biggest export and Colombia has become the third-largest producer in South America after Venezuela and Brazil.
To raise awareness of human rights and security issues among Canadian companies operating in Colombia, Export Development Canada hosted a roundtable event on June 17, 2011 on Security and Human Rights in the Extractive Sector in Colombia. The roundtables also served as a forum to exchange ideas on best practices for addressing human rights and security issues.
Participants included individuals with diverse perspectives and experience from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government departments and corporate enterprises. Canadian company representatives spoke strongly of their commitment to Colombia and to their considerable progress in implementing the UN Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.
The current challenges for companies in managing security and human rights issues include the ongoing rebuilding of Colombia’s reputation, the legacy from the ongoing armed conflict, a large number of indigenous communities, local institutions with limited capacity and the presence of criminal/guerrilla groups in some rural areas of the country. There is also the challenge of building relationships with various levels of government, NGOs and other organizations. While the security situation in Colombia continues to improve, companies are moving into more remote areas with a history of security and human rights violations, thus presenting greater challenges and risks to companies and their personnel.
http://www.exportwise.ca/article553