Following its commitment to satisfy the sector´s needs, ARPEL held the third edition of its specialization course about “Indigenous peoples and the oil & gas industry”, which aims at providing tools to support the interaction and cooperation between the oil and gas companies, and indigenous peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The course took place on 5-9 May, 2014, in Quito, Ecuador, and more than 50 representatives of the public and private sector as well as government authorities participated.

ARPEL developed an “Indigenous Peoples Relationship Manual”, with the support of regional and international experts from industry and government. The Manual and the course seek to provide a dynamic guide, key best practices and international standards recommended for the relations between the industry and indigenous peoples in the region.

Some of the topics addressed include: The need to acknowledge indigenous peoples taking into consideration their cultural, social, economic and political dimensions; The relationship ways of industry with indigenous peoples and the environment; The national and international regulations; The role of public institutions, multilateral organizations and cooperation agencies that work with the indigenous issue, and conflict resolution strategies.

Due to the increasing interest of different countries from the region on this topic and the success achieved in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, the course will be held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, from 1-5 September, 2014.