Statoil has received an international award for its environmental and social impact assessments of operations undertaken by the group. Chief executive Helge Lund accepted the award today, 23 May, at a large international conference in Stavanger.
This conference is the most important global forum for impact assessment professionals. The award is given by the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), the host of the conference.
As reasons for the award the chair of the IAIA Awards Committee 2006, Jean-Roger Mercier, cited excellent performance by Statoil in emphasising environmental considerations in its oil and gas operations, both regionally and globally.
”This award represents an important and inspiring recognition of our impact assessment work,” says CEO Helge Lund, who, in addition to the Norwegian minister of the environment, Helen Bjørnøy, was also one of the keynote speakers during the opening of the conference.
“Statoil has established a set of values and standards that pervade the organisation and our activities. Impact assessments represent a fundamental part of our preparations for new activities. If we are not able to conduct business in line with our values, we abstain from business. In order to ensure compliance, we need to fully understand the operational environment,” Mr Lund says.
IAIA is a global organisation with more than 2,500 members in more than 100 countries. The Stavanger conference will focus on how environmental assessments and analyses related to energy, climate change, polar challenges, biological diversity, transportation and area planning, poverty eradication, development cooperation and indigenous population issues may contribute to sustainable development. The conference is attended by some 800 participants from almost 90 countries, including a large number of delegates from developing countries.
Organised for the 26th time, this is the first time this annual conference is held in a Nordic country. The Ministry of the Environment is the host of the conference, and Statoil is its main sponsor.