The search for oil and gas can take energy companies to places with poor human rights records. This clearly presents challenges and trade-offs. Refusing to operate opens the door for less-principled competitors. Staying in such countries puts a company at risk of being seen as complicit in a government’s practices. We decide case by case, based on whether we are able to follow our Business Principles. We work with the Danish Institute for Human Rights to understand and address the human rights risks we face in particular countries. The Institute’s Country Risk Assessments compare local laws and practices with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and more than 80 other international treaties. It identifies the main risk areas in a country – like labour rights for foreign labourers or the behaviour of security forces. We then test our procedures and practices for respecting these rights, and work to close any gaps. In 2006, initial assessments were done for Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Raising staff awareness and skills on human rights remains a priority for us. With the Danish Institute we reviewed our human rights training effort in Nigeria. As we committed to do in 2005, we trained another 500 field staff there in managing difficult situations, like responding to conflict in local communities.