The Sudan Peace Agreement, signed on January 9, 2005, was designed to establish a lasting peace, a prerequisite to the social and economic development of Sudan. Total is committed to taking an active part in the reconstruction of this country ravaged by two decades of civil war, and to promoting its ethical values through its contribution to economic growth in Sudan. We fully recognize the complexity of the human, political and environmental aspects of the situation.

Total will work in Sudan according according to its Code of Conduct and its Ethics Charter. Within the company’s sphere of activity and competence, Total is committed to promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including social, economic and cultural rights, and the rights and interests of local populations, minorities and other vulnerable groups. Community Liaison Officers in the field contribute to this process. In addition, all business activities should contribute to peace and equitable development, respecting the inter-Sudanese Peace Agreement. 

Total’s agreement with the Sudanese authorities provides for the setting up of initiatives to help local communities, such as educational and health projects, in line with the needs of the people.
These programmes will be defined in detail when our teams return to the field and can identify needs and expectations in consultation with local communities. To do this, we will draw on the expertise of NGOs. Total has already established relationships with some NGOs such as the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan (ECOS) and the Collaborative for Development Action (CDA) in order to develop our proposals.

In practical terms, these proposals will respect the following principles:

• Analyzing and understanding the social, economic, institutional, political and environmental context in which Total and its co-venturers operate, in order to assess risks and integrate our operations  into the local environment.
• Fostering dialogue with stakeholders to build trust-based relationships.
• Assessing and enhancing the positive impact of our activities, while preventing or reducing their negative impact throughout their life cycle.
• Fostering human development in local communities by taking every opportunity to work with partners when designing and undertaking social initiatives.
• Developing skills and expertise to allow local independent management  to sustain the initiatives we support.
• Assessing the progress of our societal initiatives and reporting to our stakeholders.

These principles are in accordance with Total’s Code of Conduct and abide by international law, the provisions of Sudanese Peace Agreements, the European Union’s and the African Union’s regulations and the United Nations’ Joint Assessment Mission in Sudan (JAM).

Moreover Total subscribes to:

• The principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• The fundamental agreements of the International Labour Organisation;
• The guiding principles of the OCDE for multinational corporations;
• The principles of the United Nations’ Global Compact;
• The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative,

and follows as well the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (set up by the British and American governments).