Putumayo, 28 April of 2025
Investigation of UNDP’s Social and Environmental Compliance Unit uncovers a systematic violation of safeguards for their Private Sector project in 2021
Putumayo, Colombia – On April 25th the Social and Environmental Compliance Unit issued their final report for their investigation into the alliance between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the GeoPark oil company as part of the Private Sector project. The project looked to reactivate local economies in the Colombian departments of Putumayo, Casanare and Meta in the Covid-19 period. According to information revealed in the report, it appears that the project attempted to offer social legitimization of a multinational company with a long history of violations of rights and to facilitate their expansion of operations in the Amazon region.
The report for the investigation, which was requested in May of 2021, revealed how UNDP ignored the extensive public denunciations of grave violations of human and collective rights by the oil company Amerisur Colombia Limited, which operated in Putumayo starting in 2009 and was acquired by GeoPark in 2020. Signing the agreement while not taking into account the denunciations and ignoring the struggle of many small-holder (campesino) and Indigenous communities against resource extraction, UNDP generated suspicion within the communities about their intentions and put at risk other projects like “Sustainable Amazonía” focused on rainforest conservation.
The investigation concluded that the UNDP country office violated multiple institutional safeguard policies and did not comply with due diligence procedures to review and evaluate the activities of GeoPark. The agreement should have been qualified as High Risk and excluded, given the high impact that it would cause by legitimizing a company that had violated communities tearing apart the social fabric, while permitting that the company would be able to consolidate its presence impacting territorial integrity, environmental rights and the dignity of grassroots communities.
The alliance served to clean up the image of GeoPark, calling into doubt all the years that the communities had brought denunciations for human rights violations. It helped cover up social and environmental impacts and human rights violations that have not been remediated or repaired. The project did not take into consideration the armed conflict and its reconfiguration from 2016 on and in connection with the advance of resource extraction, promoting stigmatization, marginalization and exclusion of communities in opposition. Additionally, to date GeoPark continues pressuring to obtain environmental permission to expand their operations in the PUT-8 oil concession in the territory of the Amazon Pearl Peasant Reserve Zone.
UNDP did not consider providing information to or permitting participation of these key actors who would be impacted, falling into a discrimination based on political opinion. Additionally, UNDP did not obtain free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous communities that would be affected by the project, undermining resistance processes and causing more divisions.
The report touched on the dynamic of a revolving door between UNDP and the oil industry. According to the investigation, “the lead point of communications between the office and GeoPark was a former employee of Ecopetrol.” Thereafter the report shows an attempt to manipulate the Private Sector project to start with communities that were favorable to the oil company as an entry point into those that were opposed. The report claims that, “communications from UNDp to GeoPark appear to acknowledge that building local support for GeoPark activities in the area was, at least to some degree, envisioned as a project outcome.” Text of an email from UNDP to GeoPark said, “we think that if the strategy works, the company could include new resources in case of finding an favorable niche for the implementation of projects in these veredas (hamlets) that today are sensitive to the arrival of GeoPark…”
Our attention is drawn to the fact that even though four years have passed since the cancellation of the agreement with GeoPark, comments that UNDP country staff provided to the report’s draft version reflect an ongoing lack of understanding of the seriousness of what happened. To the contrary, the UNDP country staff continue to justify their actions that were counter to the rights of communities and their territories, disqualifying testimonies of leaders, minimizing the negative impacts caused to the social, organizational, community, environmental and cultural fabrics. The position of the UNDP country team calls into question to what degree they will adhere to the SECU recommendations and what will be the route for reestablishing confidence with the organizations and communities, which severely damaged by their having favored the interests of Geopark oil company over those of community processes and their struggles in the Amazonian region of Putumayo.
The report demonstrates some of the serious negative impacts that GeoPark and resource extraction have had in Putumayo, and how they tried to launder their image through UNDP. These lessons should be taken into consideration by the Colombian government authorities above all now as GeoPark is attempting to obtain further environmental licenses to expand their operations in the PUT-8 oil concession around Puerto Asís.
We demand that as a result of this report, UNDP recognizes their responsibility and revises, both in Colombia and at an international level, their strategic alliances with oil and mining companies. We also demand that UNDP strengthens internal mechanisms to carry out follow-up of these recommendations, which should be obligatory in nature, with the participation of the communities and civil society.
Specific recommendations that the communities made over the process that were not included in the final report include:
i) Eliminating all institutional relationships between UNDP and the oil and mining sectors, through a modification of their private sector due diligence policy. Specifically, UNDP should shift the oil and mining sectors from the “high risk” category to the “excluded” category.
ii) Carry out an audit of all current projects with oil and mining sector at a global level, revising in detail the application of all the safeguards outlined in this report. In particular, they should review the reasons why the project between UNDP and EcoPetrol continues even given the history and accusations against that company, in respect to their alliance with illegal armed groups and grave violations of human rights.
iii) Investigation, determination of responsibility and sanction of the UNDP officials who are responsible directly or indirectly for the scandal with GeoPark, as a guarantee for the non-repetition of the situation that was detailed in the report.
We recognize and support the work developed by the Social and Environmental Compliance Unit and their persistence and diligence shown throughout the investigation. For us, the existence of independent internal mechanisms like the SECU is fundamental, and they should be strengthened and their recommendations considered binding by the different parties. This type of action brings hope to the grassroots processes and organizations that can be affected by institutional decisions. We offer any ongoing support that might be required so that compliance with the recommendations is moved forward.
The report and associated documents can be downloaded from the SECU website here:
