Rosneft respects the cultural heritage, traditions, and rights of the indigenous minorities whose areas of habitation fall within the Company’s area of operation. When interacting with the indigenous minorities of the North, the Company follows the provisions of International Labour Organization Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Rosneft fully complies with all Russian laws and regulations that ensure the rights of the indigenous minorities of the Russian Federation, including the right to protection of their indigenous environment, traditional way of living, farming, and trading. In particular, the Company ensures participation of the indigenous minorities’ representatives in making decisions related to their interests during the assessment of environmental impact and public environmental expert reviews.
The Company’s approach to cooperation with the indigenous minorities’ representatives is formalized in the Rosneft Sustainable Development Policy. The Company supports projects that serve the sustainable development interests of the indigenous minorities of the North and the local communities, defend the unique ethnic cultures, traditional lifestyle and farming, and provide high-quality education and medical services.
Rosneft and the Group Subsidiaries help to resolve a range of social issues: procurement of snow-clearing equipment and load-carrying vehicles, vehicles for transporting children to schools, the organization of sports and playgrounds in schoolyards and child care centers, and the improvement of public spaces. The Company finances work to raise legal literacy among the community leaders, and purchases fuel and lubricants, cross-country vehicles, equipment and communication means for hunters and nomadic communities of reindeer-breeders living in inaccessible areas.
The Company helps to make health care services more accessible in distant northern areas: it actively invests in road repairs and the procurement of medical equipment for district hospitals and rural health posts in remote settlements.
It also promotes the development of local trades and the employment of indigenous people, while providing social support for children living in distant settlements.