Kosmos Energy: On Hydrocarbon Exploration Offshore Western Sahara
Kosmos Energy holds a petroleum agreement over an area offshore Western Sahara...On December 19, 2013, ONHYM and Kosmos Energy signed a Joint Declaration of Principles. This sets out our joint commitments regarding our exploration activities...in accordance with international standards, including those in the United Nations Charter, and those referred to in the 2002 United Nations Legal Opinion on resource development in Western Sahara...[W]e are committed to putting as much emphasis on the management of our societal impacts as we do on the management of our operational, technical and financial risks...The Joint Declaration of Principles...states that local populations will benefit efficiently, effectively and transparently from production of hydrocarbons, if commercially viable reserves were to be discovered...We are keenly interested in the human rights situation in Western Sahara and will continue to carefully evaluate the potential impact of our activities on it, consistent with our own corporate human rights commitments...We will strive to ensure that our operations in the region are conducted in accordance with key international standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights...