Marathon recognizes that its actions and operations affect its stakeholders — investors, employees, customers, suppliers, communities, business partners and host governments. The Company promotes sustainable social, environmental and economic benefits wherever it operates.
The commitment to CSR means being accountable to stakeholders on a basis of respect, cooperation, stewardship and sustainable investment. The elements of Marathon's CSR policy are available on the Company's external Web site.
Security and Human Rights
Marathon is committed to protecting the human, cultural and legal rights of individuals
and communities. The Company applies the 10 principles of the United Nations (U.N.)
Global Compact, a voluntary initiative that asks participants to embrace, support and
enact, within their sphere of influence, principles focused on human rights, labor, the
environment and anti-corruption. Marathon also supports the U.N. International Labour
Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (
see Employee Satisfaction for more information).
Within its sphere of influence and legitimate business role, Marathon promotes the goals and principles of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights by participating in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. This international initiative guides extractive and energy companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations globally within an operating framework that ensures respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Marathon follows the Voluntary Principles guidelines to safeguard and secure employees, assets, local communities and its ability to do business while fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. Implementation activities include human rights risk assessments, human rights training and sustained security engagement. The Company conducts risk assessments and background screenings in interactions with public and private security providers. Company security personnel reinforce human rights issues and the Voluntary Principles during interactions with in-country security providers.
Risk assessments are considered when deciding to proceed with a new project, negotiating project documents, providing project security and determining strategies to manage identified risks. In
2007, Marathon established a systematic human rights assessment for prospective ventures and conducted initial assessments in several countries as part of its due diligence process. An initial human rights risk assessment was conducted in Libya in early 2008.
Operations in high-risk areas must update their human rights risk assessments during annual management system reviews. The CSR organization and security personnel assisted operations management in performing annual reviews in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Indonesia in 2007.
During the year, detailed training on the Voluntary Principles was extended to new exploration operations in Indonesia. The Company also developed a general, introductory CBT module on the Voluntary Principles and Marathon's commitment to human rights. The ultimate goal of the CBT is to increase human rights awareness among employees who are assigned to or travel regularly to high-risk locations.
The CBT is mandatory for country managers and the individuals who directly report to them, employees involved in risk assessments for projects in select countries, international security teams, and national and expatriate employees who regularly engage in security issues.
Stakeholder Engagement
Marathon's social license to operate is sustained in large part by effective dialogue and
relationships with stakeholders, including neighbors and communities near Marathon operations;
regulators; local, state and national government officials; law enforcement agencies; and
non-governmental and nonprofit organizations. Stakeholders' interests may have economic,
political, social, environmental or other significance. Marathon seeks to understand these
interests through deliberate dialogue.
In 2007, Marathon introduced a formalized process for stakeholder engagement to support business needs. The process incorporates CSR-specific knowledge, best practices, skill sets and tools to help employees assess, select, define, implement and evaluate engagements.
The stakeholder engagement guidelines were applied in the Company's entry into the Piceance Basin in Colorado in 2007. Marathon met with a wide range of stakeholders to understand their issues and concerns and to introduce the Company and its plans in the area. For entry into Ukraine and Indonesia in 2007, Marathon used a modified engagement process with specific stakeholders.
