To achieve this, DNO maintains open and reflective dialogue with the stakeholders in all our ongoing activities. Stakeholders represent varying interests; therefore it is our responsibility to attempt to incorporate these expectations in decision-making and activities. We always seek to balance interests, and to communicate how this is carried out.
DNO’s impact assessments have identified the following major stakeholder groups:
- Shareholders
- Employees
- Suppliers and Partners
- Authorities
- Local Communities
- The Press and NGOs
Information provided by stakeholders includes questions concerning integrity programmes and governance situation, climate change issues, social projects, equality policies and competence building.
Engagement
Examples of regular communication with existing and potential stakeholders include meetings with business partners, local authorities, local communities, NGO representatives, dialogue with permit-issuing authorities, consultation regarding environmental impact assessments, investor meetings and employee dialogue.
Representatives from DNO also meet with representatives from governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to share views and to ensure that important concerns are taken into account. Our Annual General Meetings are, in accordance with Norwegian law and regulation, open to the public. We interact with members of the financial community on an ongoing basis, and participate in several Capital Market Days.
We welcome all our stakeholders to communicate their objectives and concerns through mail, telephone or direct contact, as we believe this will help us in our effort to improve the way we do business.
Materiality Analysis
The input from our stakeholders along with the recommendations found in ISO 26000 and the guidelines from the Global Reporting Initiative define the focus areas. In addition, we align our efforts with similar companies operating in the same areas.
Topics covered last year, newsworthiness, and other considerations also weigh in when we define the materiality concept. We believe this approach provides a necessary balance between flexibility and long-term attention.
Foreseeable differences in expectations also occur with our stakeholder groups. Most notably are the differences in the markets where DNO operates. Climate change is not yet high on the agenda in parts of the Middle East, whereas access to water, waste management and infrastructure is critical in some areas. In addition to this, environmental NGOs prioritize environmental issues, humanitarian organisations focus on aid-issues, capital providers look at issues with the greatest economic impact, and so forth.
Whilst this may not be surprising, it give credence to the fact that DNO may not always be able to satisfy all parties. Our job is to strike a sustainable balance between the varied – and sometimes conflicting – priorities set forth by our stakeholders.