Esso backs women empowerment

By AGNES FIFI UKI
STUDY after study in communities throughout the world have proven that empowering women has positive impacts in communities, Esso Highlands acting managing director Pedro Martinez said in Port Moresby yesterday.
Martinez made the comment at the company headquarters while welcoming Cathy Alex, from Southern Highlands Province, and Doris Pipi, from Hela Province, who attended the Global Women in Management’s month-long conference in Washington DC, United States.
The Global Women in Management conference is supported by the Esso Highlands Ltd under its parent company, ExxonMobil’s Women Economic Opportunity Initiative.
Participants at the GWIM conference are mid-career women from civil society organisations around the world.
The conference gives them an opportunity to network with and learn from experts from private and public sector organisations that support entrepreneurship.
Martinez said Esso Highlands was a partner to the communities where it operated.
“The company is working to empower women and children in order to have positive changes and impacts in the communities,” he said.
“With the support from Esso Highlands Ltd and from previous experience, the women who were trained have positive impacts to their communities.
“Empowering women as leaders is a strategic move and is very important for all Papua New Guineans.”
Alex, who works and trains women in the communities along the extracting of liquefied natural gas project sites with the sustainable livelihood programmes, thanked Esso Highlands, saying she was privileged and honoured to attend the conference.
“This programme is really making a difference in PNG and when a woman moves forward she moves the nation,” she said.
Pipi, who works with the oil search and gender desk adviser, said ExxonMobil and Esso Highlands had not only come to PNG to extract resources but shown true leadership to help develop the country.