CMP and Caldera's fishing organizations sign important collaboration agreement

• The initiative contemplates an investment of close to US$4.9 million for the development of the sector over a period of four years.

Caldera, April 2023 - With the objective of promoting shared growth between the artisanal fishing sector of Caldera and Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP), a collaboration agreement was signed between organizations of the commune and CMP, which renews and expands the work that has been carried out jointly since 2007. This instrument will allow the promotion of actions focused on the socio-productive value chain of the entities, consolidating their integral development through a permanent and long-term relationship.

This initiative will directly benefit close to 1,300 members belonging to 30 unions and cooperatives of artisanal fishermen, shellfish divers, shore gatherers, purse seiners, boat skippers and participants in related activities in the territory, with a total investment of US$4.9 million over the four years of the agreement. Similarly, if the number of direct family members of the beneficiaries is considered, the support amounts to more than five thousand people.

On behalf of the organizations, Miguel Ávalos, president of the Caldera Fishermen's Corporation and the Falucheros Union, said: "we value this agreement and that CMP dignifies the work of fishing and that they have taken the time to take an x-ray of us and analyze our needs through work tables during 2022. From this same work, we can say that our objectives for the coming years will be focused on productive diversification, commercialization and other issues, such as health, for example".

The agreement is closely linked to CMP's purpose of creating a different kind of mining for the sustainable development of the territory and its people. In this sense, Francisco Carvajal, general manager of the company, added that. "as a company and active neighbors of Caldera we are very happy with what is happening. We have four years of hard work to materialize the agreement, and our auguries are the best because for 16 years we have achieved a harmonious coexistence, growing in a shared way with the industry and the coastal communities".

The agreement will focus on productive diversification, social investment, strengthening of competencies, cultural identity, environmental management and management of permits for project development.

For her part, the mayor of Caldera, Brunilda González, pointed out that "This is a great story of work between the fishing sector and private enterprise, no company in the Atacama region has signed an agreement of this caliber with artisanal fisheries. We are grateful to CMP, because through the work of its territorial team and its corporate responsibility it has been able to make a deep impression on the commune and has created a joint work with the fishing industry".

Initiative with a gender perspective

In March 2022, CMP became the first mining company in the world to achieve gender parity in its executive staff, increasing the participation of women in these functions to 50%. This agreement maintains that commitment, paying special attention to the integration and work of women for the development of Caldera's artisanal fishing sector. This is reflected in the company's active participation in the Mesa de la Mujer en la Pesca Artesanal y Actividades Conexas de Atacama (Women in Artisanal Fishing and Related Activities Roundtable of Atacama), since its launch in 2022.

Aurea Jorquera, president of the Sintramar union and regional delegate of women in fishing and related activities, stated that "CMP has been an important tool for us women in the fishing industry; thanks to the company, we have become a regional women's committee, not just a local one. On the other hand, this agreement is a support and a lesson to carry out a better administration, this is how in the next four years we want to focus and exploit organizational and social issues".

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the signing ceremony was held in the municipality of Caldera, in the presence of regional and local authorities and representatives, CMP executives, special guests and leaders of the 30 fishing organizations that signed the agreement.