MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS

FORM FOR MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS WITH STAKEHOLDERS

REVISION: JUNE 2024
Open Blue Sea Farms Panamá S.A.

What is a conflict?

A conflict is understood as the clash between two or more differing positions—either within a person (an internal contradiction of motives, desires, ambitions, and ethical values), between several people, or between groups, states, or other communities.

Conflict Management

Conflict management involves:

The process of gathering information, finding solutions, and producing results through listening, responding, and resolving community and stakeholder complaints within a reasonable timeframe.

In the case of Open Blue, associative strategies will be used to encourage the parties in possible conflict to come together, understand each other’s positions, and reach commitments.

Procedure

Open Blue is a member of the local communities, and the activities we carry out should not generate any conflict with those communities or the government.
However, if any activity generates a conflict with the community or part of it, it must be resolved promptly through immediate actions.
We propose this tool for stakeholders with the purpose of resolving disputes according to the following conflict resolution protocol:

Action 1

If a conflict or complaint is detected, community members may initiate communication with the site management, which will be open and willing to listen, respond, and resolve any conflict or complaint.
The primary contact is Mr. Javier Visuetti, Community Affairs Manager.
His contact information is visible in all company facilities:

📞 Javier Visuetti — Mobile: 6983-2922
✉️ Email: jvisuetti@openblue.com
🏢 Address: PH Terrazas de Albrook, Avenida Omar Torrijos, Corregimiento de Ancón, Office E-34

Optionally, you may also write to: info@openblue.com

Handling of Conflicts

The management will act by listening, responding, and resolving community complaints in the following manner:

1. Reception of the concern:
The site management will receive any person interested, without distinction, and will listen to their concern. Interested parties may also reach out by phone or email; in both cases, a receipt confirmation will be issued.
It is essential that the person(s) involved be fully identified in order to provide a response.
In cases of anonymity or confidentiality requests, the concern will still be taken into consideration; however, the resolution cannot be formally delivered to an unidentified recipient.

2. Verification and acceptance:
The project manager must forward or redirect the complaint to the Community Affairs Manager.

3. Execution of actions:
If the complaint is accepted, the interested party will be informed, and management must begin investigations and actions to resolve the issue.
If the complaint is not accepted, the project manager will inform the individual and explain the reason for the decision.

4. Follow-up:
The manager will be responsible for implementing and monitoring the resolution of the complaint to ensure a response or corrective action is provided as soon as possible.

5. Resolution:
The project manager will close the protocol once the conflict has been resolved, based on the follow-up actions taken.
Conflicts may include, for example, land disputes, forest fires, illegal activities, odors related to mortality, oil spills, traffic accidents, or lack of community attention, among others.
The manager will also be responsible for contacting the person who filed the complaint to inform them of the resolution or current status.

Whenever conflicts, complaints, and their resolutions occur, the site manager will prepare a report or letter summarizing the actions taken to resolve the issue, the number of complaints received, and provide comparative data from other periods. The report must also indicate how many complaints were resolved through this protocol.

All conflicts or complaints must be resolved within a reasonable period, and the resolution must be documented for presentation to all stakeholders, particularly to local communities.

Action 2

If a community conflict cannot be resolved by the site manager and the interested parties, a second instance will involve referring the matter to the competent authority governing that issue, depending on its nature.

All conflicts or complaints must be resolved within a reasonable period, and the resolution—properly documented—will be presented to all stakeholders, especially local communities.

Suggestion Boxes

Open Blue Sea Farms Panamá discontinued the use of complaint boxes at the “Casas de Paz” of the eight administrative districts, as people were not making use of them.

Javier Visuetti
Regulatory and Community Affairs Manager
Open Blue Sea Farms Panamá S.A.

OPEN BLUE SEA FARMS PANAMÁ, S.A.
Clayton, Morse Street #434 P.O. Box 0830-1820
📞 (507) 317-1540 317-1541