You took action, and the United Nations Development Programme in Colombia responded!

Chile-based oil company GeoPark is expanding destructive drilling deep into the Colombian Amazon. Local communities opposing the company's activities are receiving death threats from armed paramilitary organizations that reportedly have ties with GeoPark.

Despite this, the United Nations Development Programme had recently announced a cooperative agreement with GeoPark to fund a "territorial reactivation" program. Following outrage from affected Indigenous and campesino communities, UNDP has indicated it will cancel their agreement with GeoPark.

GeoPark was trying to use the UNDP to "blue-wash" its image by entering into a partnership and helping the company garner a false social license among Colombian and international public opinion. The UNDP made the right call by terminating this unethical relationship.

That said, the Siona People of the Buenavista Reservation issued a blistering statement calling on the UN to publicly acknowledge its mistake and to apologize to the communities as a key step toward rebuilding confidence and mutual respect.

Send the UNDP a message recognizing the importance of its decision and encouraging it to issue an apology as well!