Involuntary resettlement

We sometimes require temporary or permanent access to areas of land or sea where people are living or working. We aim to avoid resettlement wherever possible. Where resettlement is unavoidable, we work with local communities to help them resettle and maintain, or improve, their standard of living in accordance with international standards for resettlement (notably the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standard 5 on land acquisition and involuntary resettlement). Our support may also include helping these communities to establish alternative livelihoods.

In Tanzania, Shell and Equinor — alongside their partners ExxonMobil, Pavilion Energy and MedcoEnergi — are supporting families that vacated a site in 2021 acquired by the national oil company for a proposed gas and liquefied natural gas development. The partners are providing in-kind support to supplement statutory government financial compensation and address residual impacts such as the loss of farmland. In 2023, the partners launched an agricultural assistance programme to help restore the living standards and livelihoods of the affected households. This was based on extensive surveys and the active involvement of the families, village leaders, regional and local authorities, and non-governmental organisations. Additional support measures are planned.

We understand that offshore activities can impact local fishermen and that action through the relevant industry associations is an effective way to manage and mitigate potential impacts. In 2023, we helped develop a new Ipieca guide for fishing baselines to identify, avoid or mitigate the potential impacts of offshore projects on fishing livelihoods and dependent communities.

Read more about our approach to involuntary resettlement at www.shell.com/sustainability/communities/working-with-communities.