Community Relationship, Social Investment and Evaluation
Our Commitment:
At SOCAR Midstream Gas Operations, we believe that strong social performance is built on trust, accountability, and shared value. Our social initiatives are shaped by global sustainability principles, tailored to local needs, and guided by a commitment to continuous learning and measurable impact.
We prioritize transparency, community-driven planning, and evidence-based decision-making to ensure our actions contribute to lasting, inclusive development across our areas of operation.
Community Engagement and Relations:
SOCAR Midstream Gas Operations is committed to fostering meaningful and inclusive engagement with local communities and stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard and their concerns addressed. This is achieved through a structured and responsive approach that includes the following elements:
- Community engagement and needs assessment: We maintain continuous dialogue with host communities, municipalities, civil society groups, and other local stakeholders. This engagement is supported by regular needs assessments that help to tailor interventions to real community needs.
- Communication: our company ensures accessible and responsive communication channels.
- Risk screening: Social risks are systematically identified, tracked and integrated into broader social performance planning to minimize negative impacts and promote positive outcomes.
- Grievance mechanism: SOCAR Midstream Gas Operations operates a transparent and confidential grievance mechanism that ensures timely, fair, and respectful handling of community concerns.
Our Priority Areas:
We focus on creating positive, sustainable change through several strategic directions, including Education and Skills Development, Environmental Protection, and Socio-Economic Growth.While these are our key pillars, we are not limited to them, as we remain open to broader opportunities where meaningful and lasting impact can be achieved.
In Education and Skills Development, we expand access to quality education and vocational training, empower future generations, and equip people with skills that enable employment, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.
In Environmental Stewardship, we support biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and climate change mitigation. Our initiatives aim to foster greener communities and promote sustainable lifestyles, contributing to both local well-being and global commitments.
In Socio-Economic Development, we design projects that strengthen local economies, create job opportunities, and strengthen community resilience. Our support spans micro-business creation, infrastructure development, and capacity building, with a special focus on vulnerable groups.
Our Community Mission:
Promoting community resilience and unleashing human potential to bring positive change.
Our Community Vision:
Building a future in which everyone is a changemaker.
Our Community Values:
Safety, Integrity, Innovation, Respect, Empowerment, and Accountability. These core values shape every project we undertake, ensuring transparency, community ownership, and measurable impact.
How We Work:
We prioritize projects that are designed through an evidence-based, participatory approach, ensuring that every initiative is grounded in real community needs, driven by stakeholder insights.
Project Entry Mechanisms:
Social investment funds are allocated through two primary mechanisms:
- Call For Proposals: Legal entities registered in Azerbaijan and Georgia are invited to submit project applications aligned with the specified thematic priorities, geographic focus areas, and submission requirements. The Calls for Proposals are designed to address broader community needs identified through Comprehensive Needs Assessments, stakeholder consultations, and direct community requests.
- Open Submission of Concept Papers: To stay responsive to innovative ideas, we accept Concept Papers on a rolling basis. A Concept Paper should outline the identified problem, justify the need, describe the proposed solution and approach, indicate expected social impact, and include a preliminary budget. Submissions are reviewed three times annually. Shortlisted applicants are invited to submit a full Project Proposal for detailed evaluation.
Social Investment Projects and Evaluation of Impact:
SOCAR Midstream Gas Operations implements targeted social investment initiatives designed to generate long-term value for local communities along pipeline corridors and beyond, while supporting national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals. These initiatives respond to locally identified priorities and span a diverse range of areas, such as education and skills development, environmental stewardship, and socio-economic development.
To ensure that investments deliver meaningful change, our company applies a structured and learning-oriented approach to monitoring and evaluation. From the early stages of project design, each initiative is developed with a clear theory of change and the log frame identifying the outcomes we expect to achieve. Special attention is given to equity, inclusion, and sustainability throughout the process.
The evaluation framework draws on the best global practices, which guides how we define what should be evaluated, frame the key questions, and collect both quantitative and qualitative data to understand results. For each project, baseline data is collected at the outset, enabling us to measure progress over time and assess what has changed in the lives of people and communities we serve.
This learning-driven system allows us to make evidence-based adjustments to programming and continuously improve the relevance and effectiveness of its social investments. Ultimately, our goal is not only to meet compliance standards but to contribute to more resilient, empowered, and future-ready communities across our operational footprint.
SOCAR Midstream Gas Operations is committed to creating long-term value for communities through sustainable and high-impact initiatives. Guided by international best practices and a results-based management approach, we focus on optimizing resources to maximize our impact along the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) corridor in Azerbaijan and Georgia, while delivering meaningful, lasting benefits nationwide.