On Tuesday, August 22nd, Petrobras announces the 31 new socio-environmental projects selected in the first phase of the Petrobras Socioenvironmental Public Selection 2023, which covers opportunities in the states of Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Maranhão, Pará, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, and Sergipe.

"We invest in initiatives with great potential for socio-environmental transformation, bringing improvements in the quality of life, social inclusion, environmental conservation, and the fight against climate change, reaffirming our commitment to communities," says José Maria Rangel (photo), Executive Manager of Social Responsibility at Petrobras. This phase of the public selection included projects in the four lines of action of the Petrobras Socioenvironmental Program: Education, Sustainable Economic Development, Forests, and Oceans. Opportunities were also opened for projects in the Education line that receive tax incentives under the Federal Sports Incentive Law.

The number of applications exceeded expectations: 414 non-incentivized projects and 37 incentivized projects. Due to the relevance, merit, and diversity of the proposals analyzed, it was possible to increase the resources allocated to the first stage from R$ 162 million to R$ 212 million and increase the number of projects selected from the initially planned 23 to 31 projects. Considering all stages, the total investment reaches R$ 432 million, the largest ever invested by Petrobras in a public selection of this kind.

According to José Maria Rangel, "in this Public Selection, we aimed to increase the socio-environmental transformation potential of the projects by extending the execution period to three years and investing in more structured initiatives, while ensuring transparency in the process at all stages, from analysis to contracting."

Most of the proposals came from organizations based in the Northeast and North regions, but the most competitive opportunity was for the Cerrado biome, with 66 applications. "This record number of applications from various regions of Brazil reflects the national scope of the Petrobras Socioenvironmental Program, seeking to strengthen Petrobras' relationship and dialogue with the communities near our operations," emphasizes José Maria Rangel.

The project selection process involved representatives from civil society organizations, academia, and the government, as well as various areas of Petrobras, including experts who are leaders in their fields and representatives from the different territories covered by the initiatives.

After the results are announced, the projects will undergo an integrity risk assessment based on Petrobras criteria and an adjustment phase to meet Petrobras' technical and financial reporting standards, and then they will be contracted. Activities are expected to begin in 2024.

A second round of selection is scheduled to take place in October 2023, also including projects in the areas of Sustainable Economic Development, Education, Forests, and Oceans, as well as a call for projects in Education with tax incentives under the Federal Sports Incentive Law.

Learn more about the selected projects here.pdf.