“Only wings matter: Breaking the stereotypes” photo exhibition opens in Geneva
News from projects and regions
On February 28, a photo exhibition entitled “Only wings matter: Breaking the stereotypes” opened on the sidelines of the 37th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, the Give Love to the World international charitable fund, the All-Russian Society of Disabled People, the Russian Union of Art Photographers, and Sakhalin Energy.
Russian Foreign Minister speaking at opening ceremony of “Only wings matter: Breaking the stereotypes” photo exhibition in Geneva
The goal of the exhibition is to share the Russian experience of engaging people with disabilities in culture and sports and also to show that those people, like everyone else, have their own joys and problems and are capable of leading colorful and eventful lives. According to the organizers, the project not only supports people with disabilities in fulfilling their potential in their work, creative endeavors and sports, but also encourages Russian businesses to promote and enforce the rights of such people.
Opening ceremony of “Only wings matter: Breaking the stereotypes” photo exhibition in Geneva
For over 20 years, Sakhalin Energy has been making large and sustained investments in the social sphere, contributing to public causes in the region where it operates. The company pays special attention to socialization programs for people with disabilities. One of the photos at the exhibition was made as part of the Accessible Sports project supported by Sakhalin Energy. Within the scope of this initiative, the sports complex in the town of Korsakov in the south of Sakhalin Island purchased a pool lift that allows people with disabilities to get into (and out of) a swimming pool.
“For a socially responsible business it is important not only to respect human rights, especially when it comes to vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, but also to promote such rights,” said Natalia Gonchar, Head of Social Performance at Sakhalin Energy, in her welcoming address. “All of that can only be possible through combined efforts in a partnership of society with the government and businesses.”
Background
Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (Sakhalin Energy) is the operator of Sakhalin II, one of the world’s largest integrated oil and gas projects with massive oil and gas infrastructure for hydrocarbon production, transportation and processing. The company markets oil extracted from the deposits located in the Sea of Okhotsk and liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced at Russia’s first LNG plant built by Sakhalin Energy in the southern part of Sakhalin Island.
The project’s infrastructure includes three offshore ice-resistant platforms, the Trans-Sakhalin pipeline system encompassing 300 kilometers of offshore pipelines, an onshore gas pipeline and an onshore oil pipeline (each 800 kilometers long), an onshore processing facility, an oil export terminal, and Russia’s first LNG plant accounting for about 4 per cent of the global LNG output.
The main buyers of oil and LNG produced by Sakhalin Energy are Asia-Pacific countries. At present, the company exports oil to China, Japan, South Korea, India, and the United States. The main LNG buyers are Japanese, South Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese energy companies.
The company’s shareholders are Gazprom (50 per cent plus one share), Royal Dutch Shell (27.5 per cent minus one share), Mitsui and Co. (12.5 per cent), and Mitsubishi Corporation (10 per cent).