We recently released our annual Corporate Citizenship Report, now in its ninth year.

The report details ExxonMobil’s plans and performance over 2011 related to safety, the environment, economic development, corporate governance and social progress throughout our global business. You can download the report and access the key data at our website.

We have operations in dozens of countries on six continents, and we’re proud of the role we play in supplying the energy to meet the world’s growing energy needs. Of course, the large and diverse expanse of our operations means we do more than just produce energy. Wherever we work, we become part of local communities and economies – and with that come the responsibilities of being a good corporate citizen.

An important part of this role is listening to our stakeholders, from communities and governments to investors and employees.

Our citizenship report captures the progress of this ongoing engagement work taking place around the world, in addition to identifying areas for improvement. For example, this year’s report includes two case studies – our Kearl oil sands project in Canada and our integrated refinery and chemical facility in Singapore – where we talk about our actions and challenges in engaging communities and improving environmental and safety performance.

In addition to the engagement taking place on the ground at our projects, we’re also working with experts in fields related to our citizenship focus areas to help guide our efforts.

For several years, we’ve met regularly with groups of socially responsible investors, academics and NGO representatives to discuss topics of mutual concern to our business and economies at large – including social, environmental, and governance issues. In 2009, we built on this approach by forming an external panel to give us an independent review of our corporate citizenship reporting process. And last year, we further expanded the role of the panel – now called the External Citizenship Advisory Panel – to engage in regular dialogue on key issues as we develop our citizenship activities and strategy.

You can read the panel’s feedback on this year’s report at exxonmobil.com. Members commented on the progress we’ve made, including how we report on biodiversity and water issues. They also identified areas where they felt there could be improvements in reporting. While at times our approach may differ from that of the panel, we value the input of its members and use it to strengthen our citizenship efforts.

While our Corporate Citizenship Report comes out once a year, our activities to improve our performance take place all year long. By maintaining an open dialogue, clear goals and high standards, we can continue to meet the challenge of producing energy in a safe and environmentally responsible way.