EITI Autumn Briefing 2015
As in previous years, the EITI International Secretariat invites our friends here in Oslo to a lunch briefing on Monday 30 November at 11.00 at our offices (Ruseløkkveien 26, 0251 Oslo).
The now relatively low commodity prices serve to remind us of how much the world has changed since the Secretariat first opened its doors here in 2008. If anything the need for a well governed and transparent sector is more urgent than ever, and consequently so is the need for the EITI.
As a global standard, the EITI has to be robust yet flexible enough to be relevant to the different needs of implementing countries. When Germany and Mexico present their candidacies as they are expected to do soon, they will be joining countries as far apart geographically, socially and economically as Indonesia or Iraq.
The adoption of the EITI Standard in 2013 has helped to open the EITI to a number of different uses. Some of the 49 countries that are currently implementing the EITI are using the information and data provided through the EITI Standard to build trust between stakeholders and ensure a level playing field of transparency and accountability for all companies. The EITI increasingly provides valuable information on contract transparency, and there are concrete examples of how the EITI has been used to audit faulty licensing processes. Other countries implement the EITI as a means to attract quality investment. The EITI offers credible insights into the institutional strength and governance of its member countries and can thus be useful for credit rating agencies. Yet other countries are using the EITI to address challenging issues such as transparency related to artisanal and small-scale mining. A number of members are piloting beneficial ownership.
We intend to begin the programme at 11.00 with a brief update from us here at the Secretariat, followed by an open discussion on the role of the EITI in a world of low commodity prices. A light lunch will be served at 12.00.
To attend the event, kindly RSVP to Ines Schjolberg Marques (imarques@eiti.org).
