Yr.no is one of Norway’s most visited website. It provides information about the weather and, as if we didn’t know it already, it reveals that it has rained for 11 of the last 14 days here in Oslo. Over lunch I end up in a discussion if weather is better here or in England and I return to the net to search for statistics to prove my point. Finding information about the weather in Norway and England is easy, finding data that can be easily compared is harder.

On behalf of the Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the International EITI Secretariat seeks applications from suitably qualified service providers to undertake an evaluation of the EITI. The EITI sets a global standard for transparency in the extractive industries.  It supports improved governance in resource-dependent countries through the verification and full publication of company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining.

From Peru to Mauritania to Kirgizstan to Timor-Leste, EITI implementing countries deploy an unprecedented level of effort to become compliant countries, and therefore transparent and accountable to their citizens. A study done by the EITI Secretariat shows than more than 68 Billions USD have been reported in 19 countries.  In the last seven years, a growing number of countries are disclosing government revenues and mining and hydrocarbons companies’s payments in a unique EITI report that seeks to reconcile those figures. 47 EITI reports are now available covering a to

 The EITI International Board today confirmed that the 5th EITI Global Conference will take place in Paris on 2-3 March 2011. The Conference will focus on ensuring deeper impact.  It will provide an opportunity to share experiences and learn from the innovative practices and progress in the 31 EITI implementing countries, many of which have undertaken validation in 2010.

The EITI Secretariat monitors on a daily basis global media for mentions of the EITI. Below are some of the articles from the past month that the EITI Secretariat has picked up.

By John Strongman, Mining Adviser at the Oil, Gas, Mining and Chemicals Department, World Bank

German-based KfW Banking Group has now become an EITI supporter. It is the first national development bank to do so, and joins seven international financing institutions in supporting the EITI.

As we approach half-way through 2010, it is proving to be as momentous for the EITI as expected. Although most of the 22 first EITI countries did not complete the validation of their EITI processes by their deadlines, eyes are now turned towards those granted short extensions to complete by September. File:  EITI-Newsletter-2010-July.pdf

The EITI Board today announced that Timor Leste is EITI Compliant. Timor Leste has completed the validation process in April. The final validation report was approved by the Timor Leste EITI Working Group on 6 April 2010. The EITI Board reviewed the report and today made the following announcement: The EITI Board designates Timor Leste as EITI compliant as of 1 July 2010. In accordance with the EITI Rules:

G-8 leaders meeting in Muskoka in Canada on 25-26 June urged EITI candidate countries to complete EITI implementation to enhance governance and accountability in the extractive sector. The G-8 has consistently expressed its support of the EITI since the G8 Summit in Evian in 2003. In the final declaration titled "G8 Muskoka Declaration Recovery and New Beginnings" the G-8 leaders state: