UPDATED 1 MARCH

At the 5th EITI Global Conference in Paris 2-3 March 2011, leaders from governments, companies and civil society organisations will discuss ways the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has led to improvements in their countries and to shape the future of the EITI.

Government revenues from natural resources have often been criticised for being badly managed, veiled in secrecy and fraught with corruption. Over the past decade, this picture has been changing. A coalition of 50 countries and 50 of the largest oil, gas and mining companies is now working together with civil society to improve transparency in the management of natural resources. In 33 resource-rich countries, companies and governments have committed to publish what they pay and receive, through implementing the global standard that is the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Citizens in these countries can now find out how much their governments receive from their natural resources, and hold them to account.

At the Conference, Ms Clare Short, former UK Minister for International Development, will succeed Mr Peter Eigen, founder of Transparency International, as the Chair of the EITI Board.

Speakers

The list of confirmed speakers can be found at www.eiti.org/paris2011/programme/speakers. Speakers include:

• RICHARD BOUCHER, Deputy Secretary General, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
• HE FRANÇOIS YANGOUVONDA BOZIZÉ, President of Central African Republic
• PAUL COLLIER, Professor, University of Oxford
• PETER EIGEN, Chair, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
• PRAVIN J. GORDHAN, Minister of Finance, South Africa
  
• HE ARMANDO GUEBUZA, President of the Republic of Mozambique
• MO IBRAHIM, Chair and Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
• SRI MULYANI INDRAWATI, Managing Director, The World Bank
• HE JAKAYA KIKWETE, President of Tanzania
• HUGUETTE LABELLE, Chair of the Board of Directors, Transparency International
• HE ROZA OTUNBAYEVA, President of Kyrgyz Republic
• HE HENRI DE RAINCOURT, Minister for Cooperation, France 
• KEITH SKEOCH, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Life Investments
• HE WAHIDULLAH SHAHRANI, Minister of Mines, Afghanistan
• CLARE SHORT, Chair-candidate, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
• GEORGE SOROS, Founder, Open Society Foundations
• NOBOU TANAKA, Executive Director, International Energy Agency
• SIMON TAYLOR, Founding Director of Global Witness
• HE FAUSTIN ARCHANGE TOUADERA, Prime Minister of Central African Republic
• HE STEVEN VANACKERE, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Institutional Reforms, Belgium
• PETER VOSER, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Dutch Shell
• HE OMAR ZAKHILWAL, Minister of Finance, Afghanistan
• HE ERNESTO ZEDILLO, Chair, Natural Resource Charter

Registration

Media attending EITI Global Conference need to contact akrakenes [at] eiti [dot] org to receive press accreditation. Accredited should bring a valid national press card with identification.

Press events and programme

Wednesday 2 March at 11:00: Peter Eigen, the Chairman of the EITI and co-founder of Transparency International will chair a media briefing after the opening session of the conference. Speakers from the plenary sessions including Kyrgyz President Otunbayeva, and Taylor (Global Witness) and Bishop Portella-Mbuyu (Congo-Brazzavilee) will be available for interviews.

Thursday 3 March at 11:00: Clare Short, the Chair Candidate and former UK Minister for International Development will chair this media briefing. Speakers from the plenary sessions including President Guebuza (Mozambique), Indrawati (World Bank), and Soros (Open Society Foundations) will be available for interviews.

Both press events will take place in the Auditorium at OECD. The complete line-up will be subject to last minute changes.

Accredited media has full access to report, photograph, and record audio and video at all the conference sessions. Journalists can follow the conference proceedings via an audio-visual feed into the media room. See the full programme at www.eiti.org/paris2011/programme. It will be regularly updated.

Further information about the EITI

Visit the EITI website at www.eiti.org for further information about the EITI. A brief fact sheet is available at www.eiti.org/document/factsheet. The EITI Progress Report 2009-2011 will be available at the conference and on the EITI website on 2 March.

Practical information

The 5th EITI Global Conference will take place at the OECD headquarters:

Address:
2, rue André Pascal
75775 Paris Cedex 16
France

Tel: + 33 (0)1 45 24 82 00

Upon arrival please register with the Conference Secretariat, showing your national press card and ID. Journalists will have access to WiFi and printers.

Point of contact

For requests regarding interviews and media access, please contact:

Anders Tunold Kråkenes, akrakenes [at] eiti [dot] org, +47 46 66 28 88
Christopher Eads, ceads [at] eiti [dot] org, +47 48 04 69 89

For information regarding all other issues relating to the conference, please visit www.eitiparis.org.