EITI Standard 2023

Part 1 of the EITI Standard ("Principles and requirements") comprises the following sections:

• EITI Principles: The EITI Standard has its origins in the EITI Principles (Section 1), which were agreed by a diverse group of countries, companies and civil society organisations when the EITI was formed in 2003, to increase transparency over payments and revenues in the extractive sector.
• Becoming an EITI implementing country: Countries that intend to implement the EITI Standard are required to undertake a number of steps before applying to becoming an EITI implementing country, as outlined in Becoming an EITI implementing country (Section 2).
• EITI Requirements: The EITI Standard sets out the EITI Requirements (Section 3) for countries implementing the EITI and oil, gas and mining companies operating in these countries. A national multi-stakeholder group – comprising government, industry and civil society representatives – oversees EITI implementation and sets objectives that reflect national priorities for extractive sector management.
• Expectations for EITI supporting companies: Oil, gas and mining companies uphold the EITI Standard by reporting in EITI implementing countries where they operate, and by actively engaging in the EITI process in implementing countries through their participation in multi-stakeholder groups. EITI supporting companies further support EITI implementation by meeting the Expectations for EITI supporting companies (Section 4).
• Protocol: Participation of civil society: The participation of civil society is fundamental to achieving the objectives of the EITI. The Protocol: Participation of civil society (Section 5) sets out provisions on ensuring the full, active and effective engagement of civil society in EITI implementation.
• EITI Association Code of Conduct: Stakeholders are required to observe the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct and to act with honesty and propriety, in line with the EITI Association Code of Conduct (Section 6). This applies to all EITI Office Holders, including Members of the EITI Association, EITI Board members, their alternates, secretariat staff (national and international) and members of multi-stakeholder groups.
• Open data policy: Open data lies at the core of the EITI’s mission to promote the open and accountable management of natural resources. By making data easily accessible, comprehensible and usable, EITI reporting can strengthen public debate, inform decision-making and promote public understanding of natural resource management. These objectives are underpinned by the EITI’s Open data policy (Section 7).

Part 2 of the EITI Standard (“EITI Board oversight and Validation”) outlines the procedures and criteria that determine how the international EITI Board oversees and assesses implementation of the EITI Standard. Part 3 (“EITI governance and management”) addresses how the EITI Association is governed.

This section lays out the general aims and commitments by all stakeholders, which were agreed when the EITI was established in 2003.

This section sets out the process for countries seeking to apply to become an EITI implementing country.

This section sets out the requirements that must be adhered to by countries implementing the EITI and by extractive companies operating in them.

This section sets out the expectations that companies are committed to observing when they support the EITI.

This section sets out the protocol for ensuring the full, active and effective engagement of civil society in the EITI process.

This section sets out the principles and standards that guide the behaviour of all EITI Office Holders.

This section sets out recommendations on publishing open data for EITI implementing countries.

This section outlines the procedures and criteria that the EITI Board uses in overseeing and assessing EITI implementation. These includes the timeframes for implementing countries to publish data through the EITI, as well as EITI Board oversight of the Validation process.

This section sets out the objectives, methodology and procedure that the EITI Board uses to assess a country’s progress in meeting the EITI Standard.

The EITI is a non-profit association organised under Norwegian law. The EITI Articles of Association govern the EITI Association. They were updated at the EITI Members’ Meeting on 12-13 June 2023.

The report of the International Advisory Group, as adopted by the Oslo Conference in October 2006, recommended that “Each of the constituencies should agree how they wish to be represented on the proposed Board. This requires prior consideration by each constituency of how they define those eligible (i) to be selected as representatives; and (ii) to be involved in the selection process”.

The constituencies are defined in the EITI Articles of Association, which also determine the size of the constituencies’ membership in the EITI Association and the number of seats on the EITI Board. Some of the EITI constituencies are informally sub-divided.