Armenia 2023 EITI Validation: call for views on stakeholder engagement
Call for views on progress in EITI implementation in Armenia
Description
Armenia joined the EITI in March 2017. In July 2020, Armenia’s Validation against the 2016 Standard found that the country had made “satisfactory progress” in implementing the EITI Standard. In June 2021, the EITI Board agreed that Armenia had made “satisfactory progress” in implementing Requirement 2.5 on beneficial ownership of the 2019 EITI Standard. Armenia’s next Validation against the 2019 EITI Standard is scheduled to commence on 1 July 2023.
In accordance with the Validation procedure, the EITI International Secretariat is seeking stakeholder views on Armenia’s progress in implementing the EITI Standard between July 2020 and July 2023.
Instructions
Stakeholders are requested to send views to Alex Gordy (agordy@eiti.org) and Olesia Tolochko (otolochko@eiti.org) by 1 July 2023.
A propos de l'ITIE
Nous considérons que les ressources naturelles d’un pays appartiennent à ses citoyens. Notre mission consiste à promouvoir la compréhension de la gestion des ressources naturelles, à renforcer la gouvernance et la redevabilité publiques et des entreprises, et à fournir les données nécessaires à l’élaboration des politiques et au dialogue multipartite dans le secteur extractif. En devenant membres de l’ITIE, les pays s’engagent à divulguer des informations sur l’ensemble de la chaîne de valeur de l’industrie extractive – des conditions d’octroi des droits d’extraction, à la manière dont les revenus parviennent au gouvernement et profitent à la population. Par le biais de la participation à l’ITIE, 56 pays ont adopté un ensemble de règles communes régissant ce qui doit être divulgué et quand – la Norme ITIE. Dans chacun des pays ayant adhéré à l’ITIE, un groupe multipartite composé de représentants du gouvernement, des entreprises et de la société civile apporte son soutien à la mise en œuvre de la Norme ITIE.
Objectif
The EITI Standard requires that the government, extractive companies and civil society are fully, actively and effectively engaged in EITI implementation. The Secretariat is in particular seeking views on the following questions:
- Are the government, extractive companies and civil society fully, actively and effectively engaged in EITI implementation?
- Are there any obstacles or barriers to the participation of any of these constituencies or their sub-groups in EITI implementation?
Civil society engagement in the EITI will be assessed in accordance with EITI Protocol: Participation of civil society. Stakeholders are requested to provide input on Armenia’s adherence with the protocol.
Any concerns related to potential breaches of the protocol should be accompanied with a description of the related incident, including its timing, actors involved and the link to the EITI process. If available, supporting documentation should be provided. Stakeholders may also indicate which provision of the civil society protocol they consider the breach(es) to relate to. Responses will be anonymised and be kept confidential.
The Secretariat is seeking views on the following questions related to civil society engagement:
- Are civil society organisations able to engage in public debate related to the EITI process and express opinions about the EITI process without restraint, coercion or reprisal?
- Are civil society representatives able to operate freely in relation to the EITI process?
- Are civil society representatives able to communicate and cooperate with each other regarding the EITI process?
- Are civil society representatives able to be fully, actively and effectively engaged in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the EITI process?
- Are civil society representatives able to speak freely on transparency and natural resource governance issues, and ensure that the EITI contributes to public debate?
For purposes of the protocol, ‘civil society representatives’ refer to civil society representatives who are substantively involved in the EITI process, including but not limited to members of the multi-stakeholder group. The ‘EITI process’ refers to activities related to preparing for EITI sign-up; MSG meetings; CSO constituency side-meetings on EITI, including interactions with MSG representatives; producing EITI Reports; producing materials or conducting analysis on EITI Reports; expressing views related to EITI activities; and expressing views related to natural resource governance.