Argentina makes public its commitment to adhere to the EITI

On December 6, 2017, the National Government of Argentina, through its Minister of Energy and Mining, Juan José Aranguren, and the head of its Anticorruption Office, Laura Alonso, declared its commitment to adhere to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative International Standard (EITI).

In the special event, organized by the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Minister Juan José Aranguren said: "It is necessary for us to be accountable with regard to our actions, to improve governance and avoid conflict in the way of managing natural resources, not only for our generation but also for those coming after us."

Laura Alonso, head of the Anticorruption Office, said that "this initiative must be celebrated, because it is very important for the President that each minister not only leads the public policies within their area of competence, but that they also do so by promoting policies of transparency and openness, effectively showing that there is an interest in transparency, control, the fight against corruption and promotion of competition in the sector."

Representatives of the extractive industries and civil society present at the event also expressed their satisfaction with the news.

Ernesto López Anadón, President of the Argentine Institute of Petroleum and Gas (IAPG), and Marcelo Álvarez, President of the Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies (CAEM), spoke on behalf of the business sector. The latter acknowledged the work that remains to be done in pursuit of greater transparency and emphatically stated that “this process has come to stay in the Argentine mining industry”. Meanwhile, Agustina De Luca, General Director of the Legislative Directorate - on behalf of the 'Argentine platform for dialogue for the sustainable use of natural resources' -, said: "we have been working for many years for the transparency of the sector, and with various stakeholders. We welcomed this initiative from the very moment the Government expressed its intentions."

With this firm commitment of the Government of Argentina to join the EITI, and the declared support of the business sector and civil society, Argentina is in an excellent position to prepare a solid candidature.

Jonas Moberg, Head of the EITI International Secretariat, welcomes this announcement and engages EITI to collaborate with all the actors in Argentina to improve transparency in their extractive sectors. In that sense, the EITI implementation will help resolve the conflict surrounding the mining activity, and will lay the foundations to ensure that Argentina's great hydrocarbon potential is developed by applying the best governance practices.

From left to right in the image: Jonas Moberg, head of the EITI International Secretariat; Juan José Aranguren, Minister of Energy and Mining; Marcelo Álvarez, President of the Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies (CAEM); Laura Alonso, Head of the Anticorruption Office; Agustina De Luca, civil society platform coordinator; Juan Carlos Villalonga, National Deputy and Vice President of the Natural Resources Commission; and Ernesto López Anadón, President of the Argentine Petroleum and Gas Institution (IAPG).