Civil society seeks representatives for the EITI International Board

The Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is comprised of representatives from each Constituency engaged in the EITI – governments of supporting and implementing countries, extractive companies and investors, and civil society organisations. As per the EITI standard each Constituency organises its own selection of representatives (i.e. nominations) for the EITI Board. These names are then put forth to the EITI Members’ Meeting for formal election to the Board.

The mandate of the current EITI Board will end in February 2016. A new Board for the 2016-2019 term is to be elected by the next EITI Members’ Meeting which will take place on February, 23^rd 2016 in Lima, Peru. The Board is elected based on the nominations made by each Constituency.

In order to prepare papers for the EITI Members’ Meeting, each Constituency has been asked to nominate its representatives by latest January 29^th 2016 and to provide the EITI International Secretariat with the names. Publish What You Pay (PWYP) serves as a coordinating body for the nominations process for civil society. As per the governance structure of PWYP, the Global Council is responsible for developing the criteria as well as overseeing the process which will be executed by a small independent Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee will consist of two ex-EITI CSO board members, who are no longer eligible for board membership, up to two PWYP Global Council members as well as an expert organisation on civil society and multi-stakeholder initiatives.  

It is important to note that applications are welcome from representatives of all civil society organisations who meet the criteria. Women are especially encouraged to apply as well as representatives from organisations working directly with extractive communities. The process will be based on merit. 

BOARD ROLE/RESPONSIBILITIES 

The EITI Board is responsible for providing strategic direction as well as guidance and for overseeing the EITI at an international level. Key functions of the EITI Board include:

• To consider general and specific policy issues affecting the EITI Association;

• To agree on the work plans and budget of the EITI Association; 

• To agree on the arrangements for the EITI Conferences and the EITI Members' Meetings;

• To present (through the EITI Chair) the activity report and the activity plan to the EITI Conference and obtain approval of the same from the EITI Members' Meeting; 

• To present (through the EITI Chair) the annual accounts and the audit reports for the accounting periods since the last ordinary EITI Members' Meeting;

• To oversee and direct (through the EITI Chair) the work of the EITI secretariat;

• To ensure that the multi-stakeholder nature of the EITI Association is maintained and fully reflected in the EITI Association at all levels, including in its Committees;

• To establish its procedures regarding the validation process, including complaints, resolving disagreements, the question of de-listing a country and appeal procedures;

• To adopt more detailed procedures and rules for the management and operation of the EITI Association including the contents of country work plans and company work plans, the validation process, the management of funds, payments for projects, goods and services, auditing and reporting and the approval of projects;  

The Board is supported by the EITI International Secretariat, an independent body based in Oslo, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the EITI and the coordination of EITI implementation efforts worldwide. The Secretariat is solely accountable to the EITI Board. 

There are 5 ‘Full Member’ seats for civil society on the EITI Board. The other ‘Full Members’ of the Board are as follows:

• The Chair
• 9 representatives of governments (6 from implementing countries, 3 from supporting countries)
• 5 representatives of companies
• 1 representative of investors

Each ‘Full Member’ of the EITI Board (aside from the Chair) is served by an ‘Alternate Member.’ ‘Alternate Members’ attend EITI Board meetings but do not participate in discussions (or have a vote) unless the ‘Full Member’ is absent or deputised, in which case they take the seat at the table, take part in discussion and take on the right to vote. There are 5 ‘Alternate Member’ seats for civil society on the EITI Board.

The EITI Board meets roughly two to three times a year, and EITI Board Members have a responsibility to their Constituency to participate in these meetings as well as in committee meetings. Board Members are indeed expected to serve on Board Committees, which often meet more frequently to discuss more specific issues (Validation, implementation, governance, etc) in-depth and make recommendations to the Board. Interpretation in English, French, Spanish and Russian is provided at EITI Board meetings.

The EITI has a funding policy and procedures in place to support the participation of civil society representatives from non-OECD EITI implementing countries at Board meetings and directly related side meetings, such as the civil society constituency pre-meeting which normally takes place one day prior to the Board meeting. For non-OECD EITI Board members there is also a small communications bursary.

EITI Board Members are expected to hold regular consultations with their Constituency, to receive input from their Constituency in advance of Board Meetings, and to report back to their Constituency after EITI Board Meetings. It is the responsibility of EITI Board Members to organise these consultations themselves, for example by sending emails with an agenda and timeline for consultation and feedback. PWYP International provides technical and communications support to civil society EITI Board Members, such as hosting tele-conferences, translating relevant correspondence between EITI Board Members and national civil society coalitions, and setting up discussions e-lists. PWYP International, through its EITI coordinator and its regional coordinators, supports the EITI process for civil society engagement at international and national level. 

Call and Criteria 

The selection criteria and process as designed by the Global Council are based on the experience and recommendations of the previous Nominations Committee, review of other board nominations processes, and an evaluation of the challenges and strengths of the current EITI CSO board membership. 

A Call for Nominations will be launched on December 14th, 2015. The Call for Nominations will be circulated in English, Spanish, Russian, French and Arabic widely through civil society networks, via web sites and social media and via the EITI National Coordinators in each EITI country to ensure the widest possible diffusion.

The criteria:

• Knowledge of and experience with key components of the EITI value chain particularly those that are part of the EITI Standard, adopted in May 2013
• Active engagement in the EITI and knowledge of EITI policies and rules relating to the implementation and validation processes
• Ability to apply long-term strategic thinking and to balance organisational, national and regional interests while maintaining a strong EITI Standard
• Sufficient time and willingness to consult widely with other civil society organisations and representatives in order to canvass views and opinions in a timely, responsive and open manner
• Sufficient  time and willingness to report back regularly  to wider civil society audiences on Board decisions and outcomes of meetings
• Sufficient authority and ability to speak with conviction on behalf of civil society at Board and Committee meetings
• Sound experience in and interest to work with a wide spectrum of stakeholder groups (private sector, donors, IFIs, governments, media etc.) and related dialogue and negotiation skills
• Experience working with civil society organisations and local communities in extractive regions will be a much appreciated asset
• Demonstrable record of engagement in civil society and public life in a manner consistent with the EITI Code of Conduct.

Please note that: 

1. EITI Board membership is personal and not institutional. Hence if a full Board member moves on from her/his job, s/he can retain her/his Board membership as long as the new position remains within civil society. The Nominations Committee will review the new role to assess whether it still appropriate for civil society. Should that not be the case, then the full EITI Board member has to resign and his/her alternate is consulted to step up. If s/he has no desire in doing so the post will go back to the constituency for election[1].
2. Anyone who has served two terms on the EITI International Board at any time (whether consecutive or not) is excluded from applying.
3. The Nominations Committee will not apply a geographical quota system when allocating seats on the EITI Board. However, in its selection process, the nominations committee strives for geographical balance and diversity.
4. Women are strongly encouraged to apply and the Nominations Committee will seek at minimum gender balance.
5. EITI Board membership and membership of the PWYP Global Council are mutually exclusive. This does only apply to individuals however, not to their organisations. .
6. Board members will develop and sign an MoU with the Global Council on key deliverables and expectations that seek to align with and maximise their strengths. Performance of EITI CSO Board members will be periodically reviewed

Process

The Global Council is constituting a Nominations Committee made up of up to two Global Council members, two previous EITI civil society Board members and one representative from a civil society organisation that is not a member of the PWYP network. Members of the Nominations Committee or an individual from their institutions are excluded from applying for the 2016-2019 Board term. The final composition of the Nominations Committee will be announced soon on the PWYP international website: http://www.publishwhatyoupay.org/selection-criteria-and-process-of-civil-society-representatives-to-the-eiti-international-board-2016-2019/. The Nominations Committee will be responsible to go through the list of applications and select candidates against the criteria listed, the collective skill set needed, geographical representation, balance between EITI implementing countries[2] and other organisations of global reach, gender balance, rotation versus continuity etc. Upon completion of the selection process, the Nominations Committee will provide a public read out of the process including detailing the key considerations and decisions. 

Applications 

Interested candidates should submit their CV and a personal statement clearly demonstrating how they meet the criteria and how they intend to use the International Board Membership strategically to advance the EITI at the global, regional and/or national level. In addition, candidates are requested to fill out the declaration of interests form (please read our policy here) when sending in their application. Where possible the application should include letters of support from civil society. Applications need to be received by January 7, 2016 by COB EST time at info@publishwhatyoupay.org. These applications can be submitted in French, English, Russian, Spanish or Arabic. Candidates are asked to remain available for interviews during the 3^rd and 4^th weeks of January.