The EITI Secretariat published its report for 2011, which provides an account of the EITI International Secretariat’s activities in 2011. The International Secretariat would like to thank all EITI stakeholders for their hard work in 2011 and the invaluable contribution they have made in ensuring the progress seen in countries implementing the EITI.
Ten highlights from 2011:
19 countries produced a total of 21 EITI Reports. 30 countries have now produced EITI reconciliation reports, and there were 78 reports in total by the end of 2011. Seven countries (Albania, Burkina Faso, Iraq, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia) published their first EITI Reports. More than half a billion people live in the 30 countries that now have access to information on revenues from their country’s natural resource sector – many for the first time. Almost 850 companies have reported.
Six countries became EITI Compliant (Kyrgyz Republic, Mali, Mongolia, Niger, Norway and Yemen). This doubled the number from the beginning of 2011 to 12 Compliant countries.
Eight countries completed EITI Validation bringing the total number of validated countries to 25.
The Secretariat published a document assessing and analysing the key information on government revenues and companies’ payments from these reports which can be found on the EITI website.
Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago began implementing the EITI, expanding EITI in Latin America and bringing the total EITI implementing countries to 35.
Clare Short was elected as the new EITI Chair at the EITI Global Conference in Paris in March. Around 1000 participants from more than 70 countries gathered in Paris to explore the impact that the EITI is having in implementing countries and to discuss the future of the EITI.
In September, the United States announced that it would implement the EITI, becoming the second OECD country to commit to EITI implementation. Several other countries declared their intention to implement the EITI including Solomon Islands, South Sudan and Tajikistan.
Australia launched a pilot to implement the EITI in October giving recognition to the EITI standard as a governance tool.
13 new companies declared their support for the EITI: Avocet, Centerra Gold, DNO, Dundee Precious Metal, Eramet, GALP Energia, Glencore, Intierra, Kinross Gold Corporation, Mærsk Oil, Pacific Rubiales, Tata Steel Cote d’Ivoire and Tullow Oil. The EITI is now supported by 61 companies internationally.
Leaders at the 2011 summits of the G20 and of the Commonwealth Heads of Government issued clear endorsements of the EITI. The G20 leaders stated that the “disclosure of payments and revenues … empower[s] citizens and contributes to reducing poverty”.
