Media release: United States accepted as member of resource transparency body

Oslo, 19 March 2014 - The United States was accepted today as a ‘Candidate’ country to the global transparency standard EITI. It joins the over 40 countries that have committed to improved transparency of government revenues from the extraction of natural resources.

By joining the EITI, the US government is now committing to full transparency of extractives revenues from federal lands, such as from extraction of its offshore oil. They are also pledging to work together with business and civil society organisations to ensure an informed debate about how its natural resources are being managed.

Clare Short, Chair of the EITI said:

“Citizens in the United States of course expect that government owned natural resources are managed properly and that the revenues are put to good use. Through the US EITI, they will be able to follow the natural resource money from the ground into government coffers, and use this information to hold the government to account.”

US Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, said:

"Today’s announcement underscores President Obama’s continued and unwavering commitment to leading by example in promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance both domestically and globally.  As stewards of the natural resources owned by every American citizen, the U.S. Department of the Interior is proud to lead the USEITI effort to build on the existing transparency and accountability reforms to our natural resource management that were launched under this Administration. This milestone is also a testament to the collaborative and participatory work of the USEITI multi-stakeholder group, which worked hard on the complex issues presented by the U.S. extractive sector to come to unanimous consensus on the USEITI candidacy application."

As a Candidate country, the United States has three years to implement the EITI transparency standard in full and reach EITI Compliance.

Notes to Editors

• The EITI is a coalition of governments, companies, civil society groups, investors and international organisations. Learn more at www.eiti.org
• EITI is chaired by the Rt. Hon. Clare Short. Ms Short was the UK Secretary of State for International Development (1997-2003).
• 44 countries are now implementing the EITI standard, and recognised as either EITI Compliant or EITI Candidate. See the list of countries at www.eiti.org/countries.