Winners of the 2016 EITI Chair Awards announced

Chair of the EITI, Clare Short announced the winners of the 2016 EITI Chair's Award at the opening session of the EITI Global Conference in Lima on 24 February.

The four winners in 2016 were:

1. The Democratic Republic of Congo for leading the way on beneficial ownership.
2. Ghana for taking the recommendations from its EITI Reports and turning them into reforms.
3. Mongolia for its improvements in making data available.
4. The Philippines for the impact of its EITI.

HE Georges Wembi, Minister of Planning and Chair of the DRC Multi-stakeholder group; HE Mona Quartey, Deputy Minister of Finance, Ghana; HE Rentsendoo Jigjid, Minister of Mining, Mongolia; and HE Cesar Purisima, Secretary of Finance of the Philippines received the awards on behalf of their countries. 

Previous winners

At the last EITI Global Conference in Sydney in 2013 three awards were given:

• Nigeria, for going beyond the EITI minimum standard and for making the EITI relevant and influencing policy in the country.
• Togo, for producing a video that captures the spirit of the EITI and how it benefits citizens.
• Sonny Mulenga from Zambia, for producing a video that captures the spirit of the EITI and how it benefits citizens.

At the 2011 EITI Global Conference in Paris three countries were awarded:

• Mongolia for consistent improvement in reporting; the 
• Central African Republic for rapid implementation; and the
• Kyrgyz Republic for achievement despite political instability.

At the EITI Global Conference in Doha in 2009, the following three countries won:

• Liberia for its rapid progress;
• Azerbaijan for being the first compliant country, and
• Kazakhstan for its communication efforts.