Increasing beneficial ownership data analysis in the extractive sector
Request for proposals
Introduction
The Opening Extractives programme
Oil, gas, and mining projects are a significant source of revenue for resource-rich countries and their citizens, but corruption and poor governance can divert this revenue away from delivering the services and governance every citizen deserves. The abuse of anonymous companies remains the getaway vehicle for the corrupt, and beneficial ownership transparency is the most effective way to close this channel.
The Opening Extractives (OE) Programme is an ambitious global programme jointly implemented by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and Open Ownership (OO), with the aim to transform the availability and use of beneficial ownership data for effective governance in the extractive sector. It combines political and technical engagement, to support countries implementing beneficial ownership reforms and to enable the use of the data by governments, civil society and companies. It is premised on the understanding that beneficial ownership data alone does not deliver these outcomes, but without it, the chances of success fall significantly.
Beneficial ownership transparency
A beneficial owner is defined as the natural person that can be found at the end of an ownership chain. Often there is just a single link between a beneficial owner and a company, but sometimes it can include long and complex ownership chains of multiple legal entities.
Beneficial ownership transparency, then, is key to fighting corruption globally and preventing illicit financial flows in all sectors of an economy. This is particularly true for the oil, gas, and mining industries, where citizens of resource-rich countries have often been left paying the bill when shell companies have been misused. By knowing who ultimately owns or controls an extractive company, governments can increase companies’ accountability, and citizens can use this information to monitor and identify red flags, advocate for effective resource management and push for accountability.
The OE programme aims to build the capacity of government and local stakeholders to integrate, use, and analyse data in the public domain to improve accountability and governance in resource-rich countries. As part of that objective, the goal is to support the development of tailored and context-based projects that catalyse transformative change towards increased beneficial ownership transparency in the extractives sector.
We are looking for organisations, media centres or individuals to submit innovative projects to tackle opaque company ownership in the natural resources and extractives sector through public beneficial ownership data analysis and use. We want to support ideas that use available data in a particular context, or seek to investigate a particular case, company or individual.
Description
Eligibility criteria
Any formally registered organisation, media centre or individual (s) with the legal right to work in their country of residence may apply.
Proposals can be submitted by a group of people or organisations, but should clearly identify a project coordinator that will act as the main point of contact with the Opening Extractives programme should the proposal be selected. The institution in charge of leading the project must be based in one of the following countries:
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Asia Pacific |
Africa |
Central Asia |
Latin America |
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Application instructions
Application details
Please download the application template and submit your proposal by email to openingextractives@eiti.org by 1 June, 2022. Applications can be submitted in English, Spanish or French.
Successful projects should be ready to start in July and finish before 31 December, 2022. Proposals should submit a budget between USD 10.000 and 25.000.
Please note that we will review all the proposals submitted, but we will be only contacting successful participants.
Download your template in:
We are organising an online webinar to share further information, and where those willing to apply can join the OE team to ask questions or clarify items. The webinar will take place on May 16 at 1pm BST. If you would like to join us, please register here.
About EITI
We believe that a country’s natural resources belong to its citizens. Our mission is to promote understanding of natural resource management, strengthen public and corporate governance and accountability, and provide the data to inform policymaking and multi-stakeholder dialogue in the extractive sector. By becoming a member of the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), countries commit to disclose information along the extractive industry value chain – from how extraction rights are awarded, to how revenues make their way through government and how they benefit the public. Through participation in the EITI, more than 50 countries have agreed to a common set of rules governing what has to be disclosed and when – the EITI Standard. In each country that has joined the EITI, a multi-stakeholder group, composed of government, companies and civil society, supports implementation of the EITI Standard.
Objective
You can find more information about the types of projects we will be supporting, what the Opening Extractives programme offers, the eligibility criteria and examples of inspiration by accessing this document.