Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

According to its website the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) seeks through partnerships between government, companies, and civil society to ensure the transparency of payments by companies to government and of revenues received by those governments, to encourage accountability.

Some reports have the origins of the initiative thus:

Proposed by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2002 and endorsed by the G8 countries, the multi-stakeholder Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative supports improved governance in resource-rich countries through publication and verification of company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining.

Peter Eigen was offered "an invitation from Gareth Thomas, the UK's minister for international development, to lead an International Panel to take forward the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)."

EITI currently funds activities in Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mauritania, Mongolia, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Principe, and Timor Leste. More than 15 other countries are either discussing their participation with EITI or have endorsed the Initiative and are currently preparing to implement it.

International Advisory Group Members

• Chair - Peter Eigen, Transparency International

• Sam Laidlaw, Executive Vice President, Chevron Texaco

• Graham Baxter, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, BP

• Edward Bickham, Executive Vice President, External Affairs, Anglo American

• Yannick Tagand, DE/ETI, Ministère des Affaires étrangères, France

• Larry Greenwood, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Finance and Development. Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, US Department of State

• Samir Sharifov, Executive Director, State-owned Oil Fund of Azerbaijan

• Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Nigeria

• Carlos Garaycochea, EITI Coordinator, Adviser to the Minister of Energy and Mines

• Karin Lissakers, Open Society Institute

• Gavin Hayman is a researcher and campaigner at Global Witness based in London, UK. He has contributed substantially to Global Witness' work on oil, gas and mining and the linkages between natural resources and conflict. He previously worked at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London.

• Sabit Bagirov, Chairman of Board, TI Azerbaijan

• Father Patrick Lafon, General Secretary, Central African Bishops Conference, Cameroon

• Karina Litvack, Director, Head of Governance & Socially Responsible Investment,F & C Asset Management

Supporters

• Ben Mellor, Head of EITI Secretariat

• Tim Ayres, EITI Secretariat

• Peter van der Veen Manager, Mining Department, World Bank

Funding

Canada's support includes a contribution of $750,000 to the EITI Multi-Donor Trust Fund, as well as $100,000 in annual, ongoing funding.

Key Partners

Oil and Gas Companies

• BP
• Chevron
• Eni
• ExxonMobil
• Hess
• Marathon
• Repsol
• Shell
• Statoil
• Talisman Energy
• Total
• Woodside

Industry Associations

• American Petroleum Institute
• International Association of Oil and Gas Producers

NGOs

• Catholic Agency for Overseas Development
• Global Witness
• Publish What You Pay Coalition
• Transparency International