The EITI

“The EITI is a means to an end – not an objective in and of itself. Our role is to keep pushing the boundaries so that we can use the initiative to improve the management of our natural resources”

Jean-Claude Katende, DRC.

Introduction

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative was launched in 2002 as a framework to promote and facilitate revenue transparency by governments and companies. When a country signs up to EITI, they commit to publishing what they receive from extractive companies, and extractive companies within their jurisdiction have to publish what they pay.

Today, the EITI standard has evolved to go beyond revenue transparency to include, amongst others, corporate social payments and subnational transfers. The standard also includes recommended optional requirements that countries can choose to include in their reports. PWYP members are working in each country for their EITI reports to include these optional requirements and be as broad as possible.

How is Publish What You Pay involved?

The EITI was created as a result of a campaign by PWYP members back in 2001-2002 and Publish What You Pay has continued to play an instrumental part in ensuring that the initiative remains efficient and credible.

Publish What You Pay, as designated civil society focal point, acts as the coordinator for the civil society constituency of the EITI board to assist civil society Board members in delivering on their strategic guidance and policymaking functions at the Board. PWYP also collaborates regularly with the EITI on strategic events and projects that further the natural resource governance agenda.

“How well the extractives industries are governed has a dramatic impact on the lives of every person in the world. Publish What You Pay fights to ensure these industries are both open and accountable. The EITI has huge potential to transform lives for the better and we are committed to supporting it to do this.”

Elisa Peter, Executive Director, PWYP

Key resources

• The basics:
  • Latest version of the EITI Standard
  • PWYP Guide to civil society engagement with the EITI
  • The EITI Articles of Association and Code of Conduct
  • EITI map of implementing countries / their current status
  • EITI Constituency Guidelines (for each constituencies, including Civil Society)
  • Register of EITI Board decisions
• Civic space and EITI:
  • EITI Civil Society Protocol
  • EITI page on Requirement 1.3 
• Validation:
  • Record of Validation outcomes and future schedule
  • EITI Validation page (includes links to official Validation Guide and Procedures, as well as data collection templates)
  • Explainer on what’s new in the revised Validation model
• Grievance mechanism:
  • Online form for submitting a grievance
  • Details on how to submit a grievance

Further reading

• The basics:
  • NRGI Guide to the EITI Standard
• Civic space:
  • CIVICUS Monitor – civic space index
  • Freedom House ‘Freedom in the World’ index
  • ICNL ‘Civic Freedom Monitor’
• Energy transition:
  • Chatham House paper on EITI and the Energy Transition