Liberia to share Best Practices At 7th EITI Confab

Liberia is among 49 countries participating in the 7th Global Conference of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Lima, Peru from 24-25 February 2016. The conference is being held under the theme “From Reports to Results,” with a focus on highlighting the results from implementing the EITI Standards, informing policy dialogues, and integrating the EITI into how governments and companies operate.

In Lima, member states will show off how they have utilized the EITI Standard, adopted at the 2013 EITI Global Conference to prove innovative reporting and policy changes. The meeting will also be an opportunity for countries to share their stories on increased scrutiny over license allocations, reforms in the utilization of sub-national revenue, the impact of the disclosure of beneficial owners, among others.

The Lima deliberations also seek to inform policy to ensure that citizens benefit from their resources, with a long term ambition of ensuring that extractive industry transparency expands to broader governmental management of resources and other sectors.

The EITI maintains a global standard for the better management of natural resources, and the Global Conference brings together stakeholders to discuss lessons learnt in governing the extractive sectors, including how it can ensure that citizens benefit from natural resources.

Liberia’s delegation to the conference, which comprises representatives from the Civil Society, Government of Liberia and Private Sector, is headed by Hon. Stephen B. Dorbor, Proxy Chair of the LEITI Multi-stakeholders Steering Group (MSG) and Deputy Minister for Planning, Research and Human Resource Development/Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, and assisted by Mr. Konah D. Karmo, Head of Secretariat of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI).

The eleven-member delegation also includes. Myers W. Saye, Sr., Deputy Head of Secretariat, Hon. Harrison Karnwea, Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Hon. Gbehzohngar M. Findley, EITI Board Member and Saryeneh Dickson.

According to Mr. Karmo , the delegation will participate in series of activities including exhibition of Liberia progress in EITI implementation and how “the process has moved from theoretical framework to impact.”
Liberia’s participation at the Lima Conference follows the recent launch of 4 relevant reports, including the 6th EITI Report for Liberia, Beneficial Ownership Disclosure Report, Mining Sector Scoping Study Report as well as the abridged version of contracts in the extractive sectors, and the subsequent dissemination of these reports throughout the 15 counties of Liberia.

According to Mr. Karmo, “these reports represent a significant gain in promoting increased transparency and accountability in the governance of the country’s natural resource wealth.” The EITI Global Conference which is held every three-year, is an assembly of member countries implementing the EITI standard and was last held in Sydney, Australia in 2012.