Guyana to come up for EITI validation on July 1

Apr 07, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Following its acceptance into the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in October 2017 as a candidate member, Guyana is expected to go through its first Validation exercise come July 1. This was confirmed yesterday with Head of GY-EITI, Dr. Rudy Jadoopat.

GYEITI Head, Dr. Rudy Jadoopat.

According to the international body which promotes good governance in the oil, gas, and minerals sectors, the Validation process is an essential feature which serves to provide all stakeholders with an impartial assessment of how the country is implementing EITI’s Standards. The assessment looks at all the work that is done by the implementing country, which includes EITI reports, work plans, progress reports, stakeholder engagements, and efforts dedicated to transparency.
Prior to the commencement of Validation, it is expected that a Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), a body that includes representatives from the industry, government agencies and civil society, oversees the collation of data and documentation that demonstrates evidence of addressing each EITI Requirement within the component(s) being assessed, using Board-approved templates.
This work may be undertaken with support from, for example, the national secretariat, a consultant or an independent administrator. The International Secretariat’s country team provides guidance too. This support may involve a mission to the country ahead of Validation, which a member of the Validation team may join to consult stakeholders and provide information on the Validation process.
EITI has made it clear however that the onus is on implementing countries to demonstrate progress and provide evidence that it has followed its Standards for good governance. Further to this, it was noted by the global watchdog that the national secretariat should collate the documentation and other sources that demonstrate adherence using the Board-approved templates provided by the International Secretariat. In second and subsequent Validations, the MSG is encouraged to focus on demonstrating progress in addressing the corrective actions.
Ahead of the Validation, the International Secretariat launches a call for views on stakeholder engagement in the EITI. This exercise is held publicly and shared with the MSG and other relevant stakeholders. The Validation Committee may also engage an external expert to provide input on any aspect of the EITI Standard on selected Validations.
Following this, the International Secretariat’s Validation team reviews the information submitted by the MSG, as well as, responses to the call for views on stakeholder engagement. The Validation team then proposes a preliminary assessment of each EITI Requirement, as well as the effectiveness and sustainability indicators, following the Validation Guide. The Validation team then proposes corrective actions for requirements where gaps are identified or evidence is not sufficient to demonstrate that the requirement has been fully met. If the Validation team is aware of a relevant publicly available source that addresses the gaps, it will highlight this in the draft assessment. Its report is also considered by the EITI Board.