April 2021 News and Analysis from NRGI

News from NRGI
30 April 2021

Highlights

National Oil Companies: Climate Change, Economic Challenges and Potential Responses

Last week NRGI and IISD hosted Valérie Marcel (Chatham House), Peter Muliisa (Uganda National Oil Company) and Juan Manuel Rojas Payán (Ecopetrol) for the first event in the National Oil Companies and Climate Change discussion series. Watch the event recording.

Thermal Coal in Colombia: Perspectives and Risks for the Economies of La Guajira and Cesar Departments

The contraction of global demand for thermal coal--needed to limit global warming--will affect many producing countries, including Colombia. This study analyzes the implications of the decline in demand for Colombia's national economy and its main producing regions, La Guajira and Cesar. (Full report available in Spanish; summary in English). Read the Spanish-language commentary piece by NRGI's Juan Luis Dammert in La Silla Vacia, or watch a recording of the launch event in Spanish.

Qatar Petroleum and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative: Implications for State Companies in the Middle East and North Africa
Becoming an EITI supporting company is a means for state-owned enterprises to show their commitment to transparency, and for EITI to advance its mission outside implementing countries. (Also available in Arabic.)

Disclosures Pave The Way For Transparency In Resource-Backed Loans
Over the last two decades, many governments and state-owned enterprises in developing countries signed significant “resource-backed loans,” the subject of 2020 research from NRGI. In recent months citizens have gained significant visibility into these typically opaque loans. (Post also available in French.)

Upcoming events

National Oil Companies’ Roles in Renewable Energy and Economic Diversification
The second event in the National Oil Companies and Climate Change discussion series by NRGI-IISD will take place on 27 May. Speakers will focus on the potential roles that national oil companies could play in countries’ efforts to transition to cleaner energy and a more diversified economy. Register to attend.

Recovering from COVID-19 & Renewing Democratic Values
The Open Government Partnership is hosting the third edition of Open Gov Week starting 17 May, and NRGI president and CEO Suneeta Kaimal will join the opening plenary session as the moderator. Register to attend.

Videos

Towards a Summit for Democracy

NRGI's Suneeta Kaimal joined International IDEA, the Community of Democracies and the Open Government Partnership for a discussion on the future of democracies. Watch the recording.

Post-COVID-19 Recovery in Resource-Rich Countries: From Extractives Transparency to Energy Governance
The World Bank Group hosted a webinar on the future direction of extractives governance in the context of the energy transition. Discussion included reflections on the work of NRGI, EITI and the bank. Read key insights in this Twitter thread.