June 2021 News and Analysis from NRGI

News from NRGI
30 June 2021

2021 Resource Governance Index

Announcing the 2021 Resource Governance Index: Assessments of Oil, Gas and Mining Governance in 18 Countries
NRGI has launched the 2021 Resource Governance Index (RGI). This year's edition takes a new approach, with the staggered release of country profiles over the coming months. Watch this short video about the index to learn more:

2021 Resource Governance Index: Guinea (Mining)
The index shows Guinea's resource governance has improved in some key areas and is now “satisfactory” with a score 62 out of 100 points. (Also available in French.) Read the French-language op-ed by NRGI's Hervé Lado.

2021 Resource Governance Index: Peru (Mining)
Peru’s mining sector scored 75 out of 100 points in the 2021 RGI, improving its performance by 13 points since the 2017 RGI and moving into the “good” performance band. (Also available in Spanish). Read the Spanish-language op-ed by NRGI's Claudia Viale.

2021 Resource Governance Index: Mongolia (Mining)
Mongolia’s mining sector scored 70 out of 100 points in the 2021 RGI, an increase of 6 points since the 2017 index. Concerns about the governance of state mining companies remain. (Also available in Mongolian).

July country profile publications will include Ghana, Guyana, Qatar and Tanzania.

Highlights

The G7 Missed a Crucial Ingredient for a Green and Equitable Future. Here’s a Way Forward.
Improved governance in resource-rich countries is essential for the billion people who live in poverty in countries abundant in oil, gas and minerals. Without it, they will be excluded from the “clean, green growth” needed for an effective global energy transition.

Natural Resource Governance and Development: Policies and Practice (Advanced Course)
NRGI and NADEL-Center for Development and Cooperation at the ETH Zürich will host the course “Natural Resource Governance and Development: Policies and Practice” online. Applications are open until 21 July. Apply here.

Three Ways the U.S. Can Help to Prevent Next-Generation Oil and Mining Corruption
As the Biden administration ramps up its anticorruption efforts, officials should pursue policies that heed lessons from past investigations and that reflect the world’s fast-changing energy and mineral markets.

Full Disclosure: Suneeta Kaimal on the Value of Transparency, Participation, and Accountability in the Extractive Sector
NRGI president and CEO Suneeta Kaimal spoke with the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (TAI) on how transparency and participation tools can be used to create greater accountability, and restore power and agency to people in the extractive sector and beyond.

NRGI's New Managing Director

NRGI has announced the promotion of Liz McGrath to the newly created role of managing director. In her new role, Liz will strengthen organizational effectiveness to increase NRGI's impact and advance its mission.

Blog posts

G7 Countries Cannot Secure Critical Minerals Without Tackling Governance and Corruption
Leaders of major world economies gathered at the G7 summit earlier this month. As they focused on turning the corner on the pandemic and pursuing a green recovery, NRGI experts underlined the importance of mineral governance and related corruption risks.

How National Oil Companies Can Play a Role in Renewable Energy and Diversification
In some countries national oil companies have the capacity to deliver large-scale projects. But can they become part of the solution to climate change? When does it make sense for state companies to shift toward renewable energy?

Events

Climate Advocacy and the Politics of National Oil Companies

This webinar will focus on drivers and opportunities for transforming national oil companies across different types of political contexts, including the potential roles of investor and partner pressure, diplomatic initiatives and environmental advocacy groups. This is the third webinar in the NRGI-IISD series National Oil Companies and Climate Change. Register.

Qatar Petroleum and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative: Implications for State Companies in the Middle East and North Africa

Raw Materials for Electric Mobility: A Development Perspective
On 7 July NRGI's Juan Luis Dammert will join several other experts as a discussant for the launch of GIZ research on implications of the boom in electric vehicle batteries for mineral-producing countries.

Videos

From Data to Impact: Ensuring Extractives Data Serves Citizens in Eurasia
Publish What You Pay and NRGI have engaged with civil society partners in Eurasia to identify a roadmap for continuing the journey from extractives data disclosure to tangible improvements in natural resource governance. Watch the recording. (Also in Russian.)

National Oil Companies’ Roles in Renewable Energy and Economic Diversification
On 27 May, NRGI and IISD hosted the second event in the National Oil Companies and Climate Change discussion series. Speakers focused on the roles that national oil companies could play in countries’ efforts to transition to cleaner energy and more diversified economies. Watch the event video or listen to the audio recording.