October 2019 News and Analysis from NRGI

News from NRGI
30 October 2019

Highlights

New NRGI Strategy in Final Stages of Development
NRGI president and CEO Daniel Kaufmann recently invited partners and the general public to preview NRGI's draft 2020-2025 strategy and share their feedback.

The Guardian: "Secretive National Oil Companies Hold Our Climate in Their Hands"
This report about opaque state-owned enterprises' role in the climate crisis drew upon NRGI's National Oil Company Database.

From Rhetoric to Action: Addressing Corruption and State Capture through the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative
One of the drivers of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative's inception over fifteen years ago was the need to address corruption. This post offers evidence-based ideas for how EITI can better meet that goal. (View a related video here.)

NRGI Impact: Mining Revenues Flow to Provinces and Communities in the DRC

NRGI experts supported Congolese civil society groups to revise some elements of the country's mining code, which has resulted in a fresh flow of revenues to provinces and local communities.

Luminate: Helping Governments and People Make the Most of Their Natural Resources
Luminate has supported NRGI since 2013 and recently announced a new grant of $2.25 million over three years. This post describes how new funding will help NRGI continue to build global norms for transparency and accountability in the operations, oversight, and impacts of extractive industries, and support stronger governance of those industries at the country level.

Events

Anticorruption Presentation in Peru
Daniel Kaufmann will speak at the 5° Congreso Internacional de Infraestructura y Desarrollo on 11 November in Lima, Peru.

Online Natural Resource Governance Course Now Available in Arabic and Spanish

The free online course Natural Resources for Sustainable Development is now fully available in an Arabic edition hosted by e-learning platform eDraak. Registration is open.

The course is now also available in Spanish (run in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank).

Using Extractive Industry Data to Fight Inequality and Strengthen Accountability: Victories, Lessons and Future Directions for Africa

The Brookings Institution's Africa Growth Initiative hosted NRGI and partners for a public event to showcase victories and lessons learned in utilizing extractive industry transparency disclosures for wider sustainable development and economic growth. Those who were unable to attend can follow the conversation here.

Course: Natural Resource Governance in the Middle East and North Africa
This Arabic-language course will provide participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to enable them to identify data sources on extractive industries and how to use that data as a tool for greater accountability. Deadline for applications is 11 November.

Blog

Infographic: Exploring Myanmar’s Fourth EITI Report
NRGI staff in Myanmar have produced an infographic (in English and Myanmar language) that provides key highlights from Myanmar’s fourth EITI report, covering the fiscal year 2016/17.

Guinée : Le Président Alpha Condé prescrit la transparence dans la mise en œuvre du Fonds National de Développement Local

First-ever National Oil Company Hackathon Yields Winning Insights

During the last week of September, NRGI partnered with Count to run an online hackathon using a selection of open data from NRGI's National Oil Company Database.

As Mining Enters the Renewables Era, Taxation Challenges Persist
Faced with the increased use of renewables and the digitalization of the sector, developing countries face significant challenges in taxing mining companies. NRGI's David Manley and Thomas Lassourd discuss some of the more prominent challenges.

Focus on Myanmar Mining

Unpacking Decentralization: Improving How States and Regions in Myanmar Issue Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Permits
This report provides practical guidance to state and regional officials and oversight actors in Myanmar to avoid potential pitfalls and ensure that decentralization delivers real benefits to local communities and miners.

Podcast: NRGI’s Sebastian Sahla Discusses Mining in Myanmar with Austrade
NRGI's Sebastian Sahla recently sat down with Jeff Turner, Austrade’s senior trade commissioner in Myanmar, to discuss developments in the country’s mining sector. Their conversation focused on Myanmar’s challenges in attracting foreign investment to generate government revenue while ensuring the sector’s environmental and social impacts are properly managed.

Considerations for Taxing Myanmar’s Large-scale Mining Companies
The authors of this briefing present the challenges the Myanmar government has faced and set out considerations for designing an effective tax regime for the mining sector.

Publications

NRGI Impact: Supporting Social Media Debates About Nigeria's Oil Sector
Social media have become important channels for Nigerians to simply and quickly exchange information about the governance of the country’s critically important oil sector. This publication describes the support NRGI has provided to various members of Nigerian civil society to help strengthen its voice in online discourse about the sector.

EITI Mainstreaming: Opportunities and Risks for the Role of Civil Society in EITI
Mainstreaming—or the move toward meeting EITI requirements through routine and publicly available company and government reporting, rather than standalone EITI reports—has the potential to significantly improve the timeliness, contextualization and quality of disclosed data.