EITI: A Parliamentary Tool for Extractive Sector Governance in Liberia and Yemen

Liberia in West Africa and Yemen in the Middle East hold vast reserves of oil and other natural resources. As participants of the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), both states have voluntarily disclosed payments received from extractive companies in a standardized reporting process overseen by its own multi-stakeholder group (MSG). But unlike the majority of EITI participating countries, Liberia and Yemen have enlisted a key group of actors-parliamentarians-in their efforts to better govern resources and resource revenues. Lending credibility and capacity to the MSG, these political leaders have used their parliamentary mandate to improve policy and initiate reforms in the extractive sector, as well as facilitate EITI reporting and help oversee EITI compliance.

This case study presents lessons learned from parliamentary engagement in the EITI process in Liberia and Yemen and offers strategies for other countries seeking to involve parliamentarians in similar ways.