Myanmar EITI application on track for December

Myanmar is expected to begin the formal process of joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative by the end of this year, several sources said earlier this month.

The initiative requires companies working in the oil, gas and mineral sectors to declare any payments to the government, while the government also has to declare its revenue from extractive industries.


Edith Bowles, a senior official from the Sustainable Energy, Gas, Oil and Mining (SEGOM) unit at the World Bank, said Myanmar is on track to start the application process in December.




“There are 39 counties implementing EITI while a further 16 countries have applied to be EITI members,” Ms Bowles said. “We expect Myanmar will start the EITI membership application process in December.


“Those who are applying for EITI membership will submit their first report and annual report within 18 months,” she said.


There are four requirements that countries must meet before they can apply for EITI candidature.


Myanmar has already completed three of these – making a definitive statement of intent to implement EITI; appointing a senior official to lead implementation; and pledging to work with civil society and the private sector on implementation – but still needs to establish a multi-stakeholder group that includes government officials as well as civil society and private sector representatives.


The group is expected to be formed at the end of October and government and private sector representatives have already been selected, officials say.


The final stage of preparation for an application is for the group to develop a costed workplan that is “aligned with the reporting and validation deadlines established by the EITI board”, according to the initiative’s website.


Ms Bowles said Myanmar would receive support for its application from the EITI’s multi-donor trust fund, which is managed by the World Bank.


Through a technical advisory group based at the Myanmar Development Resource Institute (MDRI), the World Bank will help establish and administer the multi-stakeholder group, she said. It will also provide assistance to amend laws that do not support the initiative’s reporting requirements, she said.


The central committee was established by the president on December 14, 2012, and is chaired by Minister for the President’s Office U Soe Thein. Minister for Finance U Win Shein is secretary, while other members include Minister for Environmental Conservation and Forestry U Win Tun and Minister for Mines U Myint Aung. Working and coordination committees have also been formed.


Deputy Minister for Finance U Maung Maung Thein, the chairman of the working committee, said on August 2 that the government is committed to joining the initiative and expects to start the process by the end of the year.


U Maung Maung Thein said joining the initiative would bring “benefits for future generations” as it will help alleviate corruption in the sector and support democratic development and good governance.


“If we become an EITI member, corruption in resource based industries will be wiped out automatically. The other benefit we will get from it is more foreign investment,” he said.

“Money received from sale of natural resources is the property of all citizens. We have to be aware that resources won’t last forever and need to use them wisely,” he said, before asking all stakeholders to “lend us a hand and give good advice”.


The meeting was also attended by Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry officials, environmental experts and civil society representatives, including Daw Daewi Thant Zin from the Myanmar Green Network, U Ye Myat Soe from the Myanmar Geologists Association and U Min Aung Ye Htut Tin from the Mon Social Development Network.

source: The Myanmar Times
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/7798-myanmar-eiti-application-on-track-for-december.html