news 20.05.2025
Open data
Takeaways on success stories in raising transparency in the natural resource
Speakers: Sebastian Sahla, Policy Manager, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), Wendy Thomas, Data Manager, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and Mary Ann D. Rodolfo, National Coordinator, PH-EITI, Department of Finance of the Philippines.
- Resource-rich countries often face pervasive governance failures, where natural wealth fuels corruption, inequality, and conflict. Extractive industries are disproportionately implicated in global bribery and corruption, with 20% of international bribery cases concerning this industry. The accelerating global energy transition and rising demand for critical minerals intensify these governance challenges.
- EITI mandates comprehensive disclosures, including revenues, contracts, and beneficial ownership, and promotes multi-stakeholder governance involving government, civil society, and industry. Its scope has broadened beyond revenue reporting to cover licensing, contract terms, and environmental and social impacts, enhancing accountability throughout the extractive sector.
- Working in 54 countries worldwide, EITI provides narrative reports and structured datasets to meet the needs of diverse users such as civil society, governments, academics, media, and industry. Tools like thematic dashboards and the State-Owned Enterprise database are designed to strengthen data accessibility and analytical capabilities.
- EITI’s new data strategy aims to improve data usability, expand access via structured databases and APIs, and encourage direct government data publication, though enforcement remains challenging.
- Country examples demonstrate tangible impacts of EITI’s work:
- Ghana revoked mining licenses after discovering owners with criminal records;
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) secured an additional $4 billion in revenues through contract transparency and renegotiation.
- EITI data analysis shows that Mali has improved license processing efficiency but flagged potential issues related to licensing issuance.
- Armenia exemplifies proactive anti-corruption by making the beneficial ownership register public, and planning to incorporate it into license screening procedures, exceeding EITI standards.
- In the Philippines, environmental corruption within the extractive sector undermines legal protections and causes significant harm to biodiversity and Indigenous rights. Mining projects overlap substantially with sensitive ecological zones, and deforestation persists. PH-EITI, established in 2013, uses digital platforms such as the Beneficial Ownership registry, Extractives Data Generator, and Contracts Portal to boost transparency and improve public access to vital information regarding extractive industries; however, voluntary disclosure limits full effectiveness. Promising collaboration with regulators aims to improve access to ownership data, though challenges remain.
- Both EITI and PH-EITI underscore stronger legal frameworks, rigorous compliance monitoring, and coordinated governance to close loopholes. These efforts aim to uphold Indigenous rights through participatory governance and ensure that extractive resources contribute to equitable social and environmental outcomes.
Useful resources: EITI Strategic Priorities 2024-28
The full recording of the presentations from the 20 May is available here: