Ukraine can achieve EITI candidate status by early 2013
Ukraine has all chances to become a candidate country, which implements the principles of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). It can be argued through the establishment on of multilateral stakeholders group composed on a parity basis of representatives of government, companies and civil society. The group was formed on October, 10 by Yuriy Boyko, the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine.
The ЕІТІ is an independent international transparency standard that regularly publishes accurate data about the size of payments of extractive companies to governments and the income generated by them. Implementing the ЕІТІ would help create a more transparent and competitive environment and thus improve international confidence, investment climate, and energy security.
Ukrainian NGOs institutions of civil society have begun lobbying campaign on Ukraine’s accession to the initiative in 2007, taking into account the experience of implementing this initiative in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Within 5 years, the y civil society institutions activities were supported by IRF Civil Society and Good Governance and East-East: partnership beyond borders Programs, in cooperation with Revenue Watch Institute (RWI). Later, World Bank country office and Norwegian Embassy in Kiev has also contributed to promoting EITI in Ukraine.
For the five year period, thanks to lobbying campaign pursued by the members of the Energy Transparency Association (Nomos Centre, Dixi Group NGO, Kyiv International Energy Club, School for Political Analysis, and others) President of Ukraine and the Government adopted regulations aimed at accelerating of Ukraine’s accession to the EITI. In particular, the commitment to implement EITI in Ukraine was included to the national action plan for implementing the Open Government Initiative, which was approved by the Ukrainian Government.
The Energy Transparency Association conducted a study on transparency of Ukraine’s energy sector including energy transit through the territory of our country and held an information campaign on EITI. The Dixi Group NGO has created a website dedicated to the EITI (http://ua-energy.org/eiti). Supported by IRF and RWI, representatives of authorities, civil society, and mass-media attended international conferences, workshops, participate in specialized training in Baku, visit the International EITI Secretariat in Oslo (Norway), etc.
The multilateral stakeholders group should prepare a national action plan, which will be sent to the International EITI Secretariat by the authorized government official (The Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine). If these terms will be complied, Ukraine has all chances to get the status of candidate country at the next meeting of the EITI Board to be held in Oslo in February 2013.
Contacts:
Sivil Society and Good Governance Program
Olexiy Orlovsky
(+38 044) 461 95 00
orlovsky@irf.ua
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The goal of the Civil Society and Good Governance Program is to promote development of a system to protect the rights of public and municipal service consumers and to support NGO policy capacity building.
The East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program supports exchange of information, experience, expertise and knowledge, through multi-national initiatives and networks of informed, empowered people, in the realization of practices of open society in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
