The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is the global standard to promote the open and accountable management of oil, gas and mineral resources. The EITI Standard requires the disclosure of information along the extractive industry value chain from the point of extraction, to how revenues make their way through the government, and how they benefit the public. By doing so, the EITI seeks to strengthen public and corporate governance, promote understanding of natural resource management, and provide the data to inform reforms for greater transparency and accountability in the extractives sector. In each of the 51 implementing countries, the EITI is supported by a coalition of government, companies, and civil society.
The United States has been one of the strongest supporters of the EITI since its founding and has consistently promoted it as a critical tool to enhance transparency, increase competitiveness, and combat corruption in the global oil, gas, and mining sectors. Through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources, the United States has served on the EITI International Board for many years and, by serving on various EITI committees, has sought to improve internal management and oversight. Since 2006, the U.S. Agency for International Development has robustly supported EITI implementation, peer exchanges, and research around the world, including $13.5 million in support to the World Bank-managed EITI Multi-Donor Trust Fund and over $17 million in bilateral country support. The EITI is a key component of many of our rule of law and anti-corruption efforts around the world. U.S. bilateral assistance has funded EITI implementation in dozens of countries including Colombia, Senegal, Ukraine, and the Philippines.
The United States has been able to mainstream EITI principles and achieve a highly transparent and efficient system by working to implement the EITI Standard domestically from 2014 to 2017. The United States is institutionalizing EITI transparency measures and mainstreaming government reporting of energy production, and continues to promote public awareness and engage stakeholders in a public conversation about revenue collection from extractives development. The United States unilaterally discloses revenue payments received for extractive operations on federal land through its open data portal (https://revenuedata.doi.gov ) and seeks to improve reporting through the inclusion of additional state and tribal information.
The U.S. Department of State will continue to lead the United States’ commitment to the EITI as a Supporting Country, a role that the United States has played since the initiative began. The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development will continue to promote transparency, fight corruption, and ensure good governance, and support country-level EITI implementation. The United States values the EITI as a critical tool to promote transparency, increase competitiveness, and combat corruption around the world.
The United States representative to the EITI, and the U.S. Board Member, is the Director of Policy Analysis and Public Diplomacy in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources.