Multi-Donor Trust Fund for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
The main finding of this review is that the Multi-Donor Trust Fund-Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MDTF-EITI) program is in the process of achieving its objective of increasing transparency of revenues in resource-dependent countries. Given the resilience and pervasiveness of the resource curse, the achievement of this narrowly defined objective in a few critical countries is a notable accomplishment that has created the momentum needed to attract a growing number of countries, donors, enterprises and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) a testimony of their hope that, in spite of the uncertainty and risks, the benefits will be forthcoming in due course. The findings of the present review suggest that to ensure that tangible benefits in terms of improved revenue management and accountability can be achieved, the program needs to satisfactorily address the emerging doubts about the adequacy of the program in the absence of complementary measures, tackle issues with the scope and quality of the EITI reports, manage the tensions between authority and accountability, and face up to the tradeoff between expanding the number of EITI candidates and improving results in countries that are already implementing EITI. The EITIapos;s stakeholders are aware of these issues, which have already been discussed at several Board meetings and workshops. What is needed now is a roadmap for the second phase built around a unifying principle that can help to reconcile and prioritize among competing demands.
Summary: | The main finding of this review is that
the Multi-Donor Trust Fund-Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative (MDTF-EITI) program is in the
process of achieving its objective of increasing
transparency of revenues in resource-dependent countries.
Given the resilience and pervasiveness of the resource
curse, the achievement of this narrowly defined objective in
a few critical countries is a notable accomplishment that
has created the momentum needed to attract a growing number
of countries, donors, enterprises and Civil Society
Organizations (CSOs) a testimony of their hope that, in
spite of the uncertainty and risks, the benefits will be
forthcoming in due course. The findings of the present
review suggest that to ensure that tangible benefits in
terms of improved revenue management and accountability can
be achieved, the program needs to satisfactorily address the
emerging doubts about the adequacy of the program in the
absence of complementary measures, tackle issues with the
scope and quality of the EITI reports, manage the tensions
between authority and accountability, and face up to the
tradeoff between expanding the number of EITI candidates and
improving results in countries that are already implementing
EITI. The EITIapos;s stakeholders are aware of these issues,
which have already been discussed at several Board meetings
and workshops. What is needed now is a roadmap for the
second phase built around a unifying principle that can help
to reconcile and prioritize among competing demands. |
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