Starting today in Beirut, Iraqi parliamentarians from different sectarian and ethnic backgrounds, and representing all major political parties, are gathering for a three-day workshop on lawmakers' roles and responsibilities in oil and gas oversight. The workshop, hosted by RWI and our partner Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption (ARPAC), is the second in a series of three meetings for Iraqi MPs, selected for their membership in relevant parliamentary committees, including Oil & Energy, Public Integrity and Finance.
Oil policy experts Keith Myers and Joe Bell will analyze the latest draft of Iraq's controversial oil and gas law. This law, which could help spur Iraqi reconstruction and unlock oil wealth for the nation's citizens, has languished for years amid controversy (Reuters) over questions of corruption and power-sharing policies between Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government.
RWI's analysis of the legislation will be the basis for discussions and exercises on policy-making, good governance principles, the state's role in revenue management and parliamentary priorities for the new law.
"We have been working with leaders and citizen groups seeking to improve the oil sector," said RWI Middle East and North Africa Regional Coordinator Patricia Karam. "The key objective of this conference is to enable parliamentarians to make the connection between law and policy, and specifically between this oil law and the prospects for good policies."
