With the release of its first EITI report in December, Iraq took a historic step toward oil sector transparency. RWI has already held two regional workshops to help local groups analyze the report and take a leading role in Iraq's EITI process.
Iraq became a candidate country in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in February 2010, but RWI has been engaged there for several years, building the capacity of Iraqi civil society to monitor the petroleum sector and advising during the fractious debate over a new oil law. RWI’s 2010 work led to the creation of a large network of activists, journalists and media representatives, who participated in successive technical EITI trainings led by industry and transparency experts.
As the Iraq EITI released its first report on 20 December, 2011, RWI convened a two-day workshop in Beirut on for the burgeoning EITI coalition of NGOs and experts, among them members of Iraq’s official EITI working group. The December event helped prepare participants to dissect the report and evaluate Iraq’s EITI compliance. The event resulted in the creation of draft analysis of the report by the participants. Though the report covers only the minimum requirements for EITI candidates, it constitutes an important milestone in efforts toward oil sector transparency.
A second RWI workshop was held in Erbil, Iraq from 6-8 January. Thirty NGO and media representatives learned strategies for disseminating the EITI report and engaging effectively in debates and negotiations over the EITI proces. Facilitators Matteo Pellegrini of RWI and Sophia Harding of PWYP also discussed the prospects for Iraq’s EITI validation and civil society participation in EITI, among other topics.
The event, which was widely covered in Iraqi media, benefited from remarks made by Hon. Ali Allak, Secretary General of the Iraqi Cabinet and chair of the EITI working group.
Trainees gained a deeper understanding of the importance of EITI as a tool to inform decision-making and monitoring for oil revenue transparency. Longtime journalist Tahseen Sabar said, "Prior to the EITI, we never dared to ask officials for information on the oil revenue collection mechanisms."
The first IEITI report reconciles oil volumes from oil producing companies with oil exports from the Ministry of Oil, as well as revenues reported by Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and oil buyers abroad. It was released in three languages, English, Arabic and Kurdish, and published on the IEITI website. The report is expected to be analyzed in August by a third-party auditor, as a step toward validation of Iraq’s compliance with EITI requirements.
