By Chandra Kirana, Revenue Watch Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator
This June, Revenue Watch Institute worked with the Timor Leste Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative Secretariat and the East Timor NGO Forum (FONGTIL) to implement a series of training on EITI for civil society, the MSG and parliamentarians.
Facilitated by Revenue Watch Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator Chandra Kirana, Radhika Sarin, Coordinator of Publish What You Pay (PWYP) International, and other civil society representatives, the workshops drew 56 participants to learn about the EITI and analyze the experience of other countries, such as Kazakhstan and Liberia, that have already undergone the process.
The training was opened by Timor Leste Secretary of State Alfredo Pires and FONGTIL Chair Dinorah Granadeiro, who emphasized the importance of civil society organizations in Timor Leste's EITI process, both in distributing information to grassroots activists and relaying the concerns of citizens in remote regions to the MSG and national government. As many of the workshop participants had not participated in EITI processes before, and had limited knowledge of the initiative, the first morning session began with an introduction from Manuel de Lemos, of the National EITI Secretariat, regarding the EITI and its implementation outlook in Timor Leste.
The civil society sessions were designed to help organizations understand what to expect and consider how to respond to an EITI report, to identify who should know about the EITI report findings and plan an effective dissemination strategy; and become familiar with the validation criteria and processes. In evaluations, participants expressed appreciation for the training, writing that the workshop would help improve the quality of civil society monitoring of EITI implementation and ensure a "transparent and credible follow-up process for our first EITI report."
An additional validation training for the all of the multi-stakeholder participants of the MSG was facilitated by Sarin and Sam Bartlett, the EITI Secretariat Regional Director for Europe and Asia. All MSG members, from government, industry and civil society, participated in this one-day workshop that was intended to help stakeholders understand the validation process and indicators, conduct a self-assessment for Timor Leste's validation prospects, and develop an action plan for an effective validation process.
Bartlett said he welcomed the progress that has been achieved in agreeing upon EITI reporting templates in Timor Leste following detailed negotiations between the government, companies and civil society organizations. "The members of the multi-stakeholder group now have a detailed understanding of the various taxes and royalties accruing to the government of Timor Leste from the petroleum sector," he said. "As the first report is issued, the MSG is turning its attention to ensuring that the results are communicated effectively throughout the community." He encouraged the MSG to continue to innovate and lead by example in the Asia-Pacific Region. "There is an opportunity to link EITI reporting to the annual reports from the Government Petroleum Fund and in turn to the national budget," he said. Ensuring consistency between these reporting mechanisms would greatly enhance transparency and accountability.
Commenting on the preparations for validation, Bartlett called on all interested stakeholders to participate in the process. "Validation is an opportunity to take stock of the strengths and weaknesses in EITI implementation," he said. "All stakeholders are encouraged to meet with the Validators and present their views and ideas for ensuring that the EITI fulfills its potential." Bartlett also briefed stakeholders on the validation procedures, and experience from other implementing countries."The EITI Board will use the findings from the validation to determine whether Timor Leste is EITI compliant," he said. It is expected that the validation will begin shortly after Timor's first report is issued in September.
