Australia to Host the EITI International Transparency Conference 22-24 May 2013

OSLO, August 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

EITI International Secretariat

The EITI, the global standard for transparency of revenues from natural resources, will hold its 2013 Global Conference on 22-24 May 2013 in Sydney, Australia.

     (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20111221/501307 )

This was announced today by the EITI Chair, Clare Short. Ms Short welcomed Australia's invitation to host the biennial EITI Global Conference:

"The EITI Global Conference in Sydney in May 2013 will be another milestone in the evolution of the EITI. With 36 countries now implementing the EITI, and the United States and several others preparing to do so, we are making strides in establishing the EITI as a global standard. Together we are taking steps towards ensuring that natural resource wealth leads to development.

"After two years of extensive consultations, the conference will see the launch of a significantly revised EITI standard, which will strengthen EITI reporting, and help to ensure that the EITI process becomes a national platform for improved natural resource governance.

"We are grateful for the support and leadership that the Australian government is providing," Ms Short said.

Participants will discuss how the EITI is leading to more transparency in their countries and agree how the standard should be further strengthened.

Australia is currently undertaking an EITI pilot, and has also launched a mining for development initiative, providing technical assistance to help people overcome poverty by supporting developing countries to translate their resource endowment into significant and sustainable development. The EITI Global Conference is set back-to-back with Australia's Mining for Development conference on 20-21 May 2013.

Notes to editors

1. Media enquiries can be addressed to Technical Director Sam Bartlettt at the EITI International Secretariat, +47-902-67-530 or [email protected].
2. Clare Short is the Chair of the international EITI Board since 2011. She was the UK Secretary of State for International Development (1997-2003). Her bio can be found at http://eiti.org/cshort.
3. The EITI is a coalition of governments, companies, civil society groups, investors and international organisations. 36 countries are currently implementing the EITI standard, and recognised as either EITI Candidate or EITI Compliant. In October 2011, President Obama announced that the United States would implement the EITI, and Australia committed to pilot the EITI.

SOURCE EITI