Strategies for Building Political Support to Expand the reach of EITI to New Countries: Can Civil Society Play a Role?
The Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) is an important global effort to help improve governance in resource-rich countries through a volunteer process to publish and verify company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining. Many EITI supporters are involved in promoting the expansion of this Initiative in new countries around the world, including donors, international NGOs, multi-national companies and local civil society organizations; however, there are challenges to moving forward with EITI without the political will of the national government. In this seminar, Revenue Watch Institute, Partners for Democratic Change and other experts discussed the arguments for adopting EITI, successful experiences in advocating EITI with participating governments, and the appropriate role of local civil society organizations in promoting the adoption of EITI in their country.
Panelists:
Francisco Paris, Regional Director, Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative
Dr Paris has worked both in the private sector in banking and consulting and in the Venezuelan public sector (Deposit Insurance Agency, Privatisation of assets in Colombia and Venezuela). He wrote his doctoral dissertation at the London School of Economics on the Political Economy of the Management of Oil Revenues in Venezuela and EITI. Responsibilities:Geographically: Latin America, China, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Togo.Other areas include Mining, Accounting standards and research.
Oscar Gaitan, Director, Partners-Colombia
Before becoming the Director of Partners Colombia, Mr. Gaitan served as Director of the European Commission’s Justice Project, where he coordinated a national effort to support community dispute resolution mechanisms and reforms to the criminal justice system in Colombia. He is an attorney and expert in community mediation, arbitration and NGO law, and has extensive experience as a trainer and university professor. Mr. Gaitan is one of the founders and the original Executive Director of the Corporación Razón Pública, and worked previously as an expert on Access to Justice issues for the Corporación Excelencia en la Justicia, and also for the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá Center for Conciliation and Arbitration.
Pablo Lumerman, Director, Fundación Cambio Democrático (Partners-Argentina)
Since June 2008, Pablo Lumerman is the Director of Fundación Cambio Democrático and serves on the Steering Committee of Partners for Democratic Change International, a network of 19 organizations located in the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia that promote social change processes based on conflict resolution and consensus building. He has a degree in Political Science at the University of Buenos Aires, and a Master in Local Development at the National University of San Martín and Autonomous University of Madrid. He studied mediation in the Post Degree Department of the University of Buenos Aires, and developed his experience working at FCD in areas such as socio-environmental conflict management and collaborative ecosystem management of natural resources. The main focus of his research work is the impact of conflict on sustainable development. Pablo is also member of the Community of Practice and Learning of the Democratic Dialogue Regional Project of UNDP and from the Deliberative Democracy Network of the Kettering Foundation. He teaches environmental policy at the University of Buenos Aires. He is a conflict mediator and facilitator and has experience in several countries in Latin America and Europe giving conferences and seminars. Furthermore, Pablo has a vast experience as a trainer on conflict sensitive approaches and consensus building tools.
Page Dykstra has been with the Revenue Watch Institute since February 2008. As Program Associate she has a wide portfolio including support for all Middle East and North Africa work, activities in Sudan and US domestic campaigns for EITI implementation in addition to being the point person for all matters related to EITI. Prior to working for RWI, Page was a Princeton in Africa Fellow with the International Republican Institute in southern Sudan. She graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
Moderator
Ann Wrobleski, Vice President Global Government Relations, International Paper
Ann Wrobleski is Vice President Global Government Relations for International Paper. Before joining International Paper, Ann served as Vice President, International, at the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). She spent the previous nine years in government relations consulting, as chief executive officer of Halliday, Inc., and in executive roles at The Jefferson Group. She was nominated by President Reagan and confirmed by the Senate to serve as Assistant Secretary of State and as the U.S. Representative to a UN organization. She also served in the Reagan White House as Projects Director. She was press secretary for U.S. Rep. Lou Frey, Jr., and U.S. Sen. Dick Stone, and spokesman for Florida candidate Jack Eckerd.
