President of South Sudan Commits to Global Transparency Standard

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Dec 21, 2011, 01:00 ET

OSLO, Norway, December 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan has announced that his Government will implement the EITI (Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative), the global standard for transparency of natural resource revenues.

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

"This commitment to implement the EITI is in furtherance of my statement on September 21^st that my government is committed to ensuring that South Sudan enters a new era of good governance, democracy, accountability and transparency," said President Kiir.

Remarking on President Kiir's announcement, EITI Chair Clare Short said, "South Sudan is facing enormous challenges in the years ahead. By following the EITI standard, President Kiir's and his government have demonstrated its commitment to doing things transparently and holding themselves accountable to South Sudan's citizens. "

Implementing the EITI standard ensures that all payments from oil and mining operations in South Sudan will be published in an annual EITI report for all South Sudanese citizens to see what they are receiving from their natural resources. The report can be used to recommend how South Sudan can better manage the revenues from its resources. The process will be overseen by a 'South Sudan EITI multi-stakeholder group' consisting of representatives from the government, extractives companies and civil society organisations.

Media enquiries can be addressed to Communications Manager Anders Tunold Kråkenes at the EITI International Secretariat, +47-4666-2888 or [email protected].
Ms Short was elected Chair of the EITI International Board at the EITI Global Conference in Paris in March 2011. Ms Short was the UK Secretary of State for International Development (1997-2003).
The EITI is a coalition of governments, companies, civil society groups, investors and international organisations. All these constituencies are represented on the Board, which is chaired by Clare Short.
35 countries are currently implementing the EITI standard, and recognised as either EITI Candidate or EITIhttp://eiti.org/ Compliant: Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mongolia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Yemen and Zambia.
In October 2011, President Obama of the United States announced that the United States would implement the EITI, and Australia committed to pilot the EITI.