Representatives of the region countries showed a great interest to studying practice of Azerbaijan

A two-day regional meeting held at Crescent Beach Hotel in Baku by Economic Research Center and with organizational support of NGO Coalition for Improving Transparency in Extractive Industry and funding support from East-East program of SOROS Foundation and Open Society Institute-Assistance Foundation completed its work. The meeting was attended Representatives of Publish What You Pay (PWYP) and Revenue Watch Institute (RWI), as well as international and regional experts, representatives of Coalition of civil society institutes functioning in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Ukraine. Discussions attended by local experts as well went around the existing challenges with EITI and potential way-outs and perspectives. The conference was an effective tool also for the sharing of country-specific experiences. Furthermore, statements were made on continuing the validation process for EITI, the challenge faced by these countries. Statements obviously emphasized passing the practice of Azerbaijan Coalition over to Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan that are currently going through the validation stage. So, Sabit Bagirov, EITI Coalition member, and Azer Mehtiyev, EITI Council member and Ingilab Ahmedov, EITI International Board member, broadly touched upon the pre-validation and post-validation experience of Azerbaijan and responded to the questions raised by the experts from the region.
One of the widely discussed topics of the conference was about companies’ disaggregated reporting under EITI. Only Mongolia has made progress in this regard among the countries of the region and Mongolian representative drew participants’ attention to this issue. As regards the situation in Azerbaijan, it was clear from presentation of EITI Council Coordinator Gubad Ibadoglu that this issue is treated in a different way by oil and gas companies in Azerbaijan. It was known that except for BP, Shell, Stat oil, Middle East Petroleum Company and Binagadi Oil Company, all other companies were either directly or indirectly against the shift to disaggregated reporting.
The position of SOCAR that it would also shift to the disaggregated reporting on condition that all other companies agree to do so was criticized and considered as an improper attitude with regard to the shift to disaggregated reporting practice in Azerbaijan. Experts noted that as SOCAR does not have any desire to lead the process, it creates difficulties for the other companies to do so. So, by trying to avoid the process, SOCAR creates additional arguments for other companies against joining this practice.
Moreover, a package of recommendations was developed to present to EITI International Board for the purpose of developing EITI, enhancing impacts, spreading transparency principles and broadening communication channels with other region countries. Proposals such as expanding EITI activities, inter-coalition coordination in the region, sharing of experience, and building regional networks for the purpose of information sharing on EITI updates, enhancing contract transparency, providing the shift to disaggregated reporting standards, improving existing reporting templates, implementation of EITI and transition to EITI at the local level and some proposals were incorporated into the the document.
Implementation of EITI at sub-national level in Mongolia and Kazakhstan, communicating EITI, unity of civil society organizations in the form of coalitions and management of coalitions, coordination of new initiatives at local and international level etc. were among the discussed topics.
Representatives of Azerbaijani’s EITI Coalition were more actively involved in the topics during the conference. Gubad Ibadoglu mentioned about EITI updates among countries since the previous conference, Disaggregated EITI Reporting, Coalition Building and Management; while Ingilab Ahmedov touched upon the issues regarding on EITI advocacy: going beyond EITI’s minimum scope of activities and Azer Mehtiyev talking about the validation process updates including related challenges and the ways forward and Sabit Bagirov speaking about validation indicators and analysis and Nijat Daglar on communicating EITI through Making more tangible links with common citizens.
Other EITI Coalition Representatives pointed to the practice of Azerbaijan, projects implemented by the Coalition, existing problems and future plans and gave detailed information about the tense discussions related to the establishment of multi-stakeholder groups in Azerbaijan and ultimatley getting consent among parties in favor of this issue.
The next regional conference was decided to be held in summer in Kyrgyzstan.
12:58 / 16.10.2009

Last correction date of the file: 27/1/2010 - 0:7:15

Other language version of the file: /az/