2010年-世界发展银行全球_Toward_Strengthened_EITI_Reporting___Summary_Report_and_Recommendations_46页_1mb

Summary Report and Recommendations for Strengthened EITI Reporting

Core Content

This report provides policy recommendations for the EITI Board based on a broad consultative process involving stakeholders from EITI-implementing countries, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), civil society, industry, and audit firms. The goal is to improve the quality and consistency of EITI reporting by focusing on key issues such as detailed data disclosure, reconciliation with official financial information, audit reliability, completeness, and comprehensiveness.

Main Issues and Recommendations

1. Detailed Reporting of Revenues and Payments

• Issue: There is debate over whether EITI reports should present aggregated or detailed data.
• Key Points:
  • Detailed reporting allows for better public oversight and transparency.
  • Some stakeholders, including civil society, argue that detailed data is essential for accountability.
  • Industry stakeholders raise concerns about the potential negative impact on commercial interests.
• Recommendations:
  • The EITI Board should issue new policy guidance favoring detailed, disaggregated reporting.
  • Countries should be allowed to "opt-out" if detailed reporting is not feasible, but must clearly justify such decisions in their reports.
  • Supplemental information can be encouraged outside of formal EITI reports when necessary.

2. Detail on Specific Revenue Streams

• Issue: The extent of detail in reporting specific revenue streams, such as profit oil or gas, and subnational revenues, is inconsistent.
• Key Points:
  • Profit oil or gas should be reported in-kind and with valuation for transparency.
  • Subnational payments and revenues should be disclosed where capacity allows.
• Recommendations:
  • EITI guidance should encourage detailed disclosure of revenue streams.
  • Specific guidance should be provided to multi-stakeholder groups on how to strengthen reporting with supplemental data where necessary.

3. Reconciliation of Government Reporting with Official Finance Information

• Issue: EITI government reporting should align with official public finance information.
• Key Points:
  • Reconciliation with government audited data is essential for credibility.
  • This process can uncover off-budget revenues, such as free transfers of profit oil.
• Recommendations:
  • The EITI Secretariat should ensure that EITI data is reconciled with official government financial information.
  • National auditor-general offices should play a central role in reviewing and certifying EITI data for accuracy and consistency.

4. Accuracy and Audit Reliability

• Issue: The reliability of underlying data (both government and company) is a concern.
• Key Points:
  • EITI Criterion #2 requires that data be subject to credible audits.
  • In practice, audit reliability is not consistently applied, especially for government data.
• Recommendations:
  • Multi-stakeholder groups should ensure that EITI data is audited and consistent with financial statements.
  • Governments should develop internal linkages with national auditor-general offices to support audit processes for EITI data.

5. Completeness of Sector Revenues

• Issue: EITI reports often do not cover all sector revenues, leading to incomplete data.
• Key Points:
  • A nascent EITI process may start with partial coverage and expand over time.
  • It is important to disclose the proportion of total sector revenues covered in each report.
• Recommendations:
  • EITI reports should include the share of sector revenues covered, ideally with a clear indication of what is included.
  • A minimum standard should be established for reporting coverage, even if full coverage is not immediately possible.

6. Comprehensiveness of Benefit Streams

• Issue: Some material benefit streams are not included in EITI reports, reducing their utility.
• Key Points:
  • Non-reporting can be due to lack of knowledge or strategic omissions.
  • Comprehensive reporting is essential for meaningful and credible EITI outcomes.
• Recommendations:
  • The EITI Secretariat should emphasize the importance of reporting all material benefit streams.
  • Multi-stakeholder groups should consider including "one-way" supplemental data for non-reporting companies to ensure full transparency.

Key Information

• The EITI is seen as a global standard applied locally, with flexibility at the country level.
• The EITI process has successfully opened up discussions on resource revenue management and strengthened civil society.
• The recommendations aim to improve the quality of EITI reporting without undermining its core principles.
• The report includes examples from Liberia, Mongolia, Nigeria, and Ghana to illustrate good practices in EITI reporting.

Conclusion

The EITI needs to maintain its focus on transparency and accountability while addressing concerns about data reliability, completeness, and the practical challenges of implementation. Strengthening EITI reporting requires a combination of clear policy guidance, stakeholder engagement, and institutional capacity building. The recommendations provided are intended to support these efforts and ensure that EITI reports remain a credible and useful tool for public oversight in the extractive industries sector.