caughtinthecrossfire Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 There were so many posts in January, I had not noticed this one missing. I've tried searches but found no existing link even from Yota or Tammyflyer, lol. Apologies if I over looked it using the wrong key words. However, this link is very clearly stated and a good read. THIS IS FROM JAN 23,2012 The IMF requires (directs) Iraq/CBI to present full reports each year and this year it was hopeful they would be approved as a member of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The article points out the reports "meet only the minimal requirements for membership" however...considering the changes in Iraq, minimal might be enough. The article also discusses the workshop that took place in Dec and I hope that members of the EITI workshop group included Kurdish representatives. If we see less resistance (as has been clearly suggested this recent month) to passing a gas law, I would argue that this has had a huge impact on getting all concerned to focus on what the big picture is. This transparency that CBI has been struggling to provide has also impressed journalists...a great way to encourage the public, IMO. Anyway, I'll stick to my basic thoughts and let you other (wiser) readers reply. I think this explains (some of) Baghdad's opinion on Oil company contracts and also (some) Talabani maneuvers with the Kurds. Perhaps it's why I see more overall cohesion...well...more so than I have seen at other times (to include Kuwait relations). Does the article suggest membership contingent to a 3rd party review in August? Yes. However, I have read nothing that makes me think that will effect our RV hopes...it DOES, however, make me think we will see HCL passed as quickly as possible. Also, I hope to see Iraqi officials very engaged now and continue to see themselves in a light more suggestive of a strong global force and united nation. Enjoy: http://www.revenuewa...ports-work-iraq 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speculatorsRIDE Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Putting EITI Reports to Work for Iraq 23 January 2012 Hon Ali Allak, Secretary General of the Iraqi Cabinet and chair of Iraq's EITI group (Raghda Allouche) Issue: EITI Country: Iraq, Middle East and North Africa This article also in: العربية With the release of its first EITI report in December, Iraq took a historic step toward oil sector transparency. RWI has already held two regional workshops to help local groups analyze the report and take a leading role in Iraq's EITI process. Iraq became a candidate country in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in February 2010, but RWI has been engaged there for several years, building the capacity of Iraqi civil society to monitor the petroleum sector and advising during the fractious debate over a new oil law. RWI’s 2010 work led to the creation of a large network of activists, journalists and media representatives, who participated in successive technical EITI trainings led by industry and transparency experts. As the Iraq EITI released its first report on 20 December, 2011, RWI convened a two-day workshop in Beirut on for the burgeoning EITI coalition of NGOs and experts, among them members of Iraq’s official EITI working group. The December event helped prepare participants to dissect the report and evaluate Iraq’s EITI compliance. The event resulted in the creation of draft analysis of the report by the participants. Though the report covers only the minimum requirements for EITI candidates, it constitutes an important milestone in efforts toward oil sector transparency. A second RWI workshop was held in Erbil, Iraq from 6-8 January. Thirty NGO and media representatives learned strategies for disseminating the EITI report and engaging effectively in debates and negotiations over the EITI proces. Facilitators Matteo Pellegrini of RWI and Sophia Harding of PWYP also discussed the prospects for Iraq’s EITI validation and civil society participation in EITI, among other topics. The event, which was widely covered in Iraqi media, benefited from remarks made by Hon. Ali Allak, Secretary General of the Iraqi Cabinet and chair of the EITI working group. Trainees gained a deeper understanding of the importance of EITI as a tool to inform decision-making and monitoring for oil revenue transparency. Longtime journalist Tahseen Sabar said, "Prior to the EITI, we never dared to ask officials for information on the oil revenue collection mechanisms." The first IEITI report reconciles oil volumes from oil producing companies with oil exports from the Ministry of Oil, as well as revenues reported by Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and oil buyers abroad. It was released in three languages, English, Arabic and Kurdish, and published on the IEITI website. The report is expected to be analyzed in August by a third-party auditor, as a step toward validation of Iraq’s compliance with EITI requirements. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caughtinthecrossfire Posted February 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks, Spec. Did you post that so others could read without the link or was it pulled from a previous post? Either way, the article certainly deserves attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speculatorsRIDE Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Posted from your link as a courtesy. Here is another article I found interesting as well. I think the Iraqi's are looking forward to October 2012. Iraq’s Last Window: Diffusing the Risks of a Petro-State Johnny West ~ 12 September 2011 Issue: Research, Resource Center, Revenue Management Country: Iraq Organization: Center for Global Development Link: Iraq’s Last Window: Diffusing the Risks of a Petro-State - Working Paper In this working paper from the Center for Global Development, Johnny West says Iraq’s oil industry has an opportunity to introduce an oil dividend based on expanding production. The predicted rise in revenues will allow the government to allocate a significant dividend that halves poverty, helps diversify the economy by creating demand at all income levels for goods and services, and stimulates capital formation—all without cutting into the government’s capital spending plans. West describes how such a dividend program could be structured by, for example, taking advantage of Iraq’s existing rationing system, ubiquitous mobile phone networks, and new biometric ID cards. A dividend, starting at $220 per capita in October 2012 and rising with expanded production, could also cement the affiliation of all citizens to Iraqi territorial integrity, act as a powerful disincentive to secession in oil-producing regions, and create popular pressure among all sections of the population to discourage acts by the ongoing insurgency which disrupt economic reconstruction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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