PWYP Indonesia shared civil society experiences in promoting Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Indonesia, in a workshop held in Papua New Guinea (PNG) last September 22-23. Related to PNG became one of candidate country in EITI in 2014, and PNG arranges the first EITI report.
Meliana Lumbantoruan, Research Manager of PWYP Indonesia, attended this workshop with Asmara Klein (Manager Program of EITI, PWYP International), Merian C Mani (Bantay Kita Filipina). This workshop also was attended by 15 civil society organizations in PNG, which come from several issues, such as: environment, women empowerment, and budget monitoring.
The workshop that held by PNG Resource Governance Coalition, became a momentum of official launch that coalition. This workshop discussed about fiscal regime, and another rule that related to oil, gas, and mining. It also explained about EITI report, and the role of civil society in promoting transparency in extractive sector.
Meliana Lumbantoruan, shared information about PWYP Indonesia’s experience in develop public engagement in EITI report, also contextualized the EITI report in several regions. Such as in Riau Province, PWYP Indonesia crosschecked both of the EITI report and the companies’ data production. In South Sulawesi, compare between the nickels’ data production in ports, with the official data, and count the regional potential lost.
In West Nusa Tenggara, EITI report related to revenue and the indicator of social economic development, such as poverty index, human right index, and governance index. In Papua, PWYP Indonesia socialized the EITI report to the community and indigenous people through SMS gateway.
And in West Kalimantan, EITI report use for spatial transparency and identify the overlapping concession of mining, palm plantation, and forest. Also counting the potential lost through spatial transparency.
“The coalition of PWYP Indonesia, also choose 3 delegation from CSO, become a part of EITI Multi Stakeholder Group in advocate the transparency in extractive industry,” said Meliana.
According to Merian C Mani, the advocacy of EITI in Philippines is in process of advocacy the legal framework of EITI. Also tell the dynamic in build the coalition, and public engagement.
One of participants, Matilda, said that this forum was useful, because not only add their knowledge but know the experience in Indonesia and Philippines in developing the transparency initiative in extractive sector.