Guyana’s EITI suspension lifted after submitting report

Five months after Guyana was suspended for failing to submit a report that dealt with transparency in the extractive sector before the deadline, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Board lifted Guyana’s suspension from the organisation.
The EITI Board had temporarily suspended Guyana on February 1, 2023, for failing to publish its 2020 report on transparency and accountability in the local extractive industry by the December 31, 2022 deadline.
But at the time, it was noted that in accordance with the EITI Standard, it was agreed that the suspension would be lifted if the EITI Board is satisfied that the outstanding report was published within six months of the deadline.
The Secretariat has since confirmed that Guyana published its 2020 EITI Report on June 30, 2023. As such, the condition for lifting the suspension has been met. In a statement on this development on Tuesday, President Dr Irfaan Ali said the Government remains confident that all systems will remain in place to ensure that Guyana is not placed in a similar position in the future.
“The Government of Guyana is pleased that the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Board lifted a temporary suspension on Guyana, which it had put in place on February 1, 2023, due to the country’s inability to publish its 2020 EITI Report.”
“Guyana published the report on June 30 within five months of the six-month deadline. The Government remains confident that all systems will remain in place to ensure that Guyana is not placed in a similar position in the future,” the Government said in its statement.
In February, after it was revealed that Guyana was given an extension for the final submission of the report, President Ali had said that he will ensure that this time around the report is submitted in advance of the new May 2023 deadline.
He had also revealed that there may have been deliberate attempts to sabotage the submission of the report, at the level of the Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) of the EITI, which delayed approval of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the consultant hired to complete the report.
The EITI is an international body that requires implementing countries to publish comprehensive reports which include the full disclosure of Government revenues from the extractive sector, as well as the disclosure of all material payments made to the Government by companies operating in the oil, gas, and mining sectors.
Guyana’s first report was submitted to the International Secretariat on April 25, 2019. Membership in the EITI means that Guyana will have to adhere to the 12 principles of the EITI standards voluntarily.
These 12 principles include encouraging corporate social responsibility, sharing of information, revealing beneficial ownership, and promoting revenue transparency. Failure to do so could be met by suspension from the EITI. Guyana’s next validation commences on April 1, 2024.
The EITI had previously allocated Guyana a score of 52 for implementing the 2019 standard, commending Guyana for the strides taken to make information available and consult with stakeholders, while also providing recommendations to further strengthen the system.
Guyana’s score of 52 included a score of 42 on “outcomes and impact”, 60 on “stakeholder engagement” and 53.5 per cent when it comes to transparency. According to EITI, Guyana did manage to establish a functioning platform for multi-stakeholder discussions.
Back in 2021, a 12-member MSG was appointed. Those appointees included Exxon and Repsol reps Jesus Bronchalo and Ryan Ramjit, as well as Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) representative Andron Alphonso and Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) representative Rafeek Khan.
The Government’s four appointees were Sonya Roopnauth, Hema Khan, Vanelda Harris, and Michael Munroe. The appointees from civil society included Nicholas Fredericks, Larry Carryl, and Gomin Camacho.
Outspoken activist Vanda Radzik, who has brought court cases against projects ranging from the gas-to-energy project to a radioactive storage facility in Houston, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was another civil society appointee. (G-3)