EcoLur
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has proceeded into a legal stage: on 24 November the Armenian Government reached a decision on establishing a multi-stakeholder group and working group to join the EITI. On 25 November the kick –off meeting of the EITI working group, which includes Deputy Ministers for Finance, Territorial Administration and Development, Economic Development and Investment, Nature Protection, Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources, representatives of “Zangezour Copper and Molybdenum Combine” CJSC, “GeoMining” LLC, “Lydian Armenia” CJSC, “Agarak Copper and Molybdenum Combine” CJSC, representatives of the public sector – “Transparency International Anticorruption Center” NGO, “EcoRight” NGO, “EcoLur” Informational NGO, “Youth Association of Environmental Lawyers and Economists” NGO, representatives of Sustainable Development Center at Yerevan State University. The working group is headed by Head of Staff of Armenian Government David Harutyunyan.
The main objective of the EITI is to make mining sector transparent and accountable, which will result in reducing corruption. Three fractions of this working group – government, miners and NGOs have different expectations from this process. Business looks for international investment, society looks for the adoption of such standards, which will change the format of currently operating mining sector putting forward not only financial, but also environmental matters. In its turn, the government assures that this forum as represented by the EITI working group will improve the attractiveness of mining investment on the one hand and will increase public trust, on the other hand.
November 25, 2016 at 17:46