GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana government has blamed some members of a stakeholder group for its suspension from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a natural resources transparency body, for failing to submit a 2020 report in time.
However, it said it is working towards meeting the extended deadline of July 31, 2023.
The EITI promotes the open and accountable management of oil, gas, and mineral resources. As a member of the Norway-based body, Guyana commits to disclosing information along the extractive industry value chain – from how extraction rights are awarded to how revenues make their way through the government and benefit the public.
“Guyana wishes to point out that its temporary suspension is solely linked to its inability to meet the statutory deadline of December 31, 2022, to submit the independent report by the Independent Administrator on account of, in the main, the delay perpetuated by some members of the Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG),” the government said in a statement on Wednesday after an article about the suspension was published in the Stabroek News.
Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat further explained that Guyana had written to the EITI requesting an extension of the deadline to May 31, 2023, citing several reasons, including that the 2019 report was submitted on May 31, 2022, leaving just a few months for 2020 to be raised.
“With that short time frame, we tried to fast-track the process and to ensure that we had that report prepared by December 31, 2022. Having realized there were many difficulties, We would have written to the international secretariat requesting an extension up to May 31, 2023, to submit that report. That was followed by a meeting between myself and the head of the secretariat, Mr. Mark Robinson, to support our request for an extension,” he stated.
Bharrat further explained that while awaiting formal approval following the meeting, the government received correspondence on February 17 notifying of the country’s temporary suspension until the 2020 report is submitted, with a new deadline of July 31, 2023, after which the rest would be withdrawn.
Addressing concerns related to the MSG, the minister expressed the government’s stance that the civil society component was manipulated to include individuals who do not necessarily serve the collective interests of civil society.
He cited several delay tactics by the civil society component of the MSG in approving the independent administrator’s terms of reference (TOR), which resulted in significant delays in the reporting process.
Further delays occurred, Minister Bharrat stated, because the MSG wanted to discuss the director’s appointment rather than the TORs for the independent administrator.
Nevertheless, the natural resources minister said, the local secretariat forged ahead with its work.
According to the government statement, “after a prolonged period of four months, the TOR…has finally been unanimously approved with two members of the Civil Society members of the MSG, Mr. Mike McCormack and Ms. Vanda Radzik, abstaining from voting”.
“Unfortunately, the TOR has been with the MSG for approval for over four months. One can only surmise the motives concerning the actions and inactions of these members of the civil society group. The way is now clear for the independent verification and compilation of the special report by the independent administrator,” it added.
Minister Bharrat confirmed that the respective reporting agencies, including the Guyana Gold Board, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, and the Ministry of Finance, submitted all the reports.
He said a UK-based company was appointed as the independent administrator.
“We have managed to get the consultant to travel to Guyana. They will be here on Monday so that we can urgently work on completing the report,” he said.
Bharrat reaffirmed that the government would work to ensure that the report is submitted long before the July deadline.
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