Government to launch extractive industry report

 By GEDION TIMOTHY LAPAN 

The Government is expected to launch the first Papua New Guinea Extractive Industry Initiative Report by end of this month, according to PNG-EITI Secretariat.

Head of the secretariat Lucas Alkan, pictured,  told The National the PNG-ETI Report 2013, which was the first report to be produced by PNG, would be launched by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

Alkan said the report was a culmination of sustained efforts and collaboration between the Government, extractive industries and civil society to deliver an informative public picture of the extractive sector in Papua New Guinea, its impact on the economy and management of revenues it generated.

He said current multi-stakeholder group included the Department of Treasury, Department of Mineral Policy and Geo-Hazard Managements, Department of Petroleum and Energy, Ministerial Resource Authority, Department of National Planning, Department of Finance, Business Against Corruption Alliance, Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council,  Institute of National Affairs, the Papua New Guinea Council of Churches, Transparency International PNG, Papua New Guinea Mining Watch Group Association, Eco forestry Forum, Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, Barrick Niugini Ltd, Morobe Mining Joint Venture, Newcrest, ExxonMobil PNG and Oil Search Ltd.          

“This is Papua New Guinea’s first report as a candidate country under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI),” Alkan said. 

“In accordance with the EITI standard, this report has been guided by a multi-stakeholder group (MSG) comprising representatives of government, industry and civil society, and has been prepared by an independent administrator.”

He said the report covered calendar year of 2013 and encompassed large-scale mining and oil and gas and how they operated.

He said the Government applied for EITI candidacy in 2013 and was accepted as a candidate country in March 2014 and this first report is one of the requirement of the country being entering into a fully pledged member state of the EITI group.

Alkan commended the multi- stakeholder group for the job they did in delivering the report on time and said he is looking forward to a more comprehensive report with a wide range of stakeholders.

He said the report would tell how we perform as a country in the extractive industry as a member of the group.