The Civil Society Table for Transparency in the Extractive Industries has held workshops with leaders and social organizations in Bogota and various regions of the country, in order to raise awareness and inform about the process of implementation in Colombia of the Transparency Initiative in the Extractive Industries (EITI).
During these spaces, the initiative, its importance, progress, work route and steps to follow are socialized, and ideas and proposals that complement the scope of EITI in Colombia are also collected.
Workshop with journalists from different regions of the country
April 25, 2014. Journalists from Arauca, Córdoba, Sucre, Huila and Meta identified some challenges for the dissemination of information about the process and opportunities when implementing EITI in Colombia. The attendees highlighted the importance of training on the subject, their role as disseminators of the Initiative and promoters of it in different entities and organizations, especially in educational institutions, citizen oversight offices and youth organizations. In addition, they stated that EITI makes contractual and economic relations between companies in the extractive sector and the Colombian State transparent. Social communicators committed to replicating the EITI process in their respective regions of the country.
Workshop with civil organizations
April 30, 2014. In Bogotá, a workshop was held with civil organizations interested in the process. Some expressed their intention to be part of the Roundtable and identified aspects that can be addressed beyond the initiative, such as strengthening the capacities of civil society to carry out social control of the extractive sector value chain.
May 5, 2014. Civil society organizations met in Medellín, in which it was proposed to build a regional EITI pilot in Antioquia and discussed the importance and feasibility of the initiative in the regional context.
June 11, 2014. A fourth event was held in Montería, where the progress of the process was presented to the convened organizations and, in turn, they proposed to carry out a regional EITI pilot in Córdoba.
June 12, 2014. Last month in Sincelejo, the fifth workshop with civil society organizations was held, where the attendees presented their expectations regarding the process and how to implement the initiatives at the local level.
July 17, 2014. In Neiva, the objectives of the process, its progress, and the 2014-2016 Action Plan were presented for the first time. The event was attended by journalists, civil society organizations, the public sector and academia. The greatest concern of the different sectors of Huila is environmental damage.
They expressed their disagreement regarding the ecological damage generated by the exploitation of natural resources, which is not being given the importance it deserves in EITI. However, the opitas supported the function of the Table and promised to participate and be aware of the process. At the end of the afternoon, a survey was carried out on the information needs in the extractive industry at the territorial level.
Between July and August, more dissemination and information events will be held in Valledupar and Villavicencio with journalists and youth from the region.
The regional workshops are carried out by the Fundación Foro Nacional por Colombia, Conciudadnía, CSIR and Transparencia por Colombia in alliance with organizations that represent civil society and with the support of the Revenue Watch Institute and USAID.
About EITI
EITI, for its acronym in English (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative), is a global initiative that seeks to monitor and reconcile the payments made by companies and those received by the government for the exploitation of renewable and non-renewable resources. It is applied voluntarily by countries whose governments intend to improve governance, involving companies and civil society. Currently, Colombia is in the process of preparing its candidacy.
About the table
The Civil Society Roundtable for Transparency in the Extractive Industries was created in order to ensure effective participation of civil society in the EITI process. The main objective of the Table is to inform and sensitize organizations, the media, businessmen and citizens about the progress of the initiative in the country.
