Lord Callanan appointed the new UK EITI Champion

The UK EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group are delighted to announce that Lord Callanan, the Minister for Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has been appointed the new UK EITI Champion. Lord Callanan has released the following statement:

"I am delighted to have recently taken on the role of the new UK Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Champion.

EITI is a global initiative that promotes the open management of oil, gas and mineral resources and is designed to improve transparency, accountability and public trust for revenues paid and received for a country’s natural resource extraction. With good governance, the revenues from extractive industries can have a significant impact on reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity for the UK and counterparts around the world.

The UK has long championed greater transparency in extractives industries. The UK Government established the EITI in 2003 and continues to promote accountable governance, transparency and Anti-Corruption in the sector internationally, through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) programming.

The UK is also leading by example domestically. As Minister for Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility, I recognise the importance of transparency in creating good business environments and ensuring that businesses can be held to account and I commend EITI's efforts in this area.  I hope that my appointment will demonstrate the UK Government’s continued international commitment to the EITI and highlight its importance in the wider transparency agenda.

I am pleased to announce that the UK Extractives sector now has its own dedicated website (www.ukeiti.org), which has been developed under the expert guidance of the UK EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), a group of representatives from industry, civil society and government who are responsible for the implementation of EITI in the UK. The website provides key data on the UK extractive industries and information on EITI implementation in the UK.

I look forward to working with the MSG over the coming months, particularly in the area of validation. The UK is currently assessed as having made “Meaningful Progress” against the EITI Standard, which, although a good first assessment, we can improve on. We will pull out all the stops to address the actions required to achieve a “Satisfactory” assessment when the UK is revalidated later this year. We are also working to ensure that the UK complies with the new requirements of the 2019 Standard and the move towards the systematic disclosure of data.  It is anticipated that the new website will help us achieve these aims and ensure that the UK continues to play a full and active part in this important global initiative."

The appointment of Lord Callanan as the new UK EITI Champion has been welcomed by the EITI International Secretariat. Mark Robinson, Executive Director of the EITI International Secretariat said:

"The UK is a stalwart supporter of transparent and accountable extractives governance. It has not hesitated to lead by example. In the area of beneficial ownership, for example, we welcome the UK's willingness to mainstream ownership transparency. The EITI is engaging in new debates, including on its contribution to the energy transition. We are delighted that Lord Callanan, as Minister for Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility, will also now take on the role of EITI Champion. We look forward to continuing the deep engagement that the UK has enjoyed with the EITI since it played such a pivotal role in the formation of the initiative."