Fw: [PWYP-Coordination] CSO nominees to the EITI Board for 2011-2013 term

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Report from the Nominations Committee on the Selection of Civil Society Representatives to the EITI International Board (2011-2013)

February 7, 2011

A Call for Nominations was launched on December 7, 2010. The Call for Nominations was circulated widely through civil society networks and via the EITI National Coordinators in each EITI country to ensure the widest possible diffusion.

The Call for Nominations mentioned five criteria that would be used in assessing applications. These are:

• Active engagement in the EITI and knowledge of EITI policies and rules relating to the implementation and validation processes
• Sufficient time and willingness to consult widely with other civil society organisations and representatives in order to canvass views and opinions in a timely, responsive and open manner
• Sufficient authority and ability to speak with conviction on behalf of their organisation and other civil society representatives/networks at Board meetings
• Sufficient time and willingness to report back regularly to wider civil society audiences on Board decisions and outcomes of meetings
• Sound experience in dealing with a wide spectrum of stakeholder groups (private sector, donors, IFIs, governments, media etc.) and related negotiation skills

In late December, a Nominations Committee was constituted to manage the selection process. The Committee was comprised of previous Board Members provided they did not intend to themselves submit an application for the 2011-2013 Board term.
Composition of the Nominations Committee:
Mr. Ingilab Ahmadov, Public Finance Monitoring Centre , Azerbaijan
Mr. Anton Artemyev , Soros Foundation Kazakhstan , Kazakhstan
Mr. Michel Roy, Secours Catholique, France
Ms. Radhika Sarin, Publish What You Pay International

In response to the Call for Nominations, 37 applications were received (17 from Africa, 1 from Latin America, 3 from Asia-Pacific, 10 from South/Central Asia & Caucuses, 3 from Europe, and 1 from North America ). The names of all 37 candidates were published on the PWYP website, along with their organizational affiliations and country.

A general observation by the Committee is that the EITI has grown significantly in the last few years with an increasing number of countries across different regions that are now implementing the initiative. This is reflected also by the large number of applications that were received by individuals interested in serving on the Board. The Committee is very encouraged to see that there are so many interested candidates, and it is a challenge accommodating this strong interest with a limited number of seats. The Committees has done its very best to ensure that civil society is represented by 10 strong representatives on the Board.

The Committee started its work by examining each application that was received (consisting of a CV and a personal statement and letters of support from national civil society if these were also included). The application formed the basis to assess each candidate’s suitability against the five criteria (listed above). Next, the Committee discussed the following factors which it considers important:

• The need to balance continuity on the one hand with replacement on the other hand in order to ensure a broadening of the ownership of the EITI
• The need to ensure representation from across different regions in a fair manner
• The need to encourage rotation among countries in order to benefit from different country experiences and civil society dynamics
• The need to ensure representation that is reflective of the diversity of the civil society constituency engaged in the EITI, which includes different types of non-governmental organizations, civic/community associations and the faith-based community
• The need to limit mandates to two terms, a sentiment expressed to Committee members by others within the constituency 
• The need to ensure representation from both genders though the Committee recognized the difficulty of this task given the limited number of female candidates and taking into account all of the other factors that also need to be considered

The Committee has thus selected 10 candidates to represent civil society on the EITI Board. As individuals, these 10 candidates each possess the competencies and capabilities to fulfill the five criteria. Altogether, this composition of the 10 representatives ensures that the above considerations are adequately (and to the degree possible) met. The Committee is therefore confident that this group will represent civil society effectively on the EITI Board and hopes that the constituency will give its full support to these representatives.

The Committee would also like to share some reflections and make some recommendations for consideration by the constituency.

1)      The Committee notes that the gender imbalance within our constituency is regrettable and needs to be addressed. This will require a broader conversation on how the constituency can address this issue at the national level in order to increase the participation of women in the EITI.

2)      The Committee recommends that the constituency continue to limit the amount of time served on the Board by each representative to two terms. The EITI as an initiative has evolved greatly since its early days and it continues to evolve. It is therefore important that this evolution is also reflected in the EITI’s own governance so that the initiative can continue to grow and flourish. Fresh perspectives are important and setting a two term limit would ensure adequate continuity while also allowing for the opportunity to bring in new people on a more regular basis.

3)      The Committee recommends that Alternate Members seize available opportunities to participate in the work of Board, such as serving on Board Committees (the membership of committees is open to Alternates) and participating actively in constituency meetings and consultations. In the experience of Committee members, there are ample opportunities to ensure that Alternate Members have a deep and meaningful engagement on the Board. Plus, Alternate Members that serve one term in this manner will gain invaluable knowledge and skills to present themselves as Full Members in the subsequent term. The succession of an Alternate to a Full Member would also be an important way to ensure continuity on the Board. 

4)      The Committee salutes the tremendous contributions that have been made by the civil society representatives of the outgoing Board and sincerely hopes that these representatives will continue to stay involved and lend their support to the incoming representatives. The effectiveness of the work of the representatives on the Board depends largely on the support they receive from the broader civil society constituency. The Committee recommends that the constituency consider what mechanisms could most effectively ensure that the invaluable knowledge and expertise of outgoing (and former) civil society Board members is not lost and that they can continue to positively contribute to the efforts of civil society engaged in the EITI.

5)      The Committee notes the importance of ensuring that there is representation from both implementing country civil society and international civil society on the Board given the different but important roles that each plays in the EITI. However, as the EITI grows even more over the next two years and there is an increase in the number of countries implementing the initiative, there will no doubt also be a greater desire for increased representation on the Board by implementing country civil society. The Committee believes there would be merit in reviewing the allocation of seats between implementing country civil society and international civil society in two years time.

6)      With the increasing geographical reach of the EITI, the Committee considers that it will also be important to ensure broader dissemination of the Call for Nominations and targeted outreach to interested and capable candidates from countries that are new to the EITI and whose civil society may be new to the civil society networks engaged in the EITI.

The Committee thanks all 37 candidates for their interest and counts on their support, as well as the support of the entire constituency, for the work of the Committee and for the work which lies ahead for the new Board.  The 10 individuals nominated to the EITI Board as civil society representatives for the 2011-2013 term are presented below. Our congratulations to each of them!

Ingilab Ahmadov, Public Finance Monitoring Centre , Azerbaijan
Anton Artemyev, Soros Foundation Kazakhstan , Kazakhstan
Michel Roy, Secours Catholique , France
Radhika Sarin, Publish What You Pay International


CIVIL SOCIETY NOMINEES TO THE EITI BOARD (2011-2013 TERM)

Mr. Jean Claude Katende
Association Africaine de Défense des Droits de l’Homme
Democratic Republic of Congo
Email: jckatende@yahoo.fr

Alt : Mr. Ali Idrissa

Réseau des Organisations pour la Transparence et l’Analyse Budgétaire

Niger

Email: alidrissanani@yahoo.fr

Mr. Dorjdari Namkhaijantsan
Open Society Forum Mongolia
Mongolia
Email: dorjdari@forum.mn

Alt: Mr. Mericio J. Dos Reis “Akara”
Luta Hamutuk Institute
Timor-Leste
Email: akaraleon@yahoo.com

Mr. Diarmid O’Sullivan
Global Witness
United Kingdom
Email: dosullivan@globalwitness.org

Alt: Mr. Eelco De Groot

Cordaid

The Netherlands

Email: Eelco.de.Groot@cordaid.nl

Mr. Anthony Richter
Revenue Watch Institute  
United States of America
Email: arichter@sorosny.org

Alt: Mr. Epifanio Baca Tupayachi

Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana  

Peru

Email: ebaca@desco.org.pe

Ms. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng
Wacam
Ghana
Email: kowus75@yahoo.com

            Alt: Mr. Sabit Bagirov

Center for Economic and Political Research

Azerbaijan

Email: bagirov.sabit@gmail.com