Workplan
The Board of Trustees presents to the Iraqi public the second edition of the Natural Resources Transparency Commission's Action Plan, seeking to enhance governance and transparency in the oil, gas, and mining sectors and in compliance with Requirement 1.5 of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standards, which calls for the Commission's work to address the implementation of "national priorities" for the three sectors through concrete, actionable activities resulting from consultations with broader stakeholders in government institutions, businesses, and civil society. The plan also seeks to serve as a basic document for dialogue, discussion, and accountability among the Board of Trustees, broader stakeholders, and the public at large.
On this basis, the plan was developed to extend over two years instead of one. It was built on priorities derived from the government program and the anti-corruption strategy, as well as proposals from civil society and the annual plans of the Ministries of Oil and Industry and Minerals, the Geological Survey Authority, and other relevant entities. For this purpose, a support team (composed of a select group of specialists from the three sectors and civil society) was tasked with submitting recommendations on national priorities after undergoing an introductory capacity-building training course attended by the Executive Director and the representative of the International Secretariat of the Initiative.
This version differs from the previous one in that it includes estimated costs for activities. Civil society representatives on the support team contributed to its preparation based on prevailing market prices and civil society's experience and expertise in organizing similar activities. After reviewing the plan's contents and the proposed estimated costs, and following extensive discussions on the availability of funding and the pricing mechanism for the items, the Council decided to approve the plan in its current form. The estimated costs for items requiring the assistance of foreign experts and specialists were removed, and the determination of these costs was postponed until implementation, subject to the availability of funding and the identification of the funding entity. The total estimated cost of this plan (excluding the costs of contracting with foreign experts) amounted to approximately (753,250) seven hundred and fifty-three million and 250 thousand dinars.
It should be noted here that all activities mentioned in the plan are subject to subsequent review and amendment based on urgent needs and the ambitious steps the Council is attempting to achieve during this exceptional year. This year follows the difficult challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. This resulted in the inability to implement most of the activities approved in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 plans, forcing the Council to extend the 2022 plan to cover 2023.
Expected implementation challenges will focus primarily on the lack of financial allocations due to the Ministry of Oil's delay in fulfilling its obligations under Diwani Order No. 23512 of 2023. They will also be due to the failure to approve the grant promised by the European Union two years ago and the delay in implementing the World Bank's emergency grant, which was approved months ago.
In light of the above, and in the Council's keenness to continue work with the utmost possible effort within the limited available resources, it has been decided to proceed with the implementation of the important items that may not require financial allocations at the present time, with the hope that a review and update will be completed once any allocations from the Ministry of Oil, the World Bank grant, or both become available.
Finally, the Board of Trustees calls upon all stakeholders, including workers in the three sectors, civil society activists, the media, and those interested in monitoring, developing, and promoting the principle of transparency in the management of natural resources and empowering citizens (who are their true owners) to be held accountable. It invites them to actively participate in developing this plan and providing it with everything that will advance the country and preserve its resources.
Board of Trustees
Natural Resources Transparency Authority
First axis
Verification requirements
Validation Requirements
Requirements 7.3 and International Board Resolution No. 2023-55/BM-58 regarding the determination of the verification date
No. 2019-56 / BM-45 BM-45/ 56-2019 regarding corrective measures
Challenges
The regional government's and companies operating there's failure to comply with the initiative's requirements, the weak response and participation of some government agencies, and the limited participation of international companies...etc.
Objectives
Completing and implementing the requirements of the International Initiative and the recommendations of the Second Verification Report, and striving to obtain a “satisfactory” rating in the upcoming Third Verification on July 1, 2024, as stated in the Second Verification Report of October 2019.
| T | Activity | Responsible authorities | Target audience | Expected results | time frame | Estimated cost | Notes (in progress, facing challenges, accomplished) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corrective actions: | |||||||
| 1 | A meeting of the Board of Trustees was held in the presence of the President and with the participation of the International Secretariat to discuss the weak participation and develop solutions in accordance with the criteria of requirements 1.2 and document this in minutes signed by everyone. | Chairman of the Council Government Companies Civil Society | Board of Trustees | 1. Full and effective participation of all entities represented on the Council, not limiting their role to disclosing data only. 2. Members' efforts with the entities they represent to ensure the adoption of a systematic disclosure program. | January 2024 | 1. Completed 2. In progress | |
| 2 | Restructuring the Board of Trustees to comply with Requirement 1.4 and amending Diwani Order 23512 accordingly. | Chairman of the Council | Board of Trustees | New Diwani order to ensure: | April 2024 | - | 1. In progress |
| the government | Wider stakeholders | 1. An effective Board of Trustees that operates with complete independence and represents all multiple stakeholders. | 2. In progress | ||||
| Companies | General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers | 2. The existence of paragraphs of the internal regulations, including the tasks and powers of the Council and the National Secretariat, the mechanism for selecting original and alternate members, and taking into account gender balance. | 3. In progress | ||||
| civil society | 3. Determining the Ministry of Oil’s responsibility for providing financial and administrative requirements. | ||||||
| National Secretariat | |||||||
| 3 | Reformulate the business plan to fit requirement 1.5 | Board of Trustees | Wider stakeholders | 1. An action plan stemming from broader stakeholder consultations in government, business, and civil society | January 2023 | - | 1. Accomplish |
| Support Team | 2. Includes specific activities with costs and funding sources. | 2. Accomplish | |||||
| National Secretariat | 3. Includes procedures for following up on recommendations issued by verification procedures and transparency reports. | 3. Accomplish | |||||
| 4. Updatable to reflect ongoing monitoring of implementation and support efforts to obtain donor support. | 4. Accomplish | ||||||
| 4 | Updating the terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to include an updated and advanced mechanism for publishing the financial relations between state-owned companies and the government, including the sources of financing their operating and investment budgets, production costs and profits, their contributions to financing the federal budget, and the loans granted to them, in accordance with Requirements 2.6.a and 2.6.b. | Board of Trustees | Independent administrator | 1. Financial relationships between the government and state-owned enterprises are made clear, detailed, and publicly available. | March 2024 | - | 1. Done |
| Support Team | Wider stakeholders | 2. Loans or loan guarantees provided by the government to any oil, gas and mining companies are published and available to the public. | 2. Done | ||||
| National Secretariat | 3. There are efforts to encourage the disclosure of this data through the systematic disclosure program and through the annual transparency report. | 3. Done | |||||
| (See the Terms of Reference for the 2022 Report: Paragraph (1.3.5), Table No. (1) Participation of State-Owned Enterprises) | |||||||
| 5 | A workshop, with the participation of the International Secretariat and the World Bank, was held to clarify the issue of relative importance and evaluate the comments made by the Board in previous reports, in accordance with requirements 4.1 and 4.9, and to document this in minutes that will be published on the website and made available to the public. | National Secretariat | Board of Trustees | 1. Transparency reporting compliance includes a clear assessment by the independent administrator of the materiality of companies that refrain from disclosure, and making recommendations regarding the impact of this on the comprehensiveness of compliance. | March 2023 | - | 1. Accomplish |
| Support Team | 2. Comprehensive documentation of Board of Trustees discussions and a mechanism for setting relative importance thresholds. | 2. Accomplish | |||||
| Independent administrator | 3. Seeking to oblige companies with payments within the scope of materiality to disclose according to the agreed-upon disclosure forms. | 3. Accomplish | |||||
| 6 | Updating the terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to include an updated and advanced mechanism for publishing cash and in-kind revenues and their physical transfers, and publishing a map of the financial relationships of state-owned extractive companies, in accordance with Requirement 4.5. | Board of Trustees | Independent administrator | 1. Disclosure of all revenues of state-owned companies that fall within the scope of relative importance, whether cash or in kind, and all their transfers to and from the government. | March 2024 | - | 1. Done |
| Support Team | Wider stakeholders | 2. To enhance compliance, efforts are underway to publish a clear map of all financial relationships of state-owned extractive companies. | 2. Done | ||||
| National Secretariat | (See the Terms of Reference for the 2022 Report: Paragraph (1.3.5), Table No. (1) Participation of State-Owned Enterprises) | ||||||
| 7 | Updating the terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to ensure detailed, rather than aggregate, data is published, and striving to disclose at the project level, in accordance with an updated and advanced mechanism for publishing cash and in-kind revenues, in accordance with Requirement 4.7 and the decisions approved by the International Board at its 36th meeting in Bogotá. | Board of Trustees | Independent administrator | 1. Publish compliance data, including cost recovery, profitability fees, etc., in detail by company, revenue stream, and government entity. | March 2024 | - | 1. Done |
| Support Team | Wider stakeholders | 2. Endeavour to disclose the level of (the project) with regard to fees and taxes for specific sectors before the deadline for the transparency report. | 2. Done | ||||
| National Secretariat | (See the 2022 Report Terms of Reference: Paragraph (1.2.6)) | ||||||
| 8 | Updating the terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to ensure the reliability of the data published in accordance with International Standards on Auditing and in accordance with Requirement 4.9.b.3 and the terms of reference for the independent administrator approved by the International Board. | Board of Trustees | Independent administrator | 1. All financial statements for the Transparency Report are subject to review by an independent external auditor in accordance with International Auditing Standards and in accordance with Requirement 4.9.b.3 and the Terms of Reference for the Independent Administrator approved by the International Board. | March 2024 | - | 1. Done |
| Support Team | Wider stakeholders | 2. The Transparency Report includes an assessment of whether all government agencies and global companies covered by the report have actually disclosed the required data. | 2. Done | ||||
| National Secretariat | 3. The Transparency Report publishes all gaps and weaknesses in the data collection process, including naming entities that did not comply with the disclosure mechanism, and assessing the impact of this on the comprehensiveness and reliability of the report. | 3. Done | |||||
| 4. The Transparency Report includes a comprehensive summary of the independent administrator's work and the limitations imposed on the assessment provided. It also includes an assessment of the comprehensiveness and reliability of the (financial) data provided. | 4. Done | ||||||
| (See the 2022 Report Terms of Reference: Paragraph (1.2.7)) | |||||||
| 9 | Update the terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to ensure detailed disclosure of social benefits in accordance with Requirement 6.1 | Board of Trustees | Independent administrator | Detailed (not total) disclosure of mandatory social benefits, including the amounts paid, their type, and the beneficiary, with the name and job title of the non-governmental beneficiary (third party), and whether the expenses were provided in cash or in kind. | March 2024 | - | (See the 2022 Report Terms of Reference: Paragraph (1.3.1)) |
| Support Team | Wider stakeholders | ||||||
| National Secretariat | |||||||
| 10 | Update the publishing and distribution plan and the media plan in accordance with requirement 7.1. | Board of Trustees | Independent administrator | 1. All transparency report data is effectively published, publicly available, and subject to public debate. | June 2024 | - | 1. In progress |
| Support Team | Wider stakeholders | 2. A media plan that looks beyond introducing the initiative and focuses on, reviewing and discussing the national priorities identified in the action plan. | 2. In progress | ||||
| National Secretariat | 3. Engage broader stakeholders in disseminating and raising awareness of the report outcomes, including parliamentarians, academics, the media, and residents of areas near the sites. | 3. In progress | |||||
| 4. Adopting an open data policy regarding data availability, release, and reuse. | 4. In progress | ||||||
| 11 | The action plan shall include a mechanism for following up on the recommendations of previous reports in accordance with Requirement 7.3. | Board of Trustees | Independent administrator | 1. Continuous follow-up of the recommendations of previous reports. | 2023 | - | 1. Accomplish |
| Support Team | Wider stakeholders | 2. Identify the causes of data discrepancies and address challenges in the disclosure and investigation process. | 2. Accomplish | ||||
| National Secretariat | 3. The Council should take a more proactive role in adding its own recommendations to the recommendations of the independent administrator. | 3. Accomplish | |||||
| 12 | The work plan shall include a detailed mechanism to ensure that the annual achievement report contains all the criteria of Requirement 7.4. | Board of Trustees | Independent administrator | 1. Enable all broader stakeholders to add any inputs to the annual achievement report and have their views appropriately reflected. | January 2024 | - | 1. Accomplish |
| Support Team | Wider stakeholders | 2. The annual achievement report includes a narrative description of the efforts made to enhance the impact of the initiative’s implementation. | 2. Accomplish | ||||
| National Secretariat | |||||||
| Miscellaneous activities related to verification requirements | |||||||
| 13 | Preparing informational publications about the role of public companies and explaining the mechanism of public companies’ dealings with the government in terms of payments and dues. | National Secretariat | Wider stakeholders | Explaining the role of public companies and how revenues are transferred from companies to the government, so that the public can understand the relationship between public companies and the government. | January - March 2024 | 2 | Facing challenges due to lack of allocations |
| 14 | A general meeting of oil, gas, and mining companies will be held under the auspices of the Minister of Oil and attended by the International Secretariat and the World Bank. The meeting will discuss the role and responsibilities of the companies under Requirement 1.2, and minutes will be signed containing the agreed-upon main points. The discussions will include: | Chairman of the Council | global companies | 1. Issuing an announcement published on the websites of national and international companies operating in the oil, gas, and mining sectors, whereby the companies commit to fully implementing the requirements and standards of the Transparency Initiative, including, but not limited to: | First quarter of 2024 | 9 | 1. Facing challenges due to lack of response |
| 1. Contract Transparency Policy under Requirement 2.4 and the government’s policy in publishing contracts published on the Ministry’s website at the link, Circular No. 111 signed by Undersecretary Karim Hattab dated 4/8/2019, Letter No. 124 of His Excellency the Minister Thamer Al-Ghasban dated 4/27/2020, Circular No. 1094 of His Excellency the Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani Al-Sawad dated 12/11/2023, and Circular No. 134 of the postponement signed by His Excellency the Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani Al-Sawad dated 2/18/2024 | Board of Trustees | National companies | - Implementing systematic disclosure programs, beneficial ownership, contract transparency, etc. | 2. Facing challenges due to lack of response | |||
| 2. The impact of companies’ reluctance to disclose their data on the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and relevance of the 2021 report, as follows: | Support Team | civil society | - Disclosure of the data required for transparency reports in the form and time specified in the disclosure forms. | 3. Facing challenges due to lack of response | |||
| Only 17 out of 27 companies in the licensing rounds disclosed their data. | National Secretariat | Media | - Full, effective, influential and continuous participation in the activities of the Transparency Authority, including disclosure of data and attendance at Board meetings. | 4. Facing challenges due to lack of response | |||
| Only 34 out of 56 crude oil buying companies disclosed their data. | - Organizing field introductory workshops for their employees and participating in organizing capacity-building programs for members of the Council and the National Secretariat. | ||||||
| Less than 5% of companies provided their data with the required accuracy and reliability. | - Representatives of companies on the Board of Trustees inform international and national companies of the Board’s discussions and decisions. | ||||||
| - Not all companies have submitted the required data for the beneficial ownership program. | - Publishing the initiative’s activities and news on company websites. | ||||||
| 2. Companies agree with the Ministries of Oil and Industry and Minerals on a unified policy for "contract transparency," which includes defining the contracts required to be published in terms of contract type, minimum contract amount, and the amount of data permitted to be published, as well as the publishing mechanism. This policy should be made publicly available on the websites of the ministries and national and international companies. | |||||||
| 3. Issuance of new directives by the Ministries of Oil and Industry and Minerals obligating extractive companies in the two ministries to publish their contracts signed in 2021 and beyond in accordance with the above-mentioned contract publication policy. | |||||||
| 4. Discussing the Ishtar system between BP and the Ministry of Oil, and determining whether it is sufficient to publish data and considering the possibility of integrating it into the systematic disclosure program. | |||||||
| 15 | Seeking the Ministry of Industry and Minerals to issue directives obligating its companies operating in the mining sector to publish their final accounts on the Ministry’s website and the companies’ websites, in line with the directives of the Ministry of Oil issued pursuant to the second paragraph of the Minister’s Circular No. 1094 dated 12/11/2023. | Board of Trustees | National companies operating in the mining sector | 1. Issuing a circular signed by the Minister of Industry and Minerals requiring companies operating in the mining sector to publish copies of their final accounts and certificate of incorporation. The final accounts must include a statement indicating whether they have been approved by the Federal Board of Supreme Audit or whether they are still under audit. | January 2025 | - | 1. In progress |
| National Secretariat | Wider stakeholders | 2. The final accounts and certificates of incorporation of all national companies operating in the oil, gas, and mining sectors are duly published on the companies’ websites. | 2. In progress | ||||
| 16 | Paragraph (6) of the Independent Administrator’s Recommendations for the 2021 Report on the Publication of Final Accounts under Requirement 2.6, b Accelerating the audit process for state-owned companies and publishing their audited financial statements | Board of Trustees | Ministry of Oil | 1. Seeking the Federal Board of Financial Supervision to expedite the audit procedures. | First quarter of 2024 | - | 1. In progress |
| National Secretariat | Ministry of Industry and Minerals | 2. Urging companies to continue publishing audited final accounts. | 2. In progress | ||||
| Federal Board of Supreme Audit | 3. The Authority shall publish the final accounts or document and publish the legal and administrative obstacles that prevent publication on the specified date. | 3. In progress | |||||
| 17 | Updating the licensing register and publishing it on the websites of the Ministry of Oil and the Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Department. | National Secretariat | Media Office of the Ministry of Oil | A complete, up-to-date licensing record is posted on the website and available to the public. | March 2024 | - | Done |
| Support Team | Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Department | ||||||
| Wider stakeholders | |||||||
| the total | 9 | ||||||
The second axis
Processing recommendations
Independent Administrator's Recommendations in a General Report 2021
Challenges
Failure to ensure adequate financial allocations are available on time
Objectives
Developing the Authority's work by addressing the challenges contained in the 2021 report recommendations.
| Activity | Responsible Parties | Target Parties | Expected Results | Timeline | Estimated Cost | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| 1 | Capacity Building for the Authority: | Board of Trustees | Broader Stakeholders | Required tasks are accomplished by providing staff as follows: | January - March 2024 | - | 1. Completed |
| Formation of sub-committees: Compliance, Conformity, Reports, and Media and Participation Committee, tasked with the duties mentioned in the recommendations | National Secretariat | Ministry of Oil | 1. Board of Trustees formation of Support Team | 2. Completed | |||
| Ministry of Industry and Minerals | 2. Ministries of Oil and Industry and Minerals nominating required staff to the National Secretariat | 3. Completed (https://ieiti.org.iq/ar/listing/reports-and-publications/other-publications) | |||||
| 3. Publishing formation and nomination orders on the initiative website with the following details and updating them periodically: | |||||||
| - Work accomplished by Secretariat nominees and team members and publishing meeting minutes | |||||||
| - Entities represented by Secretariat staff and team members, assigned tasks and responsibilities, and attendance schedules | |||||||
| - Nomination and candidacy mechanism and exemption mechanism | |||||||
| 2 | License Registry | Board of Trustees | Consulting Company | 1. An updated and comprehensive license registry for oil, gas and mining sectors, available to the public through the websites of the Ministries of Oil and Industry and Minerals, Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Department, Investments Department, Geological Survey Authority, and Transparency Authority. | First Quarter 2025 | To be determined later based on funding availability and funding entity | 1. Faces challenges |
| Contracting with the consulting company that created the oil and gas license registry to update and develop it according to requirement 2.3 to include mining licenses. And conducting a training workshop to introduce the registry and how to enter and update data in it | National Secretariat | Contracts and Licensing Department | 2. Identifying entities responsible for updating the registry with a detailed and written mechanism for how to update | 2. Faces challenges | |||
| Investments Department in Ministry of Industry | 3. Documenting the introductory workshop with signed minutes from attendees containing workshop details, program and questionnaire showing the extent of benefit with names, entities and photos. | 3. Faces challenges | |||||
| Geological Survey Authority | |||||||
| 3 | Disclosure of Extractive Contracts | - | - | - | - | - | The matter has been addressed in the (Validation Requirements) axis |
| 4 | Implementation of International Consultant Report Recommendations on Beneficial Ownership | - | - | - | - | - | The matter has been addressed in the (Beneficial Ownership) axis |
| 5 | Review of Politically Exposed Persons Data | - | - | - | - | - | The matter has been addressed in the (Beneficial Ownership) axis |
| 6 | Publication of Audited Final Accounts of State-Owned Companies | - | - | - | - | - | The matter has been addressed in the (Validation Requirements) axis |
| 7 | Entities Lagging in Disclosure | - | - | - | - | - | The matter has been addressed in the (Validation Requirements) axis |
| 8 | Mining Activity in the Artisanal Sector and Small Facilities | Board of Trustees | Ministry of Industry and Minerals | The update should include the following: | April 2024 | - | 1. Work in progress |
| Updating the terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to ensure compliance with requirement 6.3 regarding disclosure of the size of the extractive industries sector in absolute value and as a percentage of GDP and estimating informal sector activity, including artisanal activity and small mining workshops and facilities | National Secretariat | Independent Administrator | 1. Publishing estimates for informal extractive activities, including artisanal and small-scale activities in future reports. | 2. Work in progress | |||
| Disclosure related to artisanal activity and small facilities is also covered in requirements 1.5, 2.1, 3.2 and 3.3. | 2. Conducting a consultancy study to assess the mining and small crafts sector. | ||||||
| 9 | Enhancing Public Debate | - | - | - | - | - | The matter has been addressed in the (Outcomes and Impact and Enhancing Public Debate) axis |
| 10 | Systematic Disclosure | - | - | - | - | - | The matter has been addressed in the (Systematic Disclosure) axis |
| 11 | Open Data | National Secretariat | Independent Administrator | 1. Adopting a clear, written policy available to the public regarding open data and ease of data circulation and reuse. | Second half of 2024 | - | 1. Completed |
| In compliance with requirement 7.2, published data must be publicly available, machine-readable, interactive and easy to review. | Broader Stakeholders | 2. Making open data available in CSV or Excel format including all tables, charts and figures contained in reports. | 2. Completed | ||||
| 1. Update and/or review terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to ensure following open data policy in publishing transparency report, executive summary and other reports | 3. Making systematic disclosure data readable, interactive and operational so it can be compared with other data available to the public | 3. Completed | |||||
| 2. Update and/or review terms of reference for creating the Authority's website contract to ensure compliance with this requirement | 4. Terms of reference for transparency reports clearly state the necessity of adhering to open data policy. | 4. Completed | |||||
| 5. Terms of reference for the Authority's website creation contract clearly state the necessity of adhering to open data policy. | 5. Completed | ||||||
| 6. Re-publishing the 2019-2020 report in accordance with open data policy | 6. Completed | ||||||
| (See terms of reference for 2022 report: paragraph (1.2.8)) | |||||||
| 12 | Previous Reports Recommendations: | Board of Trustees | Related Entities | 1. Tasking the Support Team with following up on implementation of previous recommendations, preferably assigning a dedicated official to follow up on each recommendation separately with determining cost, timeline, obstacles, etc. | October - December 2024 | - | 1. Work in progress |
| In compliance with requirement 7.3, regarding taking steps to act based on lessons learned to identify causes of gaps and inconsistencies, investigate and address them, and consider resulting recommendations | National Secretariat | 2. Taking steps to act based on lessons learned to enhance the initiative's impact on natural resource management. | 2. Work in progress | ||||
| 3. Considering improving procedures for analyzing and following up on recommendations | 3. Work in progress | ||||||
| 2. | |||||||
| Total | - |
Axis 3
Outcomes, Impact, and Enhancing Public Discussion
Requirement 1.5, 7.1 of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Standards
Challenges
- The weak interaction of the media in Iraq with the initiative, which negatively impacts its communication to the largest possible number of citizens and broader stakeholders and the promotion of public discussions.
Objectives
- Impact measurement objectives (supporting national stakeholders in implementing extractive sector reforms by leveraging data and discussions that address various social issues such as the investment climate, increasing tax revenues, reforming governance, reducing corruption, and building accountability in resource management).
| No. | Activity | Responsible Parties | Target Parties | Expected Results | Timeline | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| 1 | Contracting with an international specialized expert to develop an "Impact Survey and Measurement Plan" using internet technologies, media, and social media platforms. | Board of Trustees | World Bank | 1. Designing appropriate paper and electronic "survey form" templates suitable for the reality of oil, gas and mining sectors in Iraq and that are easy for the public to understand | First quarter of 2024 | To be determined later based on funding availability and funding entity | 1. Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Initiative | 2. Creating an "Impact Database" to collect and analyze survey data and present its outputs in clear reports understandable to the public | 2. Work in progress | ||||
| Broader stakeholders represented in the Board of Trustees and beyond | 3. Providing proposals drawn from experiences of Initiative countries and applicable in Iraq | 3. Work in progress | |||||
| 2 | Organizing at least six (6) workshops or seminars in Baghdad and the governorates based on the international expert's proposals and impact database outputs | Board of Trustees | Broader stakeholders represented in the Board of Trustees and beyond | Providing recommendations that would deepen impact and address weaknesses in programs that did not achieve the desired impact for the workshops: | First half of 2025 | 28.5 | 1. Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | 1. First workshop in ... governorate | 2. Work in progress | |||||
| 2. Second workshop in ... governorate | 3. Work in progress | ||||||
| 3. Third workshop in ... governorate | 4. Work in progress | ||||||
| 4. Fourth workshop in ... governorate | 5. Work in progress | ||||||
| 5. Fifth workshop in ... governorate | 6. Work in progress | ||||||
| 6. Sixth workshop in ... governorate | |||||||
| 3 | Paragraph (9) of the Independent Administrator's recommendations for the 2021 report entitled "Enhancing Public Debate". | 1. Effectively promoting the Initiative's reports and making them available to the public and contributing to public debate | Second half of 2024 | 32.5 | 1. Work in progress | ||
| According to requirement 7.1, the Board of Trustees must ensure that government and company disclosures are clear, actively promoted, publicly available, and contribute to public debate by broader stakeholders such as government, parliamentarians, civil society, companies, and media. | 2. Ensuring timely delivery of Initiative data and results, as well as effective communication with key stakeholders | 2. Work in progress | |||||
| 3. Encouraging and exploring innovative ways to enhance the Initiative's contribution to public debate and engagement with communities in remote areas where extractive activities take place | 3. Work in progress | ||||||
| 4. Building partnerships with local media, radio, and local newspapers to promote the Initiative and enhance public debate | 4. Work in progress | ||||||
| 4 | Organizing three workshops in Baghdad and the governorates dedicated to developing the capabilities of media professionals and civil society in understanding the concept of impact in the Initiative and measuring it | Civil Society | Media professionals and civil society activists interested in oil, gas and mining sectors | Broader participation to help create and monitor impact: | Second half of 2024 | 14.25 | 1. Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | 1. First workshop in ... governorate | 2. Work in progress | |||||
| 2. Second workshop in ... governorate | 3. Work in progress | ||||||
| 3. Third workshop in ... governorate | |||||||
| 5 | Updating the terms of reference for transparency reports to require the Independent Administrator to survey the opinions of disclosing entities about the impact of the Initiative in oil, gas and mining sectors by sending | Board of Trustees | Independent Administrator | Including in the terms of reference for transparency reports provisions requiring the Independent Administrator to: | March 2024 | - | 1. Completed |
| National Secretariat | 1. Send impact survey forms with the disclosure template sent to disclosing entities | 2. Completed | |||||
| 2. Publish impact database outputs in the report, analyze them, and provide recommendations thereon | (See terms of reference for 2022 report: paragraph (1.2.9)) | ||||||
| 6 | Identifying main topics for public discussions inspired by transparency report data and in line with challenges facing the extractive sector that have direct impact on citizens' lives | Board of Trustees | Broader stakeholders | Clear agreed-upon themes ready to stimulate public discussion aimed at creating impact | March 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Independent Administrator | |||||||
| 7 | Organizing an expanded seminar in the Parliament building addressing the public discussion topics identified by the Board | National Secretariat | Parliament members | Introducing target entities to the most important data and conclusions of the report and the challenges facing the extractive sector, and conveying ideas and opinions raised by participants to the Board of Trustees and relevant entities as well as considering them in subsequent reports | September 2024 | 12 | Work in progress |
| Civil Society | Judicial and supervisory entities | ||||||
| Total | 87,25 |
The fourth axis
Annual Achievement Report
Requirement 7.4 of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Standards
Challenges
Difficulty in implementing the action plan activities due to the lack of data on the activities of broader stakeholders related to the initiative.
Objectives
Preparing the annual achievement report to inform the wider stakeholders of the initiative’s activities and achievements during the past year and to allow for public discussions aimed at optimal application of the initiative’s standards.
| T | Activity | Responsible authorities | Target audience | Expected results | time frame | Estimated cost | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (million dinars) | ||||||||
| 1 | Annual Achievement Report 2023 | Board of Trustees | Wider stakeholders | Identify the entity responsible for issuing the report. | January 2024 | - | Done | |
| Formation of the report preparation committee. | Support Team | |||||||
| 2 | Review and discuss the first draft of the report. | Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Opportunity to make comments and additions. | February 2024 | - | Done | |
| Support Team | ||||||||
| 3 | Send a draft report for review and to provide suggestions and comments, if any. | Board of Trustees | International Secretariat. | Ensure all report issuance requirements are covered. | February 2024 | - | Done | |
| International Secretariat | ||||||||
| National Secretariat | ||||||||
| 4 | Workshops for general discussion of the report. | National Secretariat | Wider stakeholders | Involve civil society and other broader stakeholder groups in discussing and preparing the report and ensuring that the report reflects their activities related to the initiative. | March 2024 | 7450 | Done | |
| Board of Trustees | ||||||||
| 5 | Publish the final version of the report and send a copy to the International Secretariat. | National Secretariat | International Secretariat | Informing wider stakeholders about the initiative's activity and keeping up with its work. | March 2024 | - | Done | |
| Wider stakeholders | ||||||||
| 1 | Annual Achievement Report 2024 | Board of Trustees | Wider stakeholders | Identify the entity responsible for issuing the report. | January 2024 | - | In progress | |
| Formation of the report preparation committee. | Support Team | |||||||
| 2 | Review and discuss the first draft of the report. | Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Opportunity to make comments and additions. | February 2024 | - | In progress | |
| Support Team | ||||||||
| 3 | Send a draft report for review and to provide suggestions and comments, if any. | Board of Trustees | International Secretariat. | Ensure all report issuance requirements are covered. | February 2024 | - | In progress | |
| International Secretariat | ||||||||
| National Secretariat | ||||||||
| 4 | Workshops for general discussion of the report. | National Secretariat | Wider stakeholders | Involve civil society and other broader stakeholder groups in discussing and preparing the report and ensuring that the report reflects their activities related to the initiative. | March 2024 | 4750 | In progress | |
| Board of Trustees | ||||||||
| 5 | Publish the final version of the report and send a copy to the International Secretariat. | National Secretariat | International Secretariat | Informing wider stakeholders about the initiative's activity and keeping up with its work. | March 2024 | - | In progress | |
| Wider stakeholders | ||||||||
| the total | 9,5 | |||||||
Fifth axis
Federal budget
Standard 3.2, 3.3, 4.10 Licensing Round Contracts, Annual Budget
Challenges
- Failure of international companies and provincial councils to adhere to the appropriate disbursement mechanisms.
Objectives
- Consistency of revenue distribution with the government program and development plan.
| No. | Activity | Responsible Parties | Target Parties | Expected Results | Timeline | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| 1 | Contracting with international and local experts to prepare a specialized comparative study on the federal budget and the deviation between allocations and actual expenditures for the years 2021 and beyond. Focus on the three-year budget and analyze completion rates under Federal Board of Supreme Audit reports with emphasis on social benefits and petrodollar allocations. | The Board | World Bank | 1. Professional evaluation of the three-year budget experience and the extent to which the government program is reflected in its items and providing effective recommendations. | Second half of 2024 | To be determined later based on funding availability and funding entity | 1. Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Ministry of Finance | 2. Measuring the extent of deviation between allocation and actual expenditure. | 2. Work in progress | ||||
| Ministry of Planning | 3. Determining the actual amounts of petrodollar and regional development spent and measuring spending trends that do not represent a developmental axis. | 3. Work in progress | |||||
| Federal Board of Supreme Audit | 4. A new model for separating operational budget from investment budget. | 4. Work in progress | |||||
| National Companies | |||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| 2 | Specialized workshop for Parliament and related government entities to discuss the extent of agreement between federal budget items and the government program within the framework of the above study and provide recommendations | The Board | Parliament | 1. Review deviations and ways to address them and spending trends that do not represent a developmental axis | Second half of 2024 | 12 | 1. Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Ministry of Finance | 2. Creating opportunities for sustainable development | 2. Work in progress | ||||
| Ministry of Planning | 3. Adopting the principle of program budgeting instead of line-item budgeting | 3. Work in progress | |||||
| Federal Board of Supreme Audit | 4. Review petrodollar spending amounts and regional development | 4. Work in progress | |||||
| World Bank University Professors | |||||||
| Civil Society | |||||||
| 3 | Three workshops to discuss social benefits and ways to benefit from them in developing residential areas near the sites | The Board | Residents of beneficiary areas | Monitor the following results through impact surveys and provide recommendations: | First half of 2025 | 14.25 | 1. Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Parliament | 1. Follow up on company performance and provincial councils and identify violations in spending items, their causes, and provide recommendations for treatment | 2. Work in progress | ||||
| Provincial Council | 2. Inform residents about the expected benefits from allocated amounts | ||||||
| National Companies | |||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| Financial Committee in Civil Society | |||||||
| 4 | Study on the possibility of generalizing Article 26/6 text in the fourth licensing round contracts related to allocating 10% of the contract value for investment in improving infrastructure conditions in neighboring areas outside company areas | Companies | Residents of beneficiary areas | Obtaining the study and presenting it as a proposal to relevant entities | Second quarter of 2024 | To be determined later based on funding availability and funding entity | Work in progress |
| Civil Society | Provincial Council | ||||||
| National Secretariat | National Companies | ||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| 5 | Updating the terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to require the Independent Administrator to include more detailed information about social benefits in disclosure templates | Board of Trustees | Independent Administrator | Publishing as much detail as possible about social benefits and informing residents and broader stakeholders about actual spending resources and deviations | April 2024 | - | Completed |
| National Secretariat | (See terms of reference for 2022 report: paragraph (1.2.10)) | ||||||
| Total | 36.25 | ||||||
Axis Six
Systematic Disclosure
Requirements 6.2, 4.1, and 4.9 of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Standards
Challenges
Systematic disclosure is a relatively new initiative for relevant authorities. Challenges will arise in familiarizing these authorities with the project, preparing their websites for the systematic disclosure process, and requesting periodic publication of the required data. A mechanism must be in place to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the published data.
Objectives
Providing a new mechanism for direct periodic disclosure of data from the oil, gas, and minerals sectors on the websites of relevant ministries and extractive companies to ensure the availability of transparent and updated data instantly, without having to wait for the annual report to be issued.
| No. | Activity | Responsible Parties | Target Parties | Expected Results | Timeline | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| 1 | Workshop attended by specialized lawyers dedicated to reviewing laws and regulations to ensure there are no provisions that conflict with systematic disclosure standards | National Secretariat | Legal departments in relevant government entities and ministries | 1. Ensuring systematic disclosure does not conflict with any laws or legal provisions in Iraq | January to April 2024 | 4.75 | 1. Work in progress |
| 2. Delivering workshop recommendations to the entity to be contracted for developing the roadmap | 2. Work in progress | ||||||
| 2 | Contracting with a specialized external entity to prepare a roadmap for implementing systematic disclosure requirements in Iraq | National Secretariat | Specialized companies | 1. Establishing a clear, time-bound mechanism for implementing the systematic disclosure project and defining the responsibilities of relevant entities | January to April 2024 | To be determined later based on funding availability and funding entity | 1. Work in progress |
| Board of Trustees | 2. Identifying capabilities and obstacles that prevent implementation | 2. Work in progress | |||||
| 3. Identifying data included and that can be made available to the public or that needs further verification | 3. Work in progress | ||||||
| 3 | Encouraging disclosing entities to provide required information when available without needing to wait for currently unavailable information. | Board of Trustees | International Companies | Greater knowledge of the Initiative's requirement related to data disclosure and expanding the scope of systematic disclosure knowledge. | January to April 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | State-owned Companies | ||||||
| Relevant Government Entities | |||||||
| 4 | Organizing three introductory workshops for government entities and extractive companies to inform them about the systematic disclosure program and its importance in implementing transparency. Aimed at raising awareness and confirming the government's commitment to implementing the Initiative. | Board of Trustees | Government Entities | Greater knowledge of the Initiative's requirement related to data disclosure and expanding the scope of systematic disclosure knowledge. | May – August 2024 | 14.25 | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Extractive Companies | ||||||
| 5 | Three workshops to train administrative units and persons who will be assigned to manage the project in relevant entities to inform them about project requirements and steps in the roadmap and establish an implementation timeline | National Secretariat | Relevant Government Entities | Providing an integrated coordinated work environment that facilitates project implementation and follow-up. | May – August 2024 | 14.25 | Work in progress |
| Public Companies | |||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| 6 | Determining the type of data and level of detail to be disclosed and the mechanism for data comprehensiveness and accuracy | Board of Trustees | Relevant Government Entities | Publishing data related to the extractive sector and avoiding publishing non-essential data while ensuring reliability and comprehensiveness of published data. | September - December 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | Public Companies | ||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| 7 | Commencing publication of systematic disclosure data | Support Team | Relevant Government Entities | Updated and reliable data in a format consistent with disclosure requirements and available to the public | September - December 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Public Companies | ||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| 8 | Introductory workshop about the Ishtar system | International Companies | Board of Trustees | 1. Introducing the Board to the Ishtar system and determining if it is sufficient for data publication | September - December 2024 | 4.75 | 1. Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | 2. Considering the possibility of integrating it with the systematic disclosure project | 2. Work in progress | |||||
| 3. Exploring the possibility of publishing the licensing register within it | 3. Work in progress | ||||||
| 9 | Coordination with the Media Office for website publication | National Secretariat | Media Office in the Ministry of Oil | Wide-scale data publication | - | Addressed in the publication axis and media plan | |
| 10 | Paragraph (10) of the Independent Administrator's recommendations for the 2021 report regarding systematic disclosure. | 1. Encouraging disclosing entities to publish data when ready without waiting for other required information to be published | - | 1. Work in progress | |||
| Disclosure challenges and preventing disclosing entities from delivering data in the required form and time despite ministry directives. | 2. Conducting a feasibility study to examine potential obstacles to implementing systematic disclosure | 2. Addressed in paragraph (2) above | |||||
| 3. Continuous updates to the Authority's website by adding links to data published on disclosure sites. | 3. Work in progress | ||||||
| Total | 38 |
Axis Seven
beneficial ownership
Requirement 2.5 of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Standards
Challenges
Difficulty in accessing the real owners due to the lack of clear incorporation records for companies registered outside Iraq, such as offshore companies and companies not registered on international stock exchanges or that conceal the names of shareholder names, and the lack of clear clauses in licensing round contracts to disclose beneficial ownership.
Objectives
Disclosing the true owners and financial beneficiaries of contracts with the aim of preventing the use of influence and connections in concluding contracts, in order to combat corruption.
| No. | Activity | Responsible Parties | Target Parties | Expected Results | Timeline | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| 1 | Contracting with a company to create a beneficial ownership database and publish it on the Initiative's website and websites of relevant entities in ministries. | National Secretariat | SOMO | A register available to government entities, extractive companies and broader stakeholders. | January – June 2024 | To be determined later based on funding availability and funding entity | Work in progress |
| Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Department | |||||||
| Public Companies | |||||||
| 2 | Organizing three introductory workshops based on the international expert's report and addressing the minimum threshold for beneficial ownership, defining politically exposed persons, disclosure level, and who will be included in beneficial ownership disclosure. | National Secretariat | SOMO | Reaching a common understanding regarding the level of beneficial ownership disclosure. | January – June 2024 | 14.25 | Work in progress |
| Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Department | |||||||
| Public Companies | |||||||
| 3 | Creating a template for beneficial ownership data in the 2022 report and beyond. | Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Implementing beneficial ownership requirements for reports issued before 2021. | January – June 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Independent Administrator Support Team | |||||||
| 4 | Updating terms of reference for transparency reports to include placing the beneficial ownership template among the requirements of the terms of reference for the 2022 report and beyond. | Board of Trustees | Independent Administrator | Implementing beneficial ownership requirements for the 2019 report and beyond. | July – December 2024 | - | Completed |
| National Secretariat | (See terms of reference for 2022 report: paragraph (1.2.11)) | ||||||
| 5 | Discussing and adopting procedures to ensure accuracy of beneficial ownership data, timeline for updating it, and format for public publication. | Board of Trustees | SOMO | Ensuring the existence of an approved, accurate, updated, and publicly available beneficial ownership database. | July – December 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Independent Administrator Support Team | Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Department | ||||||
| Public Companies | |||||||
| 6 | Recommendation No. 4 from the Independent Administrator's recommendations for the 2021 report: | Board of Trustees | Independent Administrator | 1. Publishing the updated version of the international expert's report | July - December 2024 | - | 1. Work in progress |
| The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative requirement 2.5 recommends maintaining a publicly available register. The transparency report should indicate how to access it. The recommendations of the international expert's study should also be considered, which include (11) recommendations for the Board and National Secretariat, (4) for the government, (2) for companies, and (2) for civil society. | National Secretariat | International and Private Companies | 2. Developing a plan to implement the expert's recommendations | 2. Work in progress | |||
| The ultimate goal is to disclose the beneficial owners of all contracted companies or those intending to contract. | |||||||
| 7 | Recommendation No. 5 from the Independent Administrator's recommendations for the 2021 report: | Board of Trustees | International and Private Companies | 1. The Board updating the roadmap to consider reducing the materiality threshold or identifying more persons in the definition of politically exposed persons | July – December 2024 | - | 1. Work in progress |
| Requirement 2.5.f states: The Board should agree on the definition of "beneficial owner" or politically exposed persons and public officials and their family members, partners and close associates such as heads of state, heads of government, ministers and their deputies, members of parliament, governors and provincial councils, political party leaders, members of supreme or constitutional courts, financial oversight and integrity officials, central bank management, ambassadors and chargés d'affaires, high-level officers, general managers and boards of directors of public companies. | National Secretariat | 2. Coordinating with other countries to benefit from their experiences | 2. Work in progress | ||||
| Total | 14.25 |
Axis Eight
Environmental Impact
Requirement 6.4
Challenges
- Weak response from the relevant authorities in providing reports on pollution rates resulting from carbon emissions.
Objectives
- Monitoring levels of pollution, damage, and diseases resulting from solid, liquid, and gaseous releases, radiation levels, and carbon emissions.
| No. | Activity | Responsible Parties | Target Parties | Expected Results | Timeline | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| 1 | Seeking to obtain an updated and comprehensive report on carbon footprint tracking in oil, gas and mining sectors, or urging relevant ministries to contract with a specialized international or local entity to prepare it. | The Board | National Companies | A clear starting baseline on which to build a comprehensive strategy for addressing carbon footprint impact on the environment and benefiting from carbon credit advantages | First half of 2025 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | International Companies Carbon Impact Committee chaired by Oil Minister's Advisor | ||||||
| General Company for Carbon Economics | |||||||
| 2 | Specialized workshop for members of the Health and Environment Committee in Parliament dedicated to reviewing carbon impact on the environment in Iraq and urging the issuance of a law to implement applicable international standards. | The Board | Parliament | Putting the extractive industry on the right track to address carbon impact and comply with applicable international standards | First half of 2025 | 4.75 | Work in progress |
| Note: Must first inquire to determine the existence of this law or if any entity is currently working on issuing it | National Secretariat | Ministry of Oil | |||||
| Ministry of Industry | |||||||
| Ministry of Health | |||||||
| Ministry of Environment | |||||||
| General Company for Carbon Economics | |||||||
| 3 | Study of compliance with requirements for installing flared gas meters and associated gas processing and utilization units, and identifying completion rates, obstacles, and necessary recommendations. | Companies | Technical Department in Ministry of Oil | Identifying quantities of flared gas and procedures followed so far to address it and reduce resulting environmental damage. | First half of 2025 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | Public Companies | ||||||
| Licensing Round Companies | |||||||
| 4 | Specialized meeting attended by the Oil Minister, Deputy Minister for Extraction, and senior leadership to review the study prepared in the above paragraph and discuss challenges, solutions, and recommendations including providing financial allocation and obligating beneficiary companies. | The Board | Technical Department/Oil | Monitoring dimensions of imminent risk and unifying visions and efforts to address it. | First half of 2025 | - | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Studies Department/Oil | ||||||
| National Companies | |||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| 5 | Modifying terms of reference for upcoming transparency reports to include details of environmental status and outputs of studies, reports, and meetings mentioned above. | The Board | Broader Stakeholders | Informing citizens about damages resulting from environmental impacts of extractive industries | First half of 2025 | - | Completed |
| National Secretariat | Media | (See terms of reference for 2022 report: paragraph (1.2.12)) | |||||
| Independent Administrator | |||||||
| 6 | Three introductory workshops in selected cities adjacent to oil, gas and mining sites to inform residents about environmental risks and their role in addressing them. | The Board | Residents of Adjacent Areas | Educating residents and informing them about damages and activating their role in reducing risks. | First half of 2025 | 14.25 | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Provincial Council | ||||||
| Civil Society | |||||||
| Media | |||||||
| 7 | Seeking to include in current and new oil, gas and mining contracts provisions containing preferential privileges and contractual facilities for companies that adopt and commit to clean energy use policies. | The Board | Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Department | Greater commitment to clean environment standards. | First half of 2025 | - | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | National Companies | ||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| 8 | Contacting the Studies Department in the Ministry of Oil to provide us with previous years' reports of field inspection teams responsible for monitoring and following up compliance with HSE system implementation in extractive sectors, showing implementation rates, deviation rates and their causes through periodic reports submitted to the Minister and senior leadership. | The Board | Ministry of Oil | Following up on HSE system implementation extent and addressing causes of deviations | First half of 2025 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | National Companies | ||||||
| International Companies | |||||||
| Total | 19 | ||||||
Axis Nine
Corruption indicators
Requirement 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 7.1 Anti-corruption strategy/corruption indicators in the Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Industry and Minerals
Challenges
- Opposition or sensitivity of some parties to the policies of periodic follow-up by the National Authority, as it provides notification of an interrogation process on all their systems.
Objectives
- Reducing the waste of public money by investing in wasted money
| No. | Activity | Responsible Parties | Target Parties | Expected Results | Timeline | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| 1 | Contracting with an international and/or local expert to conduct a survey to identify corruption indicators in oil, gas and mining sectors within the framework of the anti-corruption strategy | Board of Trustees | World Bank | A comprehensive professional study of corruption indicators with clear identification of causes, results and solutions | Last quarter of 2024 | To be determined later based on funding availability and funding entity | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Ministry of Oil | ||||||
| Ministry of Industry and Minerals | |||||||
| Integrity Commission | |||||||
| Civil Society | |||||||
| 2 | Workshop to compare outputs of the above study with corruption indicators in oil, gas and mining sectors included in the anti-corruption strategy and observations of the Ministries of Oil and Industry and Minerals thereon | Board of Trustees | Integrity Committee in Parliament | Developing the anti-corruption strategy and obtaining realistic and addressable corruption indicators in oil, gas and mining sectors and providing recommendations and follow-up | Last quarter of 2024 | 4.75 | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Integrity Commission | ||||||
| Federal Board of Supreme Audit | |||||||
| Studies, Planning, Follow-up and Legal Departments in the Ministries of Oil and Industry and Minerals | |||||||
| Legal Advisor in Ministry of Oil | |||||||
| 3 | Contracting with an international expert to prepare a study on investment in mining, privatization, partnership contracts, their feasibility, challenges facing them, and ways to develop them | Board of Trustees | Ministry of Industry and Minerals | Providing recommendations on ways to develop the sector and optimal investment and providing recommendations on combating corruption and maximizing revenues | Last quarter of 2024 | To be determined later based on funding availability and funding entity | Work in progress |
| Iraqi Federation of Industries | |||||||
| 4 | Workshop on corruption and waste indicators in fuel consumed at power generation stations in the Ministry of Electricity, import contracts, testing laboratories, and transportation between ports and stations | Board of Trustees | Petroleum Products Distribution Company | Identifying sources of corruption and waste and providing recommendations and follow-up | Last quarter of 2024 | 4.75 | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | Oil Marketing Company | ||||||
| Fuel Center in Ministry of Electricity | |||||||
| 5 | Developing disclosure templates in transparency reports to include more detailed data on imported fuel, locally produced fuel, import and transportation contracts. Comparing it with actual consumption and determining the energy production ratio per liter of fuel and comparing it with internationally adopted ratios | Board of Trustees | Independent Administrator | Informing citizens and relevant entities about accurate and detailed data on consumed fuel and providing recommendations on addressing corruption and waste therein | Last quarter of 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Total | 9.5 | ||||||
Axis 10
Annual Report
Requirements 6.2, 4.1, and 4.9 of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Standards
Challenges
Delays in providing timely data from international and national companies and some other entities, or their submission of data that has not been verified by auditing authorities. Data specific to the Kurdistan Region is also unavailable.
Objectives
Increase transparency in natural resource management, contribute to reducing corruption and poverty, develop the economy, and improve living standards in the oil, gas, and minerals sectors. This is achieved by issuing an approved and reliable annual report consistent with the initiative's requirements and standards, including production and export data, petrodollar allocations, and social benefits, with the aim of informing citizens and broader stakeholders.
| No. | Activity | Responsible Entities | Target Entities | Expected Results | Timeframe | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| First: 2022 Report | |||||||
| 1 | Drafting Terms of Reference and adding beneficial ownership template among requirements. | Support Team | Board of Trustees | Obtaining compatible texts and initiative standards to facilitate their discussion and approval by the Board. | January – March 2024 | - | Completed in 2023 |
| National Secretariat | |||||||
| 2 | Discussion and approval of Terms of Reference | Board of Trustees | Independent Administrator Companies | Terms of Reference agreed upon by stakeholders. | January – March 2024 | - | Completed in 2023 |
| Support Team | |||||||
| 3 | Inviting companies, receiving and analyzing proposals, and recommending award | Board of Trustees National Secretariat | Independent Administrator Companies | Informing the Board about proposals to facilitate awarding decision. | January – March 2024 | - | Completed in 2023 |
| 4 | Writing and signing the contract | Board of Trustees National Secretariat | Independent Administrator | Contract with Independent Administrator company and beginning report preparation. | January – March 2024 | 250 | Work in progress |
| 5 | Issuing preliminary report | Independent Administrator Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Board approval of preliminary report and directing Independent Administrator to begin data collection and compilation. | April – June 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | |||||||
| 6 | Data collection and compilation | Independent Administrator Board of Trustees | Ministry of Oil | Documented and complete information and data. | April – June 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Ministry of Industry | |||||||
| Public Companies International Companies | |||||||
| 7 | Compliance report and discrepancy verification | Independent Administrator Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Review and discussion of data and Independent Administrator's conclusions and verification of discrepancies. | June 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | |||||||
| 8 | Initial comprehensive report | Independent Administrator Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Verifying report comprehensiveness and compliance with Terms of Reference requirements and initiative standards. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | |||||||
| 9 | International Secretariat comments on final draft | International Secretariat | Board of Trustees | Ensuring report comprehensiveness and compliance with all initiative standards. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | |||||||
| Independent Administrator | |||||||
| 10 | Civil society and broader stakeholder comments | Board of Trustees Independent Administrator | Broader stakeholders | Informing broader stakeholders about the report and ensuring their participation in its preparation and stating their comments before final publication. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| 11 | Final discussion and report approval | Board of Trustees Independent Administrator | Board of Trustees National Secretariat Independent Administrator | Report ready for printing, publication and distribution. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| 12 | Executive summary | Board of Trustees Independent Administrator | Board of Trustees | Publishing executive summary. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| 13 | Printing, publication and distribution | Independent Administrator National Secretariat | Broader stakeholders | Publishing report as beginning and stimulating public discussions | September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Second: 2023 Report | |||||||
| 14 | Drafting Terms of Reference and adding beneficial ownership template among requirements. | Support Team | Board of Trustees | Obtaining compatible texts and initiative standards to facilitate their discussion and approval by the Board. | January – March 2024 | - | Completed |
| National Secretariat | (See Terms of Reference for 2022 report: Section (1.2.11)) | ||||||
| 15 | Discussion and approval of Terms of Reference | Board of Trustees | Independent Administrator Companies | Terms of Reference agreed upon by stakeholders. | January – March 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | |||||||
| 16 | Inviting companies, receiving and analyzing proposals, and recommending award | Board of Trustees National Secretariat | Independent Administrator Companies | Informing the Board about proposals to facilitate awarding decision. | January – March 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| 17 | Writing and signing the contract | Board of Trustees National Secretariat | Independent Administrator | Contract with Independent Administrator company and beginning report preparation. | January – March 2024 | 250 | Work in progress |
| 18 | Issuing preliminary report | Independent Administrator Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Board approval of preliminary report and directing Independent Administrator to begin data collection and compilation. | April – June 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | |||||||
| 19 | Data collection and compilation | Independent Administrator Board of Trustees | Ministry of Oil | Documented and complete information and data. | April – June 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Ministry of Industry | |||||||
| Public Companies International Companies | |||||||
| 20 | Compliance report and discrepancy verification | Independent Administrator Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Review and discussion of data and Independent Administrator's conclusions and verification of discrepancies. | June 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | |||||||
| 21 | Initial comprehensive report | Independent Administrator Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Verifying report comprehensiveness and compliance with Terms of Reference requirements and initiative standards. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Support Team | |||||||
| 22 | International Secretariat comments on final draft | International Secretariat | Board of Trustees | Ensuring report comprehensiveness and compliance with all initiative standards. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| National Secretariat | |||||||
| Independent Administrator | |||||||
| 23 | Civil society and broader stakeholder comments | Board of Trustees Independent Administrator | Broader stakeholders | Informing broader stakeholders about the report and ensuring their participation in its preparation and stating their comments before final publication. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| 24 | Final discussion and report approval | Board of Trustees Independent Administrator | Board of Trustees National Secretariat Independent Administrator | Report ready for printing, publication and distribution. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| 25 | Executive summary | Board of Trustees Independent Administrator | Board of Trustees | Publishing executive summary. | July - September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| 26 | Printing, publication and distribution | Independent Administrator National Secretariat | Broader stakeholders | Publishing report as beginning and stimulating public discussions | September 2024 | - | Work in progress |
| Total | 500 |
Axis Eleven
Structure of the Authority
Requirement 1.4 of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Standards
Paragraphs (1 and 2) of the corrective measures
Challenges
The lack of effective representation of government agencies, companies, and civil society in the Kurdistan Region, the weak interaction of extractive companies throughout Iraq, and the lack of need for more effective participation by some relevant government agencies.
Objectives
Activating the Board of Trustees and strengthening its role in managing the Authority, ensuring qualitative representation of all components of civil society and other broader stakeholders, with a focus on diversity balance without the need for numerical balance, in line with the initiative’s 2023 standards, and addressing the corrective measures proposed by the International Initiative Council.
| No. | Activity | Responsible Parties | Target Parties | Expected Results | Timeline | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Million Dinars) | |||||||
| 1 | Amending the Diwani Order to include paragraphs regarding the internal system and the duties and responsibilities of the Executive Director, the Council, and the National Secretariat, and defining the responsibility for providing administrative and financial requirements. | National Secretariat | Broader Stakeholders | A new and effective Council formation that represents all broader stakeholders and is capable of managing the Council in the next phase | January 2024 | - | Completed in 2023 |
| Council President | General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers | ||||||
| 3 | Follow-up with the Ministry of Oil and other government agencies to provide the financial and administrative requirements for the Authority as specified in the Diwani Order. | National Secretariat | Ministry of Oil | Continuation of the Authority's workflow. | January - February 2024 | - | Faces challenges |
| 4 | Formation of an independent committee tasked with organizing meetings, conferences, and workshops attended by civil society components in Iraq for the purpose of agreeing on a free, transparent, and written nomination mechanism to select their representatives in the Board of Trustees according to the articles of the Diwani Order. | Board of Trustees | Broader Civil Society | A free and clear mechanism for selecting representatives of all civil society components that aligns with standards requirements and considers the interest of the initiative in Iraq | August 2024 - December 2024 | 14250 | Faces challenges |
| 5 | Final approval of the names of Council members according to nominations received from the parties mentioned in the Diwani Order and issuing an order signed by the Council President. | Board of Trustees | Board of Trustees | Issuance of an official order with the names | December 2024 | - | Faces challenges |
| National Secretariat | |||||||
| Broader Stakeholders | |||||||
| 6 | Conducting introductory workshops for new members and capacity building workshops for all members and staff regarding requirements and new work projects. | Board of Trustees | Council Members | Capacity building and increased work efficiency | January - December 2024 | 14250 | Faces challenges |
| National Secretariat | National Secretariat Staff | ||||||
| Support Team | |||||||
| Total | 28.5 | ||||||
| Grand Total | 753.25 |