Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Foreign Affairs

The EITI Oslo 2006 Conference

Oslo, 25 August 2006

Introduction and words of welcome by Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Since its launch by Tony Blair in 2002, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has gained significant momentum. A country-driven, multi-stakeholder commitment, the EITI aims to create conditions that are catalytic in fostering social and economic development, and political stability in resource-rich countries.

Since the first EITI Conference over 20 countries and a large number of energy and mining companies have committed themselves to the EITI principles and criteria.

The EITI Oslo 2006 Conference (16-17 October) has three main objectives:

1. We will strive to expand the number of participants in the EITI process by reaching out to countries, companies and organisations that are not yet part of the process.
2. We will improve EITI implementation, by building on lessons learned, and by addressing capacity constraints.
3. We expect the Conference to endorse recommendations from the EITI International Advisory Group (IAG) on validation and the future management of the initiative. This conference will therefore be a milestone in the efforts to make the EITI the global norm for revenue transparency.

You will find more information about the event on this website www.eitioslo.no

I look forward to welcoming you to Oslo. I am confident that this conference will be a major step forward in advancing the cause of transparency.