Paris — Equatorial Guinea is seeking to rejoin a group that works to curb corruption in resource-rich countries, Human Rights Watch, EG Justice, and Publish What You Pay-US said today. The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) requires transparency around oil, gas, and mining revenue and activities and respect for civil society. The group delisted Equatorial Guinea in 2010, in part over concerns about its repression of civil society.
Before accepting an application, the EITI board should carefully scrutinize whether it includes concrete steps to address the government's long history of civil society repression and to create an enabling environment for citizens to engage with resource governance, the groups said. The International Monetary Fund should similarly scrutinize the application before deciding whether it satisfies a requirement that would make Equatorial Guinea eligible for a loan.
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