The Latest Working Meeting under the Open Extractives Programme

Within the framework of the Open Extractives Programme, Ms. Emily Manuel, Asia-Pacific Regional Director at OpenOwnership, visited Armenia on April 1–2, 2024.

The purpose of the visit was to discuss the use of beneficial ownership data in advancing the country’s anti-corruption agenda in general, and in the process of granting subsoil use permits in particular.

During her visit, Ms. Manuel held meetings with responsible officials from the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, and the EITI National Secretariat.

During the meeting with representatives of the EITI National Secretariat at the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Ms. Manuel noted that OpenOwnership highly appreciates the work carried out by the Government of Armenia in disclosing beneficial ownership information and presents Armenia’s experience as a best practice to other participating countries.

The participants subsequently exchanged views on the publication of beneficial ownership data, its content, and methods for verifying its accuracy and reliability. An important topic of discussion was also the ultimate purpose for which beneficial ownership data can be used, and how the analysis of such data can contribute to reducing governance risks in the mining sector, attracting responsible and reputable businesses, and achieving other related objectives.

Ms. Manuel expressed her confidence that Armenia would also play a leading role in the use of beneficial ownership data, particularly in the process of granting subsoil use permits.

The OpenOwnership Regional Director informed her counterparts at the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure that, within the framework of the Open Extractives Programme, the organization plans to conduct a series of in-person and online training sessions for relevant staff of Armenia’s authorized bodies, with the aim of strengthening the capacities of specialists involved in the process of granting subsoil use permits. The first workshop of this series was planned to take place during the July 2024 visit of the EITI and OpenOwnership.

Following the theoretical training sessions throughout the year, study visits focused on international best practices are also planned.