Throughout Colombia’s presidential campaign—which saw Iván Duque, the right-wing Centro Democrático Party’s candidate, sworn in this week—extractive industries-related issues received unprecedented attention from the public and the candidates.
Across the world, journalists have been key to uncovering malfeasance in the natural resources sector. Media have exposed illicit activities by international oil companies like Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria. They have shed light on Cameroon petroleum contracts that bring few benefits to locals and to national accounts.
Addressing the jade sector’s challenges is an urgent need. It is also highly difficult. At the same time, it is an opportunity for the National League for Democracy-led government to signal a new era of accountability.
Datu Abdelawin A. Sangkula, assistant regional secretary for operations in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Autonomous Region in Musliam Mindanao in the Philippines, spoke with NRGI at Advancing Accountable Resource Governance in Asia Pacific about legislative priorities to address Mindanao’s mining sector, improving extractives governance and the unique challenges in diversifying away from mining.
Lengga Pradipta is part of the Human Ecology team in the Research Centre for Population at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. As Advancing Accountable Resource Governance in Asia Pacific progressed, Lengga spoke with NRGI about researching Belitung’s aim to develop its tourism industry and move away from a mining-based economy.
Kridtaya Sakamornsnguan, a mining engineer in the Department of Primary Industries and Mines in Thailand’s Ministry of Industry, spoke with NRGI about Thailand’s most significant resource governance challenges, how Thailand can improve natural resources regulation and her takeaways from Advancing Accountable Resource Governance in Asia Pacific.
Yee Mon Oo, a research associate at Myanmar Development Institute and a participant in Advancing Accountable Resource Governance in Asia Pacific, spoke with NRGI about challenges Myanmar state-owned enterprises face and some takeaways from the two-week learning session.
Lucila Cruz Gabriel, a supervising legislative staff officer on the Committee on Natural Resources in the Philippines House of Representatives, spoke with NRGI about the legislative branch’s role in clarifying Philippine mining policy, mining sector reforms and civil society’s push for transparency in minerals at Advancing Accountable Resource Governance in Asia Pacific.
Each year, the Natural Resource Governance Institute and Gadjah Mada University’s Department for Politics and Government host a residential training course on extractives governance in Indonesia. In 2018, NRGI and partners produced videos covering the course and interviews with course participants.