NRGI interim president and CEO Suneeta Kaimal has released a video statement concerning the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on resource governance in developing countries--and how NRGI is responding. Here is a transcript of her message.
At the Natural Resource Governance Institute, we fight poverty and corruption affecting billions of people who live in resource-rich countries.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, we recognized that mismanagement in oil, gas and minerals would lead to unrest and inequality—but also that good governance could be a driver of trust, stability and inclusive development. The global health emergency and its economic impacts have brought into sharp relief the reality that poor policy choices can be measured in terms of human lives.
The road ahead for resource-rich countries will be challenging. Unsustainable borrowing has left many deeply indebted. Bailouts of state companies are creating risks for corruption and undue influence and historically low commodity prices are creating tensions between industry seeking to curtail their losses and governments in desperate need of revenues.
The decisions we take now will have ramifications for generations to come. Now is the time to confront resource dependency and to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy. Now is the time to uphold environmental, social and governance standards- not race to the bottom. Now is the time to be transparent about the decisions to be taken and to ensure informed public debate.
We at NRGI commit to supporting those inside and outside of government as they strive for reform. We will seize this moment to learn lessons from the past and to look forward with resolve. My colleagues are hard at work, producing the rigorous and context-specific analysis for which we are known and trusted. Together with our partners around the world, we will ensure that knowledge is translated into smart policy choices that build the resiliency of resource-rich countries now, and in the decades to come.
At the Natural Resource Governance Institute, we fight poverty and corruption affecting billions of people who live in resource-rich countries.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, we recognized that mismanagement in oil, gas and minerals would lead to unrest and inequality—but also that good governance could be a driver of trust, stability and inclusive development. The global health emergency and its economic impacts have brought into sharp relief the reality that poor policy choices can be measured in terms of human lives.
The road ahead for resource-rich countries will be challenging. Unsustainable borrowing has left many deeply indebted. Bailouts of state companies are creating risks for corruption and undue influence and historically low commodity prices are creating tensions between industry seeking to curtail their losses and governments in desperate need of revenues.
The decisions we take now will have ramifications for generations to come. Now is the time to confront resource dependency and to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy. Now is the time to uphold environmental, social and governance standards- not race to the bottom. Now is the time to be transparent about the decisions to be taken and to ensure informed public debate.
We at NRGI commit to supporting those inside and outside of government as they strive for reform. We will seize this moment to learn lessons from the past and to look forward with resolve. My colleagues are hard at work, producing the rigorous and context-specific analysis for which we are known and trusted. Together with our partners around the world, we will ensure that knowledge is translated into smart policy choices that build the resiliency of resource-rich countries now, and in the decades to come.