The Natural Resources Information Exchange – NRIE

1. The Natural Resources Information Exchange – NRIE Claudine Sigam Project Coordinator Special Unit on Commodities United Nations Conference Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

2. Content • Context • What is NRIE & Expected results • The Stakeholders • Implementation & Way forward • Recommendation

3. Situation in most of the African countriescompared to the rest of the world, a chaotic situation…

4. CONTEXT • The majority of population in most of the mineral resource rich African countries remain poor despite numerours development initiatives • A chaotic situation despite the existence of numerous database • An urgent need to step up innovative actions to trigger an endogenous development process • The NRIE is designed to respond to the needs expressed by some African countries and formalized in a resolution adopted during the Ministerial Roundtable of UNCTAD’s13th Conference in Mali in 2009

5. What is NRIE ? (Art 8) « Call on UNCTAD to …….ensure that the platform is gradually extended…. to include infrastructures (physical and financial), and related operating, processing , storage techniques and transportation means » • African decision makers believe that progress in geographical information could provide tools for more efficiency to all the stakeholders and promote major synergies • The NRIE to become a tool for governance • Provide all the stakeholders (operators, policy makers, community, Academia, media, civil society, etc), with reliable and updated information on existing potential (online metadata, etc) • Render more transparent modalities for capturing value from the natural resource exploitation • Articulate alternatives and underlying political stakes imbedded in organizational, regulatory and technical choices

6. What is NRIE ?

7. Expected Results • Knowledge-driven African mining sector as recommended by the Africa Mining Vision • Highlight social, economical and environmental impacts of natural resources exploitation, including geo localization and visualization of the evolution (Follow up, evaluation, video) • Boost regional integration without lost of sovereignity (A common area & private national spaces) • Costs and Risks reduction for potential investors • Driving force in reducing the numerical divide • Preservation of scientific heritage

8. NRIE – STAKEHOLDER ROLE UNCTAD • Overall Coordination • Consensus building • Capacity Building • Promotion of NRIE & Synergies with existing related Programs • Follow up, Monitoring & Evaluation

9. NRIE – STAKEHOLDER ROLE ITU Strategic Partner • Coordination for technology identification & strategy formulation • Coordination among technology developers, and other stakeholders such as universities

10. NRIE – STAKEHOLDER ROLE HOST COUNTRY • Commitment to set up a National Data Repository (Data & Metadata) • Commitment to agree on technical standards applicable at regional level

11. NRIE – STAKEHOLDER ROLE SERVICE PROVIDERS • Training and capacity building of locals in collaboration with UNCTAD and relevant partners • Quality control

13. IMPLEMENTATION • Two experts meeting held (Cotonou, Geneva) • Six pilot countries selected and national focal points appointed (Benin, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria) • MOU and Letters of Agreement signed between UNCTAD, ITU and the six pilot countries

14. THE WAY FORWARD • A prototype under construction to be presented in Nigeria in the first quarter of 2011 during the workshop on the NRIE organizational framework and a special event for resource mobilization • A workshop on NRIE capacity building programme to be held in Mozambique the second quarter of 2011 • NRIE Coordinating body underway • Evaluation of NRIE implementation during UNCTAD 15th Oil, Gas and Mines, Trade and Finance Conference to be held in November 2011 in Conakry, Guinea

15. Donor support for NRIE project (bilateral, multilateral, private sector, PPP, foundation etc.)