Beneficial ownership roadmap webinar 3: Disclosing the identity of beneficial owners and data reliability

This is the first webinar in our series on how to develop a beneficial ownership roadmap. For more guidance on beneficial ownership, visit our dedicated guidance page.

BO roadmap webinar 3: Disclosing the identity of beneficial owners and data reliability 

Thursday 1 September 10 am Oslo time | Duration: 1 hour

Facilitator: Dyveke Rogan

Part 1: Disclosing the identity of beneficial owners

Duration: 30 minutes

Details such as the names of the owners of extractive companies are often most useful when accompanied by further information about the identity, enabling people to ascertain who really owns the company. The EITI Standard states that states that the “Information about the identity of the beneficial owner should include the name of the beneficial owner, the nationality, and the country of residence, as well as identifying any politically exposed persons”. It also recommends that the “national identity number, date of birth, residential or service address, and means of contact are disclosed” (Requirement 2.5.d).

In this webinar, participants will discuss challenges and benefits of disclosing certain details about the identity of beneficial owners and consider how much details it would be desirable to disclose and why. Participants will also consider how to adapt the EITI’s model beneficial ownership declaration form accordingly.

Part 2: Data reliability

Duration: 30 minutes

It is important for the credibility of the EITI’s work on beneficial ownership that there is some mechanism for assuring the accuracy of the information disclosed, otherwise it will not be possible to have confidence that the beneficial owners that have been disclosed are the true beneficial owners and not a substitute, nominee or proxy. The mechanism for ensuring data reliability need not necessarily require formal legal enforcement, although that remains an option. In this webinar, participants will consider different approaches for data assurance with a view to identify an approach that might work in their country.