INTRODUCTION 

In Iraq, transparency is completely new term that was externally imposed and became an international obligation, in post 2003 Iraqi petroleum sector; that was associated with the invasion of the country in 2003, with the focus of the invading forces on oil sector and with then recent EITI as powerful transparency promoting entity.

Through more than ten years of experience with transparency and association with EITI, Iraq went through different phases that worth assessment and evaluating what has the country learned or benefited, challenges faced and what has been done.

There is some inaccurate perception and understanding, within Iraqi circles, on what EITI is all about, and thus it becomes necessary to provide brief review of EITI: clarifying what are the fundamental “principles”, how the “Standard” formulated, what are the “institutional” settings- both national and international and finally, what are the “processes” and how they work. All the above are addressed in part one. Part two focuses on analytically assess the phases of Iraq experience with transparency in governing petroleum sector. While there was almost no transparency prior to 2003- under both periods pre and during UN imposed sanction on the country, distinct formalized transparency phases are evident particularly during the last ten years. The article attempts, in part three, to use quantitative and qualitative measures in addressing the efficiency and effectiveness of the IEITI core organ, the tri-lateral Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG). Part four discusses the prospects for IEITI, and practically, transparency in the entire country. In this juncture the article argues that because of the significant importance of the oil sector in the national economy of Iraq, a successful and functional transparency in this sector could also have positive spill-overs on other real economy sectors as well as financial and government at federal and provincial levels. In this regards, IEITI is actually at a cross-roads; and all depends first on the “Validation”, done in April 2019 and was confirmed before year ended,  and second, on the significant changes that Iraq has to undertake if it wants to have a meaningful, functional and effective transparency.

Methodologically, this article is of empirical field-work type; it is based on my direct and indirect involvement in IEITI work; review and assess all annual and other reports by IEITI; service provider, as independent consultant on energy, for capacity development through many workshops organized, by Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) then becomes Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), since 2010 for parliamentarians, local government officials, media and journalists, civil society organization among others; actual participation in IEITI activities; direct network contacts and communications; reviewing all available, 48, reports on MSG meetings and finally on my research works, presentations and publications on IEITI issues during the last ten years. For practical reasons, transparency in KRG is not covered in this article.

Though Iraq EITI (IEITI) experience is characterized as bureaucratic formality and symbolic, the article would argue that good, comprehensive and regular reporting on transparency enhances transparency and contributes to good governance in the petroleum sector. Hence, the article argues further, that what is needed is how to transform IEITI into real, effective and impacting change agency