The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) was launched in 2002 by the British government at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

Its purpose is to combat corruption in developing countries and ensure greater transparency of transactions between governments and companies in the mining and oil industries.

A central component of the initiative is to promote the involvement of civil society and companies in implementing joint standards. It also seeks to create a statutory framework for equitable competition and the disclosure of payments from companies in the raw materials sector.

Along with investment funds, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, a large number of private companies and NGOs have pledged to uphold EITI standards in connection with the extraction of raw materials. Fifteen countries have been identified as candidates for the implementation of the EITI process.