Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)

NRGI receives funding from governments, organizations, and philanthropies. These include the Open Society Foundations, the Climate Emergency Collaboration Group, the ClimateWorks Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Sequoia Climate Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ^{2 3}

Background

The Natural Resource Governance Institute claims to work with “resource-rich countries” in order to develop proposals to meet the demand for transition minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. The group claims such minerals are needed for “green technologies,” ending dependence on “conventional-fuel extraction,” and revenue management. ^{1 4}

The NRGI has 80 team members based in 19 countries. ⁵ It works in Chile, Colombia, Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda. ⁶

Work Areas

The Natural Resource Governance Institute develops and uses resources such as websites, datasets, and tools to assist in its goals. These include the 2021 Resource Governance Index, which provides the status and assessment of resource governance in countries around the world; ⁷ the National Oil Company Database, and a corruption diagnostic tool in the extractions sector. ⁸

The NRGI performs research and produces reports, briefings, and blog posts on policy issues including energy transition, environmental and social impacts, anti-corruption and accountability, and taxation and revenue management. ⁹

The NRGI claims to governments and political parties to “strengthen law-making and oversight of extractive resources and revenues” through training, technical assistance, publications, and networking opportunities. ¹⁰

A May 2024 article in the Global Investigative Journalism Network listed resources and reports produced by NRGI including one titled “Covering Extractives” which claimed to discuss the exploration and extraction processes while including “12 red flags showing main corruption risks in the licensing process.” The article also cites the NRGI’s National Oil Company Database, Resource Projects, and Resource Contracts. ¹¹

In September 2024, NRGI chief executive officer (CEO) Suneeta Kaimal participated in a United Nations Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals to develop principles for responsible and fair extraction of minerals needed for “green technologies.” At COP28, governments agreed to triple weather-dependent energy capacity by 2030, which the group claims results in the demand for energy transition minerals such as lithium and nickel to triple. The panel produced a report with guidelines for mining these alternative materials such as incorporating safeguards for nature and sharing the financial benefits with the local community. ¹² Several “civil society” organizations issued a statement supporting the report, including the Climate Action Network International, the Natural Resource Governance Institute, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, and Earthworks. ¹³

The NRGI co-hosted organized events at Climate Week NYC 2024, which began on September 22, 2024. Such topics discussed include methane emission transparency, the role of national oil companies in the transition away from fossil fuels, and governance for the energy and mining sectors. It is hosted by Climate Group in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly and sponsored by McKinsey, Meta, Google, Apple, the ClimateWorks Foundation, the National Audubon Society, and UNICEF. ¹⁴

Funding

The Natural Resource Governance Institute reported 2022 revenues of $10,283,613 and expenses of $11,952,488. ¹⁵ It received United States and foreign government grants totaling $4,182,416. ¹⁶ It awarded over $3.3 million in grants to foreign organizations, foreign governments, and foreign individuals. ¹⁷

The NRGI receives funding from governments, organizations, and philanthropies though it claims not to accept contributions from oil, gas, and mining companies nor their employees. Its list of funders as of September 2024 includes the Climate Emergency Collaboration Group, the ClimateWorks Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, Luminate, the Open Society Foundations and the related Open Society Policy Center, the Sequoia Climate Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ³

The Open Society Foundations, founded by philanthropist George Soros, has donated several grants to the NRGI totaling $31,950,000 between2016 to 2023. ^{18 2}

Leadership

Suneeta Kaimal has serves as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) since 2021. She earned a master’s of international affairs and human rights from Columbia University and worked for Human Rights Watch. She was a former chair and global council member of Publish What You Pay. She is an envoy for the Open Government Partnership and sits on the advisory council for the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. Kaimal has been in several roles at the NRGI including chief operating officer and interim president and CEO. ¹⁹

Gilbert F. Houngbo is the board chair of the NRGI. A national of the West African country of Togo, Houngbo is the director-general of the International Labour Organization, a United Nations agency that works to set labor standards and policies, and is chair of United Nations Water. He began his career in audit and financial advisory services, moved into roles at the United Nations Development Programme, and served as the Prime Minister of Togo. ^{20 21 22}

Audrey Gaughran is chair of the NRGI’s Advisory Council. She is the executive director of the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO). ^{23 24} Gaughran earned a master’s degree in human rights from the University of London. She has worked as a human rights and environmental advocate with Amnesty International and several smaller environmentalist organizations. ^{25 26}