Global Witness - Breaking the links between natural resources, conflict and corruption
New report urges UN to learn lessons on resource-fuelled wars
Press Release – 27/01/2010
The lack of a coherent and committed international approach to tackling the role of natural resources in conflict is costing lives in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and heightening the risk of further unrest in other fragile states such as Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea, according to a new report from Global Witness.
Drawing on Global Witness' experience in Angola, Cambodia, DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan, the report, Lessons UNlearned, aims to promote understanding of, and a strategy for dealing with, the problem of natural resource wealth incentivising, financing, and preventing resolution of conflicts.
The report is critical of the UN for failing adequately to consider the natural resource angle in its peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts, and of Member States for lacking the political will to support UN sanctions and other measures aimed at cutting off warring parties' access to resources.
Mike Davis of Global Witness said: "Despite acknowledged evidence of the central role of natural resources in driving and sustaining war in countries such as Sierra Leone and Angola, the international community has almost completely failed to support actions to address the issue."
"Too often the political, ethnic or geographic aspects of war are considered to the exclusion of its economic drivers. The legacy is conflicts that remain unresolved for years, costing lives and stifling development."
Featuring case studies from a number of countries, the Global Witness report identifies four areas where improvements could be made: sanctions, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. The key cross-cutting recommendations are: disrupting trade that fuels armed violence, demilitarising control of natural resources, and improving resource governance.
The report also highlights the importance of companies undertaking rigorous due diligence to ensure their purchases are neither directly nor indirectly supporting armed groups or funding conflict. National governments that fail to monitor the behaviour of their companies or hold them to account for unethical behaviour come in for strong criticism.
Davis: "The least we can do after years of failure in war-torn countries around the world is learn the lessons for the future. In countries like the DRC, natural resources must be recognised not only as part of the problem but also as an essential part of the solution to conflict. Vigilance is imperative: otherwise past successes will revert to failures, and pending crises will not be averted."
/ Ends
Contacts: Amy Barry, +44 (0)7980 664397; Mike Davis, +44 (0)7872 600860 (New York 25-29 Jan)
Notes to editors:
1. This project was completed with the financial support of the European Commission
2. The report, Lessons UNlearned: How the UN and Member States must do more to end natural resource-fuelled conflict, will be launched at the European Commission in New York on Wednesday 27 January. To find out more or arrange to attend the launch, contact Amy Barry on +44 (0)7980 66439
3. The UN estimates that over the past 60 years at least 40% of civil wars have been connected with natural resources
4. In the past 20 years, over half of UN peacekeeping operations have concerned conflicts sustained by revenues from primary commodities such as oil, diamonds, minerals and timber
Downloads
Latest Publications
March 2010
New evidence confirms oil revenue transparency still eludes Sudan
Large discrepancies persist between the oil production data published by the government of Sudan and those published by the main Chinese oil company operating in the country, Global Witness said today, six months after the publication of its report which first exposed the gaps.
Environmental groups call on French shipping company Delmas to cancel shipment of precious wood from Madagascar
Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) today called on French shipping company Delmas to cancel a shipment to China of hundreds of tons of rosewood from the port of Vohémar, in northeastern Madagascar. The campaign groups accuse the company of facilitating the destruction of Madagascar’s last remaining forests caused by vast illegal logging of rosewood.
Open letter to Delmas shipping company raises concerns over rosewood shipments from Madagascar
An open letter from Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) to Delmas shipping company expressing grave concerns at its involvement in the transport of timber from Madagascar which has been declared illicit by the Malagasy authorities. The groups accuse Delmas of facilitaitng the destruction Madagascar's remaining rosewood forests through illegal logging.
Link between Angolan president's son-in-law and state oil company raises questions about transparency
The son-in-law of the Angolan president has been nominated to the board of a holding company that owns a third of the Portuguese oil firm Galp Energia, which has investments in Angola. The nomination was made by the State oil company, Sonangol, which is responsible for managing Angola's oil on behalf of its citizens. This arrangement raises concerns about conflicts of interest to which Sonangol has not responded.
DR Congo: ex-rebels take over mineral trade extortion racket
Former rebels from the Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP) have established mafia-style extortion rackets covering some of the most lucrative tin and tantalum mining areas in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Global Witness reported today following four weeks of research in the region.
Global Witness concerned at choice of new Ukraine energy minister
Global Witness is concerned that Yuri Boyko, a controversial figure from the murky past of Ukraine’s gas industry, has been put back in effective charge of a key gas supply route from Russia to the European Union.
Landmark oil and mining transparency initiative faces credibility test as key deadline passes
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a pioneering initiative to bring more openness to the world's oil and mining industries, faces a major credibility test after 20 out of 22 countries failed to meet a key deadline today.
Global Witness urges Cambodia’s donors to condemn sponsorship of military units by private businesses
Aid donors to Cambodia, including the US, EU, Japan, China and the World Bank, should send a strong message to the government that they will not countenance the bankrolling of Cambodia’s military by private businesses. This call follows the announcement last week by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen of the formation of 42 official partnerships between private businesses and Cambodian military units.
February 2010
A near miss? Lessons learnt from the allocation of mining licences in the Gola Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone
Between 2005 and 2007, two mining licences were issued in the Gola Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone, even though the area was a proposed national park. This new report identifies weaknesses in Sierra Leone's natural resource governance and attempts to draw lessons for the future.
Parliamentary committee report on libel, privacy and press freedom not strong enough to defend public interest reporting
A report on press standards, privacy and libel makes broadly sensible recommendations but does not go far enough to allay fears that England's laws are a barrier to public-interest campaigning.
Campaigners criticise proposals to define palm oil plantations as forests
The Ecosystems Climate Alliance today criticised the EU and Indonesia for attempting to reclassify palm oil plantations as forests, saying this would be a step backwards in efforts to halt climate change though preventing deforestation.
