Naturalist and comedian Bill Oddie will today attend the HSBC annual general meeting to seek answers from the board of directors over the bank’s lending to companies destroying Borneo’s rainforests. The companies that... read more
News and reports
22.05.2013 | Liberian government publishes landmark resource audit, but urgently needs to address findings
Publication of a full audit of how Liberia awarded its resource concessions between 2009 and 2011 is a global first, said campaigning watchdog Global Witness today. The audit, which was published last week, reveals... read more
Thursday's 6th Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Global Conference in Sydney will see oil, gas and mining executives, campaigners, investors and government officials ratify improvements in... read more
21.05.2013 | Danzer dropped by FSC over “unacceptable activities “in Congo; victims still await justice
Global Witness welcomes today's decision by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to dissociate itself from the Danzer Group, in light of accusations of human rights abuses in the Democratic... read more
Litigation runs contrary to the UK G8 Presidency’s push for a global transparency standard
Global Witness is attending Shell’s AGM in The Hague today to ask the company to drop its support for a lawsuit that... read more
Cambodia | Illegal Logging | Laos | Forests | Land Deals
Global Witness understands that Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) CEO Doan Nguyen Duc held a press conference during which the company contested evidence in Global Witness’ report ‘Rubber Barons’. This report highlights how the... read more
Read this press release in English
El proyecto de construcción de una carretera de 270 km de longitud atravesando la Amazonía peruana está plagado de incumplimientos de la ley y posibles conflictos de intereses, según... read more
Leer este comunicado en Español
Plans to build a 270 km highway through the Peruvian Amazon are mired in legal violations and potential conflicts of interest, said Global Witness in a new report today.
The Purús highway... read more
14.05.2013 | Bill Oddie evicted from HSBC HQ while protesting against bank’s role in Malaysian rainforest destruction
Oddie has teamed up with the campaign group Global Witness to expose how the UK’s biggest bank has made almost £100 million by providing loans and services to some of the most destructive logging companies in the... read more
14.05.2013 | Bill Oddie evicted from HSBC HQ while protesting against bank’s role in Malaysian rainforest destruction
Naturalist and comedian Bill Oddie has been filmed being evicted from HSBC’s London headquarters while protesting against the bank’s business ties to companies that are illegally destroying rainforests and abusing human... read more
13.05.2013 | International Finance Corporation and Deutsche Bank bankrolling Vietnamese land grabs in Cambodia and Laos
Click here to read the report and watch the film
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Deutsche Bank are financing Vietnamese rubber companies driving a wave of land and forest "grabs" in Cambodia and... read more
13.05.2013 | International Finance Corporation and Deutsche Bank bankrolling Vietnamese land grabs in Cambodia and Laos
Cambodia | Illegal Logging | Laos | Forests | Land Deals
Click here to read the report and watch the film
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Deutsche Bank are financing Vietnamese rubber companies driving a wave of land and forest "grabs" in Cambodia and... read more
简体中文
The European Union agreed the EU Timber Regulations (EUTR) in 2010, making it illegal as of 3 March 2013 for any company to place illegally harvested timber or products made from illegal timber on the EU market.... read more
10.05.2013 | Anonymous companies: A Global Witness briefing
Money launderers, corrupt politicians, terrorists, arms traffickers, drug smugglers, and tax evaders all rely on two things to move their dirty money: company structures that allow them to hide their identity, and banks... read more
There have been two cost/benefit analyses carried out looking at the costs of a beneficial ownership registry: one done by the UK in 2002 and one done by the European Commission in 2007. Both concluded that public... read more
Naturalist and comedian Bill Oddie will today attend the HSBC annual general meeting to seek answers from the board of directors over the bank’s lending to companies destroying Borneo’s rainforests. The companies that... read more
22.05.2013 | Liberian government publishes landmark resource audit, but urgently needs to address findings
Publication of a full audit of how Liberia awarded its resource concessions between 2009 and 2011 is a global first, said campaigning watchdog Global Witness today. The audit, which was published last week, reveals... read more
21.05.2013 | Danzer dropped by FSC over “unacceptable activities “in Congo; victims still await justice
Global Witness welcomes today's decision by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to dissociate itself from the Danzer Group, in light of accusations of human rights abuses in the Democratic... read more
Litigation runs contrary to the UK G8 Presidency’s push for a global transparency standard
Global Witness is attending Shell’s AGM in The Hague today to ask the company to drop its support for a lawsuit that... read more
Cambodia | Illegal Logging | Laos | Forests | Land Deals
Global Witness understands that Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) CEO Doan Nguyen Duc held a press conference during which the company contested evidence in Global Witness’ report ‘Rubber Barons’. This report highlights how the... read more
Read this press release in English
El proyecto de construcción de una carretera de 270 km de longitud atravesando la Amazonía peruana está plagado de incumplimientos de la ley y posibles conflictos de intereses, según... read more
Leer este comunicado en Español
Plans to build a 270 km highway through the Peruvian Amazon are mired in legal violations and potential conflicts of interest, said Global Witness in a new report today.
The Purús highway... read more
14.05.2013 | Bill Oddie evicted from HSBC HQ while protesting against bank’s role in Malaysian rainforest destruction
Oddie has teamed up with the campaign group Global Witness to expose how the UK’s biggest bank has made almost £100 million by providing loans and services to some of the most destructive logging companies in the... read more
14.05.2013 | Bill Oddie evicted from HSBC HQ while protesting against bank’s role in Malaysian rainforest destruction
Naturalist and comedian Bill Oddie has been filmed being evicted from HSBC’s London headquarters while protesting against the bank’s business ties to companies that are illegally destroying rainforests and abusing human... read more
13.05.2013 | International Finance Corporation and Deutsche Bank bankrolling Vietnamese land grabs in Cambodia and Laos
Click here to read the report and watch the film
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Deutsche Bank are financing Vietnamese rubber companies driving a wave of land and forest "grabs" in Cambodia and... read more
13.05.2013 | International Finance Corporation and Deutsche Bank bankrolling Vietnamese land grabs in Cambodia and Laos
Cambodia | Illegal Logging | Laos | Forests | Land Deals
Click here to read the report and watch the film
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Deutsche Bank are financing Vietnamese rubber companies driving a wave of land and forest "grabs" in Cambodia and... read more
09.05.2013 | Global Witness welcomes Kofi Annan’s call for financial transparency in African resource deals
Campaign group Global Witness has backed a call by prominent figures including Kofi Annan, Bob Geldof and Graca Machel for Africa’s natural resource wealth to be used for the benefit of its people. This year’s report... read more
09.05.2013 | Oil law before Congo parliament fails to safeguard against corruption or environmental damage – Global Witness
Planned revisions to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s hydrocarbons law contain major flaws that could allow gross mismanagement of the country’s oil wealth and serious environmental impacts. The draft text,... read more
07.05.2013 | New investigation from Global Witness reveals high-level military involvement in eastern Congo's gold trade
简体中文
At a critical time for the region's minerals trade companies must undertake supply chain checks and put responsible sourcing into practise
Global Witness' investigation last month in eastern Democratic Republic of... read more
Global Witness welcomes a new audit recommending that the Liberian government take immediate action to address systematic gaps in compliance with laws on how its natural resources are allocated. The report, commissioned... read more
Thursday's 6th Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Global Conference in Sydney will see oil, gas and mining executives, campaigners, investors and government officials ratify improvements in... read more
简体中文
The European Union agreed the EU Timber Regulations (EUTR) in 2010, making it illegal as of 3 March 2013 for any company to place illegally harvested timber or products made from illegal timber on the EU market.... read more
10.05.2013 | Anonymous companies: A Global Witness briefing
Money launderers, corrupt politicians, terrorists, arms traffickers, drug smugglers, and tax evaders all rely on two things to move their dirty money: company structures that allow them to hide their identity, and banks... read more
There have been two cost/benefit analyses carried out looking at the costs of a beneficial ownership registry: one done by the UK in 2002 and one done by the European Commission in 2007. Both concluded that public... read more
30.04.2013 | Logging in the shadows: how vested interests abuse shadow permits to evade forest sector reforms
Systematic abuse of small, poorly regulated logging permits in Africa by companies, forest officials and politicians is undermining efforts to fight deforestation and keep illegal timber out of the EU, says a new report... read more
简体中文
On 9 April 2013, the EU Member States, Parliament and Commission agreed to adopt new transparency rules for oil, gas, mining and logging companies.
The agreement requires extractive and logging companies to publish... read more
19.04.2013 | Open Letter to Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud accepting offer of debate on land and forest use
Dear Chief Minister Taib,
In an interview with the Let’s Talk programme on The Malaysian Observer, you challenged Global Witness to a debate on the allegations of corruption, land grabbing and tax evasion shown in the... read more
Global Witness’ investigations indicate that ZMDC, joint venture company Anjin, and businessman Sam Pa are involved in off-budget financing of military, police and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). We believe... read more
15.01.2013 | Transparency Matters: Disclosure of payments to governments by Chinese extractive companies
简体中文
Click here to read the press release.
China’s supply of natural resources is a key element in the drive to sustain economic growth and long-term energy security. However, many resource-rich countries that China... read more
Shareholders of London-listed Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation will meet on Friday 28 December to vote on a $550 million deal aimed at buying out its main copper-and-cobalt mining partner in the Democratic... read more
Global Witness welcomes the public response of the Ministry of Mines to our Copper Bottomed? report on Afghanistan’s biggest private investment and the country’s first major extractives agreement – the 2008 Aynak copper... read more
29.11.2012 | Blueprint for Prosperity: How South Sudan's new laws hold the key to a transparent and accountable oil sector
With independence on 9 July 2011, the Republic of South Sudan became both the newest and the most oil-dependent country in the world.
South Sudan has been blessed with oil wealth that, if managed responsibly, could... read more
Click here to read the associated press release.
简体中文
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As Afghanistan looks to its future beyond transition... read more
02.11.2012 | In the future, there will be no forests left
Click here to read the press release
HSBC has bankrolled logging companies causing widespread environmental destruction and human rights abuses in Sarawak, Malaysia, violating its sustainability policies and earning... read more
Read the original report
Read the press release to accompany this report
Read the ensuing debate in the Houses of Parliament
Since publishing the report Financing a Parallel Government in June 2012, we have... read more
Diarmid O'Sullivan, Open Society Foundation research fellow and ex-Global Witness campaigner has released a report today on how transparency helps identify problems in the governance of natural resources, as well... read more
05.02.2013 | We could end poverty if … David Cameron is right?
Britain‘s G8 presidency a chance to reframe the poverty debate
It’s always encouraging to see our leaders pushing the right line for a change. Outlining his agenda for the G8 at the World Economic Forum in Davos... read more
One story that will be sure to develop in 2013 is the controversy around ENRC’s activities in Congo. For the background for this, a good place to start is the Global Witness statement of 23 December: “ENRC shareholders... read more
Rosie Sharpe, Senior campaigner, Global Witness
Investigations carried out by the Guardian, ICIJ and the BBC's Panorama programme into the ease with which anonymous shell companies can be used to move dirty money... read more
01.10.2012 | Mystery shopping exercise shows how easy it is to set up anonymous companies in the U.S. and UK
Originally posted on the Taskforce on Financial Integrity’s website here.
By Rosie Sharp
Rosie Sharp is a Senior Campaigner for Global Witness, a member of the Task Force Coordinating Committee.
You’re a criminal and... read more
Shell companies
Launderers Anonymous
A study highlights how easy it is to set up untraceable companies
Sep 22nd 2012 | NEW YORK | from The Economist
SHELL companies—which exist on paper only, with no real... read more
19.09.2012 | Blog from Global Witness' Stefanie Ostfeld: Dictators’ Riches Are Stolen at Home, But Banked in the West
This post first appeared on Freedom House's Freedom at Issue blog.
Corrupt dictators who take bribes and loot their treasuries are rightly condemned by governments and other observers in developed... read more
13.09.2012 | Business Insider: The Man Who Infiltrated Pablo Escobar's Cartel Explains What's Wrong With The Global Banking System
By Michael Kelley | Business Insider – Fri, Sep 7, 2012 12:56 PM EDT
Robert Mazur, the U.S. Customs special agent who led one of the most successful undercover operations in U.S. law enforcement... read more
By Tom Picken - read this blog on Reuters Trustlaw
International efforts to protect forests and the people that live in them have failed so badly that just 20 per cent of forest remains untouched by commercial activity... read more
Ahead of Thursday’s meeting of the European Parliament's Legal Affairs committee, Global Witness staged a parade of “dictators” in protest at plans to water down upcoming European laws to make oil, mining and timber... read more
Huffington Post blog written by Global Witness' Sudan and South Sudan Analyst, Dana Wilkins, available here. read more
This article was published in the Financial Times on 24th February 2011.
Read press advisory on this issue.
Don't make it easier for dictators to steal
By Anthea Lawson, head of Kleptocracy campaign
The world may... read more
Global Witness's Anthea Lawson and the Financial Task Force's Christine Clough discuss ways to address the illicit financial flows that threaten Uganda's extractive sector and wider economy.
Read here. read more
03.02.2011 | Global Witness for The Times - British business simply can not afford a delay to the Bribery Act
Read this article on The Times website.
We are desperately trying to rebuild British business after the financial crisis. Against that backdrop, you would think that an update to archaic anti-bribery laws that brings... read more
Read this blog on Huffington Post.
When governments around the world are taking measures in support of fiscal austerity, foreign assistance is always a prime target for the chopping block. Bravely, some governments,... read more
Diarmid O'Sullivan, Open Society Foundation research fellow and ex-Global Witness campaigner has released a report today on how transparency helps identify problems in the governance of natural resources, as well... read more
05.11.2012 | Daily Telegraph - 'Land grab' as families are uprooted to make way for luxury resort that will host EU ministers
Cambodia | Laos | Land Deals
At least 500 people have been uprooted from their homes to make way for luxury villas where European Union foreign ministers, including William Hague, will stay during a summit in Laos on Monday, writes David Blair in... read more
A report by Peru Support Group.
Abstract: High gold prices, persistent poverty and a shortage of employment opportunities in Peru have all contributed to an increase in artisanal and small-scale gold mining activity in... read more
Shell companies
Launderers Anonymous
A study highlights how easy it is to set up untraceable companies
Sep 22nd 2012 | NEW YORK | from The Economist
SHELL companies—which exist on paper only, with no real... read more
20.08.2012 | Tokyo Sexwale and the DRC's Mr Grab
"A $150-million investment ties Tokyo Sexwale to a controversial Israeli businessman as he pulled off the "heist" of a prize mining asset in the DRC" - Mail & Guardian. Click here to read the article. read more
18.11.2011 | Reuters Africa: South Sudan assertive on oil sales
South Sudan will market its crude through its oil ministry, an oil official said on Thursday casting further doubt on the role trading major Glencore's venture will have in selling the nation's oil. Alexander Dziadosz... read more
Some donors do well, all donors can do better, writes Publish What You Fund. read more
Britain is being urged to help close down a legal loophole that lets financiers known as "vulture funds" use courts in Jersey to claim hundreds of millions of pounds from the world's poorest countries, write Greg Palast... read more
15.11.2011 | BBC: Call for greater aid transparency
A UK-based lobby group is calling for more transparency in the spending of global development aid, estimated to be worth about $150bn (£93bn), writes BBC's Mark Doyle. read more
Clariden Leu AG, with roots that make it Switzerland's oldest private bank, has begun telling certain U.S. customers suspected of offshore tax evasion that it will disclose their names to the U.S. Internal Revenue... read more
06.09.2011 | Wall St Journal - SocGen deals eyed by Libya
Officials working with Libya's new governing authority are examining whether any payments made by Société Générale SA as part of its business relationship with the Libyan Investment Authority ended up in the hands of... read more
South Sudan's oil minister said on Saturday that an oil cargo detained by northern officials in Port Sudan in a row over duty payments had now sailed, but that negotiations over transit fees were stalled - read... read more
A major international anti-corruption provision in the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation remains stalled at the Securities and Exchange Commission, a year after the bill was passed by Congress and three months... read more
Two days before Sudan splits in two, negotiating teams have failed to agree how to divide the oil critical to the economies of north and south, as aid agencies warn the country is closest to war since a 2005 peace deal... read more
British firms have acquired more land in Africa for controversial biofuel plantations than companies from any other country, write Damian Carrington and Stefano Valentino. read more
South Sudan hopes to sell several unexplored oil blocks for $1 billion in coming months, a finance official said, giving a potential lifeline for the African country's hobbled economy. Reuters.
To read the Global... read more
One story that will be sure to develop in 2013 is the controversy around ENRC’s activities in Congo. For the background for this, a good place to start is the Global Witness statement of 23 December: “ENRC shareholders... read more
Rosie Sharpe, Senior campaigner, Global Witness
Investigations carried out by the Guardian, ICIJ and the BBC's Panorama programme into the ease with which anonymous shell companies can be used to move dirty money... read more
From the Daily Mail
ENRC has resolved not to buy mineral rights via controversial middlemen who campaign groups say pose an appearance or risk of corruption, the Mail understands.
Chairman Mehmet Dalman has taken an... read more
08.08.2012 | World Politics Review: Despite Oil Deal, Obstacles to Sudan-South Sudan Reconciliation Remain
With peril looming on both countries’ economic horizons, Sudan and South Sudan brokered a milestone oil-transit agreement over the weekend to the effusive praise of the international community. The deal represents a... read more
South Sudan says it will allow full access to information involving deals with international financial institutions, following a report by Global Witness on Wednesday, which it recommends that the new nation “exercise... read more
18.05.2012 | Caixin: Big Oil on Edge as U.S. Requires Disclosure
An intense lobbying campaign is under way as U.S. authorities prepare to implement what are supposed to be investor-friendly laws designed to clarify the global operations of listed oil companies. Zhang Tao and Wang... read more
Huffington Post blog written by Global Witness' Sudan and South Sudan Analyst, Dana Wilkins, available here. read more
Rob Walker of the BBC Assignment team investigates what’s happened to billions of dollars in oil revenues paid to the government of Equatorial Guinea since it's oil boom in the 1990s.
Anthea Lawson from Global... read more
Global Witness has long campaigned for companies to come clean about who actually owns them. In most countries in the world individuals can legally disguise their identities and their assets behind anonymous shell... read more
Diamonds worth hundreds of millions of dollars are due to be put on sale on Friday by a joint Chinese-Zimbabwean company with strong military ties. The auction follows last month's decision by the industry watchdog... read more
China, the largest buyer of Sudanese crude oil, is pressing Sudan and the newly independent South Sudan to end a row that has led to the blockade of about 200,000 barrels a day of crude oil and contributed to... read more
Sudan said on Monday it had halted landlocked South Sudan's oil exports until the two agree on a transit fee, stepping up a row between the former civil war foes over how to untangle their once-integrated oil industries... read more
Sudan said on Monday it had halted landlocked South Sudan's oil exports until the two agree on a transit fee, stepping up a row between the former civil war foes over how to untangle their once-integrated oil industries... read more
Back in 2009 it was heralded as a potential model for reducing rates of deforestation and REDD+ but Nowary's deal with Guyana appears to have made little progress, writes Girish Gupta. read more
What we're reading
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