Global Witness welcomes today’s recognition by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) that the majority of Britain’s banks are failing to do enough to identify corrupt money from abroad and that it is ‘likely that some... read more
News and reports
Ghana | Guatemala | Liberia | Peru | Forest Transparency
Global Witness today publishes the second phase of its unique comparative study of transparency in the forest sectors of four developing countries. The report shows improvements in governments’ willingness to engage... read more
A coalition of more than forty civil society groups from twenty countries around the world today launched a campaign Make Aid Transparent, which calls on governments and other aid donors to publish more and better... read more
A decree published this week by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) commits the government to disclose all natural resource contracts within 60 days of their coming into effect. The decision is a welcome move which... 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
The G8 has today announced its commitment to introduce new transparency laws that would require oil, gas and mining companies to disclose the payments they make to governments. Such measures would help eradicate the... read more
Update: Global Witness publishes the Libyan Investment Authority financial position as of September 2010
Read BBC Business Editor Robert Peston's analysis of this story
Listen to Global Witness discuss this... read more
26.05.2011 | Electronics, auto makers should commit now to due diligence standards to end trade in conflict minerals
Goma/Kinshasa/London/Ottawa/Paris/Washington
The organizations CENADEP – Kinshasa, CCFD-Terre Solidaire, Enough Project, Global Witness, Partnership Africa Canada, UAID – North Kivu, welcome the endorsement yesterday by... read more
23.05.2011 | Affirming Accountability: Transparency and Independent Verification in South Sudan’s New Petroleum Law
The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations drawn from our expertise and experience in Sudan and elsewhere in order to assist in the development of a robust Petroleum Law in South Sudan. We also draw from a... read more
Русская версия
FTSE 100 mining firm Kazakhmys plc is still refusing to provide full information as to the identity of its beneficial owners, nearly one year after Global Witness raised concerns over alleged links... read more
18.05.2011 | The EITI in South Sudan: Basics and Benefits
A memo by Global Witness explaining the basics and benefits of the potential for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in South Sudan. read more
Go to report
Shifts in the control of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) mines have created opportunities to begin breaking the links between the mineral trade and the conflict that has plagued civilians for... read more
Read press release
Shifts in the control of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) mines have created opportunities to begin breaking the links between the mineral trade and the conflict that has plagued civilians... read more
12.05.2011 | Global Witness briefing to the British All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes
Global Witness submitted a briefing to the British APPG on the Great Lakes in advance of a visit to the region in May 2011 highlighting concerns over the Democratic Republic of Congo's natural resource sector. read more
12.05.2011 | UNESCO: Obiang Prize Rejected a Second Time
EG Justice, Global Witness and other civil society organizations today credited UNESCO’s Executive Board for soundly rejecting a petition by the government of Equatorial Guinea to reinstate a prize funded by and named... read more
Campaign groups Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Liberia and Global Witness today welcomed the Liberian Auditor General's audit of the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy and called on the Government to act on its disturbing... read more
20.10.2009 | Government failure to acknowledge oil supply crunch risks conflict and threatens the climate
There is an imminent oil supply crunch that governments have failed to acknowledge or act upon, the impacts of which will be felt throughout every aspect of modern society which is heavily reliant on oil, according to a... read more
The UNCAC Coalition is very concerned about reports that the Russian Federation has taken steps to block attendance of a Georgian NGO at an upcoming UN meeting on corruption. The same Georgian group, the... read more
Congolese government should push companies to be more rigorous
The Congolese government should be cautious about endorsing a new industry initiative to trace the origin of tin supplies from the Democratic Republic of... read more
Enhanced Protection Urgently Needed Due to Disastrous Toll on Civilian Populations
The Congolese government’s military operation in eastern Congo, Kimia II, backed by United Nations peacekeepers and aimed at... read more
Bali hopes to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in jeopardy Bangkok - REDD negotiations ended explosively Thursday when, despite support from some 20 countries, the European Union blocked... read more
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should not go ahead with plans for a multi-million dollar loan to Angola, whose oil-rich government is highly corrupt, without stringent conditions that require the opening up of... read more
05.10.2009 | European Union Stalling on REDD at Bangkok meeting
Agreement intended to protect forests will end up paying loggers to destroy them
Bangkok - With the release of new text on Saturday, REDD, the forest component of the new climate change agreement, is clearly going in... read more
Dr. Rosalind Reeve, Head of the Forest Team at Global Witness, has been selected from ten candidates to represent civil society on the UN-REDD Policy Board. The UN-REDD Programme is currently assisting nine countries... read more
03.10.2009 | REDD takes a turn for the worst at Bangkok meeting
Bangkok - Today, the UNFCCC released new consolidated text for REDD, the part of the treaty intended to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation. With only two weeks of negotiations left before Copenhagen,... read more
Bangkok - The post-Kyoto United Nations climate agreement currently being negotiated in Bangkok is at risk of subsidising industrial scale logging of primary forests, according to Trick or Treat?: REDD, Development and... read more
The Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf should refuse to sign four 25-year forest management contracts which have been ratified by legislators despite warnings by NGOs of serious flaws in the allocation process,... read more
Summit communiqué calls for stronger anti-money laundering standards to help curb illicit flows of looted state funds
The G20 has urged an international watchdog on anti-money laundering laws to prioritise the fight... read more
Leading NGO experts warn that countries must act now to avoid perverse incentives and unintended consequences
Bangkok - As the United Nations climate change talks resume today in Bangkok, leading forest and climate... read more
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) should intervene and ensure that the frivolous charges against Congolese human rights activist Golden Misabiko are dropped immediately, said campaign group... read more
07.02.2002 | Branching out
This report focuses on Zimbabwe’s logging ambitions in the DRC – potentially the world's largest ever timber deal. However, it should be remembered that this deal is just one strand of the powerful and intricate... read more
30.08.2001 | Zanu PF, Kabila in Secret US £300m Deal
THE ruling Zanu-PF party is at the centre of a complex deal that will rake profits worth US$300 million within the first three years of operation and involves Congo's Kabila family, Zimbabwean army generals and the... read more
01.06.2001 | The Credibility Gap and the Need to Bridge it
A review of the developments in the forestry sector in Cambodia over the previous year, detailing incidents of illegal logging throughout the country. The report examines the role of the Royal Government of Cambodia in... read more
01.05.2000 | Chainsaws Speak Louder than Words
Downloads
forests_famine_and_war_the_key...dias_future.htm read more
07.12.1999 | The Untouchables
THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED TO ALERT INTERESTED PARTIES TO THE POTENTIAL SHORTCOMINGS IN THE ADB-FUNDED CONCESSION REVIEW BEING CARRIED OUT IN LATE 1999. IN PARTICULAR, THE LOGISTICAL CONSTRAINTS AND THE MANDATE OF THE... read more
01.12.1999 | A Crude Awakening
Angola is sub-Saharan Africa’s second largest oil producer after Nigeria, with recent discoveries suggesting it could soon become the largest; this at a time when the 1999 UN Human Development Index (HDI) places Angola... read more
07.10.1999 | Timber Takeaway...
This report highlights the role of Japanese industry in the destruction of the world’s forests, through its insatiable demand for timber and the resultant need for reinvigorating and coordinating the activities of... read more
07.04.1999 | Made in Vietnam, Cut in Cambodia
An exposé of the illegal trade in Cambodian timber to Vietnam, where it is made into garden furniture and then exported to European high street stores.
Downloads
Made_in_Vietnam.doc
read more
07.02.1999 | Crackdown or Pause?
This Document is intended to present a brief analysis of the current situation within Cambodia’s forestry sector, and a round up of information obtained during Global Witness’ investigations in nine key... read more
01.12.1998 | A Rough Trade
This document was written to stimulate debate and action on a well known and much reported issue: the key role that diamonds have played in the Angolan conflict in the last ten years. There is a dangerous acceptance... read more
10.03.1998 | Going Places...
A review of the developments in the forestry sector in Cambodia over the previous year. The report notes that the rate of forest destruction accelerated following the July 1997 coup d'etat, in part due to the high... 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
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