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
News and reports
Read the report
Read this report covered in The Economist
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HSBC has bankrolled logging companies causing widespread environmental destruction and human rights abuses in Sarawak, Malaysia, violating its... read more
Ottawa: In a decision that represents the end of any judicial relief in Canada for victims of the Kilwa massacre, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the application for leave to appeal brought in the case against... 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
30.10.2012 | EITI makes partial progress despite Big Oil resistance to contract and project level disclosure
The international board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) made partial progress to strengthen the initiative during its meeting in Lusaka, Zambia on October 25-26th. While the EITI Board... read more
La version française
简体中文
Industrial logging companies and officials are systematically abusing community logging permits in order to bypass the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) freeze on new logging concessions,... read more
24.10.2012 | Oil Company Lawsuit Against US SEC Threatens EITI
Source: PWYP USA
As the International Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) meets in Lusaka, Zambia this week to discuss the future of the initiative, the Publish What You Pay United... read more
Global Witness today condemned the attempt by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to use a lawsuit to overturn a law that compels companies to disclose whether they use conflict... read more
22.10.2012 | Global Witness comments on Daily Mail report of ENRC anti-corruption moves (updated 23rd October)
Today’s edition of the UK’s Daily Mail has reported that FTSE 100 miner ENRC has “resolved not to buy mineral rights via controversial middlemen who campaign groups say pose an appearance or risk of corruption”. The... read more
For immediate release: Monday 22 October 2012
A Cambodian court announced today that the man charged with killing the alleged murderer of environmental activist Chut Wutty will be released from prison on 3 November 2012... 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
Click here to read the press release.
Click here for response from DRC government.
Industrial logging companies and officials are systematically abusing community logging permits in order to bypass the Democratic... read more
Cambodia should not be given a seat on the United Nations Security Council while its ruling elite continues to commit widespread human rights abuses and sell off vast tracts of land and forest for private gain, said... read more
14.10.2012 | Opening up Afghanistan's extractives sector - Afghan Government unveils first tranche of mining and oil contracts
The Afghan government has made a landmark advance in mineral sector transparency, enabling the Afghan people to see and scrutinize the deals negotiated on their behalf. Over the last week, it has published in full the... read more
12.10.2012 | Global Witness condemns API lawsuit to strike down Dodd-Frank oil, gas and mining transparency provision
For immediate release: October 11, 2012
Global Witness is outraged by a lawsuit filed by the American Petroleum Institute (API), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others to gut Section 1504, an important anti-corruption... read more
07.08.2012 | Gibson Guitars accepts hefty fine after investigation exposes sourcing of illegal timber
Gibson Guitars’ agreement to pay a $300,000 fine for its role in importing illegal timber from Madagascar is a major breakthrough in the fight to end the multi-billion dollar global trade in illicit wood, said Global... read more
Global Witness welcomes the announcement of an oil deal reached by Sudan and South Sudan, while stressing the need for the final text to ensure transparent implementation.
After more than two years of negotiations,... read more
27.07.2012 | Possible new ENRC deal raises fresh corruption risks
En français
Global Witness expressed alarm at reports that FTSE-100 listed miner ENRC may be close to a deal to buy out Congolese mining assets belonging to businessman Dan Gertler. Companies associated with Mr Gertler... read more
Read Stefanie Ostfeld's comment piece on The Hill's Congress Blog.
Senate hearing examines money laundering, drug trafficking and terrorist financing allegations
According to the chair of a U.S. Senate... read more
The South Sudanese government must take immediate action to identify and prosecute those responsible for the recent attack on anti-corruption activist, Deng Athuai, said Global Witness today (1).
On 4 July, the... read more
اعلامیه مطبوعاتی - دري
简体中文
Campaigners today welcomed a landmark agreement on good governance in Afghanistan’s mining sector, but warned that civil society engagement, deal disclosures and inclusion of environmental... read more
Civil society groups today questioned recent media reporting on increased transparency in Uganda’s petroleum sector and called for the Government to commit to publish all oil deals. The call comes as the Ugandan... read more
Tokyo conference a defining opportunity to embed accountability inAfghanistan’s oil and mining sectors
For immediate release.
اعلامیه مطبوعاتی - دري
مطبوعاتي اعلامیه - پښتو
The Government of Afghanistan and the... read more
05.07.2012 | کنفرانس توکيو يک فرصت تعيين کننده يى برای جاسازی حسابدهی در سکتور نفت و معادن افغانستان می باشد
اعلامیه مطبوعاتی
کنفرانس توکیو یک فرصت تعیین کننده یی برای جاسازی حسابدهی در سکتور نفت و معادن افغانستان می باشد
فعالان جامعه مدنی امروز گفتند که دولت افغانستان وجامعه جهانی باید تعهد نمایند... read more
The Financial Times has reported that Dan Gertler, a businessman close to the Congolese president, is one of the main partners in two offshore companies that obtained oil blocks in northeastern Democratic Republic of... read more
29.06.2012 | Donors must hold Rwandan government to account for supporting new rebellion in eastern Congo
For immediate release
Donors must hold Rwandan government to account for supporting new rebellion in eastern Congo
Rwanda’s two main donors, the United Kingdom and United States, must use their influence to end Kigali’... read more
Joint Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Electronics Companies Must Break from US Chamber on Conflict Minerals
Industry should follow the positive steps taken by Microsoft, General Electric (... read more
25.06.2012 | Bipartisan Congressional Letter Calls on SEC to Issue Rules on Corruption and Conflict Minerals
WASHINGTON, DC - Global Witness applauds the bipartisan call by 58 Members of Congress for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to immediately release the final rules for two sections of the Dodd-Frank Wall... read more
Conflict Minerals | Zimbabwe | Conflict Diamonds | Business and Human Rights | Conflict | Corruption
简体中文
The international community must act to prevent off budget financing of Mugabe’s feared secret police, said Global Witness in a report published today.
The report, Financing a Parallel Government?, reveals that... read more
The world’s richest countries promised to close the gap between commitments they have made to fight corruption and the implementation of these promises in reality, as part of the leaders communiqué issued yesterday at... read more
16.02.2011 | Amicus Curiae filing in support of claim that US and German manufacturers supported apartheid South Africa
As part of a coalition of human rights NGOs, Global Witness filed an Amicus Curiae brief, under the Alien Tort Claims Act, with the US 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. The Amicus is in support of the plaintiffs’ claims... read more
08.02.2011 | Global Witness welcomes Dutch court’s decision to hear new prosecution witnesses in Kouwenhoven case
A Dutch appeal court decided this week to hear prosecution witnesses that were not permitted to be called in the previous court proceedings in the trial of the Dutch timber trader Guus Kouwenhoven.
Originally convicted... read more
07.02.2011 | Press advisory: Global Witness spokespeople available for comment on banking of politicians’ funds
Following recent events in Egypt, Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Haiti, Global Witness specialists are available for comment and analysis on how senior politicians access the financial system.
The unrest in Tunisia,... read more
This briefing paper shows how the prosecutions of rogue businesses operating in situations of widespread violence can be made easier.
Read the press release read more
10.01.2011 | Submission to the Financial Action Task Force in response to standards review: first round
Update: Read the Task Force response to the second round of consultation
This submission is in response to the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) consultation, “The Review of Standards – Preparation for the 4th Round... read more
Persistent calls for clear and transparent information on Sudan’s oil revenues have yet to yield satisfactory information, says a new report published by Global Witness today. With a referendum on independence for... read more
03.01.2011 | Global Witness and International Budget Partnership submission to the European Commission on budget support
Global Wtness has produced this Submission to the European Commission’s green paper on the future of budget support to third countries. It is based on the combined experience of Global Witness and the International... read more
14.12.2010 | The Hill Belongs to Them: the need for international action on Congo's conflict minerals trade
Click here to read press release
In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), rebel groups and senior commanders of the national army are fighting over and illegally profiting from the country’s minerals sector. These... read more
Global Witness is pleased to announce the publication in print form of our 2009 Annual Transparency Report for the forest sector, which is now available from our dedicated project website.
The innovative report card is... read more
Significant gaps in the data published by the Angolan government about its earnings from the oil industry undermine its attempts to shed a reputation for corruption, says this new study by Global Witness and the Open... read more
Deforestation and forest degradation account for more carbon emissions than the entire global transport industry. Hopes for a deal to halt this trend centre on a proposed system to compensate developing... read more
Following the question and answer event in London on 18 November 2009, Global Witness submitted to the Office for Climate Change of the Government of Guyana a series of follow-up questions. We requested publication of... read more
Earlier this year, a Global Witness investigation into a proposed deal between the Liberian government and the British-based Carbon Harvesting Corporation (CHC) uncovered evidence of possible irregular payments from CHC... read more
05.11.2010 | Open letter to David Cameron calls for focus on anti-corruption measures at key G20 meet
Ahead of the G20 Leader’s Summit in Seoul on 11–12 November, Global Witness and partner organisations have written to UK Prime Minister David Cameron urge him to push for measures that will curb illicit financial flows... read more
Uganda may be on the verge of an oil boom which, if managed properly, could lift a generation out of poverty. However, a history of high-level corruption scandals and a range of early warning signs in the oil... 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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