Click here to download this briefing
The Liberian government’s failure to enforce its forest laws is encouraging logging companies to find new ways to bypass rules to gain access to the country’s rainforests and exploit... 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
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
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
Click here to download this report
Cliquez ici pour lire ce communiqué de presse en français
简体中文
Systematic abuse of small, poorly regulated logging permits in Africa by companies, forest officials and politicians is... read more
04.03.2013 | Illegal logs from Liberia found in French port as sweeping criminal sanctions kick in across EU
简体中文
Illegal Liberian timber worth thousands of Euros was sitting in a French port less than 3 weeks before a new EU law prohibiting the import of illegal timber came into force, Global Witness revealed today. ... read more
Cameroon | Democratic Republic of Congo | Ecuador | Ghana | Guatemala | Liberia | Peru | Forest Transparency
Public access to information remains a major obstacle to saving rainforests
Commitments to improve public access to information over how forests are managed in developing countries are not being met, said Global... read more
01.02.2013 | World Bank foresters ignore independent evaluation and pledge to carry on logging the world’s rainforests
Cambodia | Cameroon | Democratic Republic of Congo | Indonesia | Liberia | Industrial Forest Use | Forests
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Global Witness available for comment
An independent evaluation leaked earlier this week found that the World Bank’s support for the logging of tropical rainforests is failing in its key aims of... read more
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s 4 January Executive Order expanding a moratorium on logging under Private Use Permits is a welcome move towards restoring the rule of law in Liberia’s forest sector. The Order also... read more
21.12.2012 | Logging company flouts Liberian President’s timber export ban and drives breakdown in rule of law
The logging company Atlantic Resources has shipped millions of dollars worth of illegal timber from Liberia in breach of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s August order to halt timber exports, Global Witness revealed... read more
Lack of transparency threatens groundbreaking trade agreements with EU
Visit Making the Forest Sector Transparent website
Governments of African timber exporters are not providing crucial public access to... read more
The latest draft of Liberia’s Petroleum Policy Paper (received 6 July 2012) marks a significant step forward for the development of a new framework to manage the country’s oil. However, while the policy contains a... read more
04.09.2012 | Signing Their Lives Away: Liberia’s Private Use Permits and the Destruction of Community-Owned Rainforest
Read press release on this issue
Click here for Government announcement of investigation into this issue.
A quarter of Liberia’s total landmass has been granted to logging companies in just two years,... read more
Click here for report
Click here to read about this report on BBC Online
Click here to see Government announcement of investigation
BBC Africa Podcast 4th September 2012 - Interview with Chloe Fussell.... read more
30.05.2012 | Lengthy Taylor sentence represents justice for Sierra Leoneans: Justice still needed for the people of Liberia
Accountability | Liberia | Sierra Leone | Conflict Diamonds | Post Conflict | Ending Impunity | Conflict
Read the Global Witness background briefing on the Charles Taylor Verdict
The 50-year prison sentence handed down to Charles Taylor by the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague represents justice for the people of... read more
Click here to download this briefing
The Liberian government’s failure to enforce its forest laws is encouraging logging companies to find new ways to bypass rules to gain access to the country’s rainforests and exploit... 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
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
Click here to download this report
Cliquez ici pour lire ce communiqué de presse en français
简体中文
Systematic abuse of small, poorly regulated logging permits in Africa by companies, forest officials and politicians is... read more
04.03.2013 | Illegal logs from Liberia found in French port as sweeping criminal sanctions kick in across EU
简体中文
Illegal Liberian timber worth thousands of Euros was sitting in a French port less than 3 weeks before a new EU law prohibiting the import of illegal timber came into force, Global Witness revealed today. ... read more
Cameroon | Democratic Republic of Congo | Ecuador | Ghana | Guatemala | Liberia | Peru | Forest Transparency
Public access to information remains a major obstacle to saving rainforests
Commitments to improve public access to information over how forests are managed in developing countries are not being met, said Global... read more
01.02.2013 | World Bank foresters ignore independent evaluation and pledge to carry on logging the world’s rainforests
Cambodia | Cameroon | Democratic Republic of Congo | Indonesia | Liberia | Industrial Forest Use | Forests
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Global Witness available for comment
An independent evaluation leaked earlier this week found that the World Bank’s support for the logging of tropical rainforests is failing in its key aims of... read more
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s 4 January Executive Order expanding a moratorium on logging under Private Use Permits is a welcome move towards restoring the rule of law in Liberia’s forest sector. The Order also... read more
21.12.2012 | Logging company flouts Liberian President’s timber export ban and drives breakdown in rule of law
The logging company Atlantic Resources has shipped millions of dollars worth of illegal timber from Liberia in breach of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s August order to halt timber exports, Global Witness revealed... read more
Lack of transparency threatens groundbreaking trade agreements with EU
Visit Making the Forest Sector Transparent website
Governments of African timber exporters are not providing crucial public access to... read more
Click here for report
Click here to read about this report on BBC Online
Click here to see Government announcement of investigation
BBC Africa Podcast 4th September 2012 - Interview with Chloe Fussell.... read more
30.05.2012 | Lengthy Taylor sentence represents justice for Sierra Leoneans: Justice still needed for the people of Liberia
Accountability | Liberia | Sierra Leone | Conflict Diamonds | Post Conflict | Ending Impunity | Conflict
Read the Global Witness background briefing on the Charles Taylor Verdict
The 50-year prison sentence handed down to Charles Taylor by the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague represents justice for the people of... read more
26.04.2012 | Justice for Sierra Leone as Charles Taylor found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity
Read the Global Witness background briefing on the Charles Taylor Verdict
Today’s verdict by the Special Court for Sierra Leone that Charles Taylor is guilty of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity... read more
Recent pledges by the Liberian Government to enhance transparency and the involvement of civil society in its oil sector represent are a welcome step forward, says Global Witness today.
International interest in Liberia... read more
26.09.2011 | Immediate reform needed if Liberians are to profit from potential oil finds, report shows
Click here to read this report
BBC Focus on Africa: Global Witness interviewed about this report.
Far-reaching reforms of Liberia’s oil sector are urgently needed if its population is to benefit from future oil... 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
04.09.2012 | Signing Their Lives Away: Liberia’s Private Use Permits and the Destruction of Community-Owned Rainforest
Read press release on this issue
Click here for Government announcement of investigation into this issue.
A quarter of Liberia’s total landmass has been granted to logging companies in just two years,... read more
Download this briefing
Read the press release: Justice for Sierra Leone and Charles Taylor found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity
On 26 April 2012 the Special Court for Sierra Leone found former... read more
Read press release
Read report
BBC Focus on Africa: Global Witness interviewed about this report.
International oil companies such as the US giant Chevron are beginning exploration off of Liberia’s coastline.... 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
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
On 21st May 2010, Global Witness published a press release urging Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to act swiftly to stem a growing tide of corruption and mismanagement in the country's forestry and mineral... read more
Global Witness and Sherpa, along with Greenpeace France, Amis de la Terre, and a prominent Liberian activist, have lodged a complaint before the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Nantes against Dalhoff, Larsen and... read more
20.08.2009 | Correspondence betweeen Global Witness and Samling
Liberia | Forests | Corruption
In July Global Witness alleged that Samling, a company with a history of illegal logging, was linked to three companies bidding for forestry management contracts in Liberia. In reponse to these allegations, Samling... read more
Liberia | Forests | Corruption
Three firms linked to Malaysian timber giant Samling, a company notorious for destroying tropical forests and abusing local communities, have been considered for major logging contracts in Liberia because of flaws in... read more
On 28 February 2008, the Government of Liberia announced that it had signed the Amended and Restated Concessions Agreement with Firestone Liberia (Amended Agreement). The contract was the result of a private... read more
07.09.2007 | Taylor Made
Second edition of this report, incorporating a report of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) on the part played by revenues generated from Liberia's shipping register.
Other Languages
French
Downloads... read more
08.12.2004 | Dangerous Liaisons
A briefing document submitted by Global Witness to the UN Security Council. read more
31.08.2002 | Logging Off
How the Liberian Timber Industry Fuels Liberia's Humanitarian Disaster and Threatens Sierra Leone read more
No articles found.
Liberia is seeking to prosecute a British citizen for bribery in a proposed carbon deal that would have given him control of a fifth of the West African country's rainforests, the government said.
Reuters –... read more
What we're reading
Global Witness in the press
05.06.2013 | The Economist supports global transparency standard
For general enquiries please contact +44 (0)207 492 5820, mail@globalwitness.org.
For urgent out of hours enquiries please contact Andrea Pattison on +44 (0)797 010 3083.
