Global Witness - Breaking the links between natural resources, conflict and corruption
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making the forest sector transparent
~~ New! 2009 Report Card website and press release
Making the Forest Sector Transparent is working with civil society groups in forest-rich countries to engage with policy makers and advocate for capable, responsive and accountable forest sector governance. The project supports local environmental and human rights campaigners in up to eight countries to monitor transparency and to advocate on issues of importance to local communities.
We launched the first ever Forest Sector Transparency Report Card, as a website, on 21 January 2009. The pilot report card consists of some seventy 'yes/no' questions on the availability of information across 15 themes, including:
- Freedom of information laws
- Forest policy and laws
- Forest and land tenure
- Permit allocation process
- Logging operations
- Oil / mining permits and information
- Taxes, revenues, and redistribution
The report assesses and compares this information critical to forest use and management in four countries: Peru, Ghana, Cameroon and Liberia. It takes a right-based approach, looking top-down at the legal obligations each state has to enhance transparency and participation in decision making (including reference to the individual country Constitution, any Freedom of Information legislation, and any sector-specific laws), and bottom-up, working with forest-dependent communities to identify information needs in order that communities can assert their rights, and hold duty-bearers (government and others) to account.
For further information please go to our dedicated Forest Transparency Report Card website (opens in new window).
Other links:
January 2010 Global Witness launches pioneering forest transparency website press release html or pdf (English only)
June 2009 Project Update (English only)
November 2008 project-launch press release (also available in French and Spanish).
The project team can be contacted on im@globalwitness.org or foresttransparency@globalwitness.org.
Latest Publications
February 2010
Global Witness Vacancy - Senior Climate Campaigner
Global Witness is recruiting for an experienced senior campaigner to work with two of the Founder Directors, to shape and implement Global Witness' new Climate Campaign. The campaign is an advocacy based campaign on climate change and energy security.
Senate shines welcome spotlight on U.S. facilitation of corruption
A senate subcommittee hearing this week will expose how foreign politicians have used the services of American lawyers, bankers, lobbyists and other professionals, to bring millions of suspect dollars into the country.
January 2010
New report urges UN to learn lessons on resource-fuelled wars
The UN and Member States must do more to address the role of natural resources in incentivising, financing and preventing resolution of conflict, according to a new report from Global Witness, which draws on lessons from countries including the DRC, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Global Witness launches pioneering forest transparency website
Natural-resource campaign group Global Witness is today publishing the first ever Forest Sector Transparency Report Card via a dedicated website, www.foresttransparency.info. The launch will take place at an illegal logging update meeting today, hosted by Chatham House in London.
Proposed changes to Liberian forest laws would open way for devastating logging and slash government revenues
Changes to Liberia's forestry law proposed by the Liberian Timber Association would dramatically reduce revenue for the state and are not in the best interests of the country.
Ghana controversy shows need to shine a light on oil deals
A controversy over allegations of corruption in the oil industry, which broke last week in Ghana, shows the need for much greater openness in the way in which companies gain access to the oil reserves of developing countries.
