Global Witness - Breaking the links between natural resources, conflict and corruption
Natural Resources in Conflict
View latest releases on natural resources in conflict
Wars need money. Natural resources such as timber, diamonds and minerals play an increasingly prominent role in providing this money, which is often used to fund armies and militias who murder, rape and commit other human rights abuses against civilians.
Global Witness' Natural Resources in Conflict team works to break the links between natural resources and conflict by influencing international, regional and national policies after carrying out in-depth investigations. Our work consists of:
- Campaigning to prevent future conflicts, and curbing current ones, by denying combatants any income from the trade in natural resources. Global Witness' past successes in this field include closing off the lucrative timber trade of both Charles Taylor's despotic regime in Liberia and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and the conflict diamonds campaign, which gave rise to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds, all of which have hastened the end of some of the world's most brutal wars. Currently, Global Witness is researching the trade in diamonds and cocoa in Cote d'Ivoire.
- Working in post-conflict countries such as Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that crucial investment in the natural resource sector is equitable, sustainable, transparent and non-corrupt, and brings long-term benefit to the state and the population, thereby helping to prevent the seeds of future conflict.
- Reforming international policy, especially pushing for the international community, at UN level, to adopt a definition of conflict resources which could be used to trigger action to prevent natural resources from fuelling conflict, and which could form the basis of revised national laws allowing people who trade in conflict resources to be prosecuted.
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.
