Since its inception in 1992, Global Witness has exposed and broken the links between natural resources, conflict and corruption. Our on-the-ground investigations, reports and advocacy have starved wars of the funds they need to continue. For instance, our first-ever campaign shut down the illegal timber trade that funded the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime and launched “conflict resources” as an issue.

Our investigations have:

• Exposed the issue of conflict diamonds and the role of respectable businesses in many conflicts, for which we were co-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003


• Helped to create new international mechanisms to promote transparency in extractive industries, including the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative


• Led campaigning to get legislation passed to oblige all companies listed on the U.S. Stock Exchange publish all payments they make for natural resources


• Exposed how Liberian dictator Charles Taylor used timber and diamond revenues to fund brutal conflict, which led the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on the Liberian timber trade


• Pioneered independent forest monitoring so civil society could hold governments to account for protecting and managing forest resources

These are just a few examples of the powerful impact of our work. With your help, we can continue to ensure that natural resources change lives for the better.