Global Witness supports the implementation of anti-corruption and pro-transparency initiatives that change company and government behaviour so that natural resources contribute to development and poverty alleviation rather than conflict and corruption. We work with a broad range of stakeholders from business, civil society and governments in a number of international coalitions including Publish What you Pay, the EITI, the BOND governance group, and the UNCAC civil society coalition.

Years of campaigning is beginning to bear fruit. In the UK, the 2010 Bribery Act created a new offence of bribing foreign public officials and another of corporate liability for companies who fail to prevent bribes. These changes could have profound impact on bribery abroad and set an international standard against bribery and corruption.

In the U.S. the 2010 Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains a provision which requires all extractive companies who report to the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to disclose all payments made to foreign governments. This change will allow citizens, parliaments and donors in resource rich states to hold their governments to account for the revenues they receive.

The Dodd-Frank Act will also require companies whose products contain cassiterite (tin ore), coltan (tantalum ore), wolframite (tungsten ore) and gold to disclose to the SEC whether they are sourcing these minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo or adjoining countries. (Read more).

We will continue to work with other NGOs, governments and business so  that transparency in the extractive industries becomes an international norm.