Recent Articles

How intensive advocacy in Sierra Leone spurred the recall of the controversial mining deal and a new appreciation in government for civil society’s role.

News Article ~ 22 February 2012

In Uganda, collaboration between members of parliament and NGOs led to a turning point in the transparency of mining contracts.

News Article ~ 22 February 2012

When governments makes deals with companies for their oil and mining resources, citizens stand to gain more if they know the contract terms.

News Article ~ 22 February 2012

RWI congratulated the government of Guinea for creating a contract review plan that can help enhance the rule of law and accelerate economic development.

Press Release ~ 20 January 2012

A new paper contends that the "China Deal" reflects changes and continuity in the global economy.

Blog ~ 13:50, 21 November 2011

Revenue Watch cordially invites you to the release of Enforcing the Rules, a new study of monitoring in the mining industries, on 9 November.


News Article ~ 27 October 2011
President Sirleaf's advocacy for natural resource transparency has been an essential element of Liberia's progress.
Blog ~ 9:28, 7 October 2011
Citizens' groups in resource-rich countries have been pushing for years for the publication of contracts in which their governments award companies the right to explore for and exploit public petroleum and mineral resources.
Blog ~ 9:57, 2 October 2011
In late March, Oil & Gas Journal editor Bob Tippee spoke to a gathering of the Gas Processors Association (GPA) on the necessity of renewing a once-vibrant corporate conversation on the concept of the extractive industry's "license to operate." In an eloquent call to action, Tippee noted the important role that the Revenue Watch Institute has played in maintaining an emphasis on transparency in extractive industry contracting. Praising the insights of recent RWI report Contracts Confidential, Tippee exhorted GPA members to open their contracts up for public oversight, and transform them from objects of secrecy into vehicles for building trust.
News Article ~ 6 May 2010
On September 23, as a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation to broaden disclosure of international extractive industry payments, more than 200 activists, policymakers, industry representatives and government officials gathered for a conference that may herald a new stage in the global movement for natural resource transparency and accountability. The event marked the release of Revenue Watch's report Contracts Confidential: Ending Secret Deals in the Extractive Industries, which challenges most of the common objections to openness in extractive industry contracts.
News Article ~ 23 October 2009
In today's Financial Times, Revenue Watch Director Karin Lissakers and Columbia University Law Professor Peter Rosenblum respond to a recent editorial about poorly-negotiated mining contracts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea and other countries in Africa. In their response, Lissakers and Rosenblum explain that contract secrecy is a key reason for many bad deals.
News Article ~ 16 October 2009
In a June 30 interview, Revenue Watch Middle East North Africa Director Yahia Said explained the latest steps by Iraq to revitalize its oil sector through contracts with U.S. and foreign firms, and the continuing barriers to new hydrocarbon legislation. "The Iraqis haven't agreed yet on two major issues," Said told Judy Woodruff of "NewsHour." "One is the division of power and responsibilities between the central government and the regions and the province over the industry, who controls the industry, who signs contracts, who manages the fields.
News Article ~ 1 July 2008