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Explore our publications on a wide range of topics, to find the powerful facts, stories and approaches that underpin our work to make the extractive industry more open, accountable and participatory.
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A Partnership of Equals?
A Partnership of Equals? How to strengthen the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Strategic Partnerships The European Union’s (EU) Critical Raw Minerals Act (CRMA) is an important part of the bloc’s attempt to address the challenges of securing sustainable access to Critical Raw Materials (CRM). The aim is to reduce dependency on single third-country suppliers and promote circularity […]
Reversing the resource curse through legislative community development
Can we “reverse the resource curse” through legislative community development? This analyse, written by Brendan Schwartz, Kristi Disney Bruckner and Ahamadou Maiga for PWYP, gives crucial keys to answer this question. Download the analysis Despite decades of research and action to “reverse the resource curse”, progress has generally been mooted. Natural resource extraction continues to […]
Transparency’s next frontier – Why extractive industry procurement should be a focus of civil society
It is remarkable how far the global movement for transparency in extractive industries has come. The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is now at fifty-five member countries, and civil society has successfully pressured governments in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Canada to adopt laws requiring their headquartered mining and oil and gas companies report revenue […]
It’s time for Brazil to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
This article was originally published by Mongabay on 29 October 2021 “It’s like we don’t exist,” say people living near giant mines like Minas-Rio in Brazil’s mining heartland state of Minas Gerais. Though residents largely don’t benefit and live in fear of yet another environmental catastrophe caused by such mines like the Samarco Mariana & […]
Lifting the veil of secrecy on rights abuses caused by Brazil’s mining industry
Mining companies must tackle human rights abuses or risk communities saying no to their operations. This article was originally published by Open Global Rights on 28 October 2021 Brazil has been struck by two devastating mining dam disasters in recent years. In 2015, a tailings dam carrying liquid waste away from the Samarco Mariana mining complex in Minas […]
We expect better from companies claiming to support the EITI
As part of the EITI 2019 Standard companies that are part of the Initiative are expected to meet a set of transparency asks (known in EITI speak as “Expectations”) linked to key areas such as contract transparency, tax, payments and beneficial ownership transparency Last month, for the first time, the EITI released an assessment of […]
Brazilians suffering in the shadow of mining denied benefits from company payments
A vast iron ore mine in Brazil, owned and operated by UK multinational Anglo American, is causing water shortages, ill-health and disaster anxiety among low-income Afro-descendant communities. Few benefits are visible locally from mining taxes or royalties, according to a new joint report from Brazilian NGO IBASE (Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas) and […]
Brazil: In Search of Transparency
“Water shortages caused by Minas-Rio have reduced local food production. Dust from mine explosions causes respiratory diseases. Fear of tailings dam breach runs high. Rural communities suffer most. There is little evidence of Brazil’s federal, state or local governments managing the mine effectively or getting a fair deal for citizens.” Athayde Motta, Director of IBASE. […]
Government efforts to reduce emissions in the oil and gas sector need more transparency
Emily Nickerson supported the production of the below mentioned report by Oxfam Canada and Parkland Institute, and is also outgoing Director of PWYP-Canada. This blog presents key report findings, and lessons for PWYP coalitions and members. Governments are ramping up their investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, investing billions in new green industries and efforts […]
Empowering communities to use data for accountability in mining
Story of change In the Philippines, the Bantay Kita-Publish What You Pay Philippines coalition (BK-PWYP) identified that EITI data could be useful in helping indigenous communities to demand their share of royalty payments from mining on community land. But making data accessible would not in itself create change. BK-PWYP realised that it needed to understand communities’ […]
Civil Society Guide to the Mining Local Procurement Reporting Mechanism
Since 2018, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) member organisations in West Africa have dedicated great efforts to foster local content implementation in the mining sector. This has been done through the promotion of local procurement, which represents the “biggest single element in benefit distribution for communities and government”. Spending on goods and services is usually […]
Citizens’ groups use revenue disclosures to advocate for local service funding
Story of Change Fees charged to mining companies for land use are a significant source of income for local authorities in Zambia. The Zambian Publish What You Pay (PWYP) coalition discovered that a legal loophole had been enabling some mining companies to avoid paying land-use fees. These lost revenues affect the authorities’ ability to provide […]