Publish What You Pay | History - Publish What You Pay

Publish What You Pay was launched by 6 London based organisations in 2002 to call for extractive companies to publish their payments. Today, we number more than 700 members dotted all around the world and work for transparency and accountability all along the value chain. Here are some of the milestones of our history as a coalition.

2016

PWYP members came from all over the world to participate in our Global Assembly in February 2016. Find out more about the event and key reflections and decisions in this report.

A new Executive Director, Elisa Peter, took over the leadership of PWYP’s Secretariat after Marinke Van Riet’s role as its International Director.

PWYP charity status was approved by the Charity Commission, with the registered charity number 1170959.

2015

PWYP became an independent entity and registered as a charity. PWYP started its application to become a registered charity in the UK.

2014

New coalitions: RLIE, Tajikistan and Ukraine

August – The Global Steering Committee decide that the PWYP Secretariat, until then hosted by Open Society Foundation, should devolve and become its own independent entity and registered NGO. Plans are adopted to make this a reality by August 2015.

2013

New coalitions: Togo

November – EU Accounting Directive is adopted, which obliges all EU Registered companies to publish what they pay.

June – EU Transparency Directive is adopted, which obliges all EU listed companies to publish what they pay.

May – A new EITI standard is adopted at the International EITI Conference in Sydney.

First meeting of the Global Steering Committee.

The PWYP Secretariat creates regional coordinator posts in Eurasia and Francophone Africa.

2012

New coalitions: Madagascar

September: 10 year anniversary and launch of new strategy. Vision 20/20. New governance structure and membership criteria adopted by members. PWYP’s work officially moves beyond revenue transparency to all steps of the value chain.

2011

New coalitions: Australia, Iraq, Philippines and Zimbabwe

August:Strategy Development Process launched.

May: Pan-Africa conference of PWYP members held in Kinshasa: a new governance structure, the PWYP Africa Steering Committee, is established.

2010

New coalitions: Tanzania

June: President Obama signs into law Dodd-Frank 1504, which obliges all extractive US listed companies to publish their payments to the governments where they operate.

2009

New coalitions: Burkina Faso, Zambia

2008

New coalitions: Canada, Mali, Mozambique, Uganda

2007

New coalitions: Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia

First major PWYP conference for civil society groups from Asia-Pacific, held in Indonesia.

2006

New coalitions: DRC, Guinea, Gabon, Liberia, Norway, Niger, Mongolia and Mauritania

PWYP International Strategy Meeting in Olso, members agree on a new mission statement and governance structures, including formation of a Strategic Advisory Group.

2005

New coalitions: Cameroon

First major PWYP pan-African capacity building workshop organised in Cameroon.

2004

New coalitions: Azerbaijan, Chad, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and the United States

EU adopts a ‘Transparency Directive’ to harmonise minimum disclosure requirements for companies listed in the EU, includes non-binding language encouraging payment disclosure by extractive companies.

2003

First PWYP coalitions launch in France and Congo-Brazzaville.

2002

September: British PM Tony Blair announces EITI

June:Publish What You Pay campaign officially launched in London. CAFOD, Global Witness, Open Society Foundation, OXFAM, Save the Children and Transparency International are the six founding members.